Not sure if this is the right forum to ask, but has anyone had Lasik or PRK? What was it like? How long was the recovery? How has it affected your training?
Yes, I have had it. And I LOVE it!!!! Had it done right in H'town. Lasik Plus, off of Buffalo Speedway. Total procedure took about 15 minutes (probably less, the valium tends to distort time). Recovery was like clock work. I had no complications. It was a textbook case of procedure and recovery. Training is improved because I no longer have to wear glasses or contacts. (Except for reading, but that has more to do with my age). I highly recommend it. Plus, I'm saving money on glasses and contacts and solution and all that stuff.
Yup. About five years ago. I wasn't doing MA at the time, but I was doing yoga (including all the full headstands etc.) It's a while ago now, but I seem to recall being able to go back to yoga within a month. For MA, I'd leave it longer because of the extra risk, maybe 2-3 months. They will very likely advise you when you attend anyway. In terms of what it was like - pretty easy actually. There's some mild discomfort involved with having the eyes clamped open for a couple of minutes, but this is helped a great deal by the local anaesthetic. There's also the part where the eye is sliced with a tiny saw to make a flap. It's totally painless, but fairly disquieting. The only other potentially dodgy part is the unpleasant smell created by the laser burning part of the eye away. All in all it's a pretty easy ride . . . until they ask you to pay for it.
2 suggestions: 1) take the valium 2) schedule for the last procedure of the day The valium will help you thru the procedure and help you sleep at night. That first night sleep is very important to the healing process. Getting the last procedure of the day means that by the time you get home and have dinner, you'll be ready for bed. Oh, and follow the doctor's instructions.
I'm a ninja, we don't spar. Or haven't you been following things? Just kidding. I was able to partipate in class about 6 weeks later. We don't exactly spar, per se, but some pretty rough and tumble randori is standard. Everything A-OK. It's been 2 years now, since I've had it done. No problems at all.
I had LASIK surgery. Overall, it has made everything I do sportswise, not just karate, easier. The doctors who do the screening gave me a list of various sports and exercise acitivites and the amount of time you were expected to lay off after the procedure. Martial arts were not on the list, but things like yoga and aerobics were okay after 2 weeks according to the list. Most contact team sports, like soccer and basketball were okay after 3 months. Thus, I could return to the dojo in a couple of weeks, basics and kata were no problem but I had to sit out sparring. Fortunately, I had the surgery done in November, so by the time my spring soccer season and the heavy-duty karate tournament season came around I was good to go.
Lasik is the best thing in the world. If you also need reading glasses, try doingl lasik in one eye and leaving the other eye alone. You quickly adjust and then in the future don't need reading glasses. Best thing I ever did.
Would this work? Do you know anyone who's actually done this? It sounds like a recipe for a life of headaches to me.
Just make sure you go to a VERY reputable place, the balls-up rate for some of these places will amaze you. There is also no way for compensation against this as you sign a very broad disclaimer before surgery. Good as it is, there are definitely some inherent risks.
I looked into Lasik at Baylor Eye Clinic and I was told my cornea was too thin for the Lasik, but I was a candidate for PRK. I believe the PRK is slightly more painful and the Dr. suggested I would possibly have to take a week or so off of work. The total recovery time for PRK was up to month. The main benefit to PRK, for me at least, was that the cornea is buffed as opposed to slit, so there's no chance of corneal displacement if the eye takes a direct hit during sparring.
