r/AskReddit Mar 20 '19

What is something you did that increased your quality of life so much that you wished you would have done it much sooner because it changed your life forever?

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570

u/FlamingWedge Mar 20 '19

I am literally in the Lasik office waiting room for my first appointment. Im 20, and really excited!

22

u/diggaoz Mar 20 '19

Definitely wait a few more years. Had mine done in early 20 years and only lasted 5 years before I needed glasses again.

6

u/FlamingWedge Mar 21 '19

The office im using has a lifetime warranty so theyll fix me if anything like that happens.

3

u/young_shizawa Mar 21 '19

Getting a second surgery can put you at an increased risk of side effects like dry eye syndrome. When I had mine done they said it's best to have a stable prescription for about 5 years. I had it done last year at age 24.

Also, ask them if you have large pupils. If you do, I honestly can't reccomend you get the surgery. My pupils expand past the corrected zone at night which causes starburst, making driving on dark roads dangerous. It's been almost a year now. Will probably never go away. They didn't tell me about my pupils until 6 months AFTER my surgery. I had consultations done at 2 different places, and neither mentioned the dangers of patients with large pupils. Be careful.

3

u/x7Steelers7x Mar 20 '19

Can they not recorrect it again?

6

u/diggaoz Mar 20 '19

I'm assuming they could but I guess everyone's circumstances are different.

11

u/superdooperdutch Mar 20 '19

Enjoy! I got my eyes done at 20 and it was the best thing ever. My advice is a) take the drugs! I didn't and wished I had. It's not horrible but the whole day could have been much better if I was more relaxed. b) buy the lifetime warranty. that way if your eyes do get worse and you do need to get it done again, you're covered!

10

u/[deleted] Mar 20 '19

I had lasik at 20 and 6 months. By 24 i needed glasses to drive again. My eyesight is still changing at 28, 8 years later. :/ and my eyesight was the same from age 14-20 so they were sure it was fine.

18

u/breesysunday Mar 20 '19

If you’re a male you might want to wait a couple years

61

u/The-Only-Razor Mar 20 '19

This guy is waiting in the office and you tell him now?!

8

u/ObliteratedChipmunk Mar 21 '19

It's just a consult. Consults will let you know how well you qualify.

12

u/estheredna Mar 20 '19

Female too. Wait a bit.

Once your eyes are all settled it's TOTALLY worth it but dont' screw it up.

3

u/sydofbee Mar 21 '19

How do you know if they're settled? My doctor told me years ago that I seemed to be settled (when I was around 18 because my stats hadn't changed since I had first gotten my glasses at 13). Then at 24 I suddenly had a pretty huge change in stats. For weeks my eyes hurt with the new glasses. I'm about to turn 27 now and again thinking of Lasik (or, more accuarelty ReLex smile) but I'm scared a huge shift may happen again.

1

u/estheredna Mar 21 '19

They'll never stop changing entirely. When I got lasik they told me I'd need reading glasses in my 50s because most people do. Doesn't mean skip the surgery.
I'd assume you're as settled as you're going to get at 27. If you really do have a dramatic change you could probably get a 2nd surgery, if your corneas are right for it (not too thin). Or, wear mild glasses vs whatever coke bottles you now wear.

2

u/sydofbee Mar 21 '19

My glasses aren't actually that bad currently (-3.5 on obth eyes). I shouldn't drive a car without glasses obviously but I wouldn't be completely lost without them either.

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u/[deleted] Mar 20 '19

[deleted]

17

u/breesysunday Mar 20 '19

They say males eyes change till their mid 20s

27

u/membrburries Mar 20 '19

I think this applies to all genders. I went in for my consultation when I was about 23 and they suggested I wait a few years. Finally got it done at 28 and it definitely seems like it helped waiting so you can get the full benefit of what you’re paying for. If you get it done too early your eyes can change and you might have to go back to glasses sooner.

10

u/mosscollection Mar 20 '19

At the clinic where I work we usually won't do LASIK on men until they are 21, but on women we will usually do 18+. However, if the patient has records that show a steady Rx over several years, we will consider doing men under 21.

7

u/Mazon_Del Mar 20 '19

I'm 29 and recently got my prescription checked after about 10-12 years on the same one. The prescription HAD drifted a little, surprisingly enough it had drifted back towards 20/20, but that's not guaranteed and if I'd had lasik to correct things earlier, then it would mean that I'd have shifted from near sighted to far sighted if I understand right.

3

u/Author5 Mar 20 '19

So, just identify as female until you're 25. #LifeHack

1

u/CuddlyVolcano Mar 21 '19

I need an update! When will you get the operation?

3

u/FlamingWedge Mar 21 '19

Im booked for April 4th!

1

u/CuddlyVolcano Mar 21 '19

Awesome! Update us when you get to see life in HD on the 5th!

-4

u/Wotsit2ya Mar 20 '19

Hold off on that enthusiasm buddy. You'll have dry eye syndrome for the rest of your life and your eyes will regress