LASIK Surgery and Cedar Point

I am considering having LASIK surgery soon to correct my vision. I would like to be able to not worry about what to do with my glasses while at Cedar Point (obviously this is not my only reason for wanting LASIK, but one of the major ones). Has anyone else had LASIK and then gone to the park? Are you able to ride everything as normal? I know with the surgery they create a flap on your cornea and I don't know if high speeds (such as Dragster) will do any damage to your eyes.

Thanks!

Well there's certainly a healing period, but of course you can ride. My wife has been on everything countless times.

I had the surgery about 10 years ago. Was the best 2 grand I ever spent. I am 36 now so I only have a few years before I start loosing some of my vision due to old age. But the money I saved from not seeing an eye doctor for 10+ years is probably double that. No contacts or glasses, and a hell of a lot more comfortable. If your in your 20's its a no brainer. Do it.

As far as the surgery itself. It doesn't take very long. Not the most pleasant thing to have done but it's quick. Smells like someones welding or cutting. Then you can't see. All I seen when I left was a black tunnel down a hallway. It hurts for awhile and covering your eyes during the ride home is a must. I slept going home and some more at home. But there is no pain after the first 8 hours that is really that bad. The sensitivity to light is the worst and scratchiness. Your eye will heal up fast. If you have the surgery your eyesight will be 20/20 or better.

I'm considering LASIK at the ripe old age of 36. Only reason I'm considering it is because we have a few grand on a HSA account from our high deductible insurance plan that we are gonna lose now that my new job offers a much better healthcare package...

I think this is a valid question about coasters. Jeff, how long after surgery did your wife start to ride coasters? I've seen a recovery timeline that limits swimming and air travel for a few months. My other concern is how long I should stay out of work, I'm a mechanic so I don't work in the cleanest environment.

I think you're better off asking your doctor those questions. If you do it now, you probably won't miss much of the season but if you do it in the spring, you might miss most of the season.

I got lasik 3 years ago. It is fantastic! I got it done before deploying, and have yet to have an issue....even had to get OC certified (being sprayed) last year without an issue to the lasik. By the time the park opens for the seaon, your eyes should be fully healed. Experiences during the process vary, I could see with what was my usual vision, then total blurry, then perfectly clear. I walked out of the office only mildly sensative to light, went to work that night, and drove back to the eye doctor the next morning prior to going to a football game.

You should be able to keep your HSA (just not contribute to it) if you come off a HDHP. You don't need to blow it all before you move to new insurance unless you want to.

I've been at my new job & new insurance plan for 18 months now. We've whittled the HSA balance down submitting co-pays, eyeglasses & contact lenses, etc. so now the balance is below a certain point that they are charging us a monthly maintenance fee (which is complete BS). That's one big reason we are looking to pull the trigger on Lasik now (we've been on the fence about it for years but the cost was always the big holdback), I'm not interested in watching that money disappear via maintenance fees!

Chupacabra- My uncorrected vision now is completely blurry. I can't read the alarm clock on the night stand next to the bed without glasses or contacts! My biggest concerns are recovery time until I can drive, and my work environment being an issue. I'm a mechanic for the City of Rochester (mostly police cars) so I need to drive for my job and like I said, it's not the cleanest environment, lots of dust and debris in the air. We always wear safety glasses but still...

From what I've seen (a friend had LASIK) it only takes a few days for your eye to heal substantially and after three weeks everything is back to normal.

Make sure your surgeon is performing LASIK (with the flap) and not Custom Surface (PRK) surgery. The PRK surgery takes longer to heal because the surface of the entire cornea has to heal, not just the incision used to create the flap.

Pete-
They mentioned PRK as an alternative for people who have too thin a cornea for LASIK. I'm definitely looking at LASIK, not PRK. Also the doctor I'm having a consultation with does bladeless LASIK, using a laser instead of a blade to create the flap which allows for a thinner flap and even faster healing. Plus I won't have to watch them cut my eye with a blade!
Thanks for the timeline feedback!

I don't see how it would matter how you cut the flap. It's still separated and has to heal or meld back together. The key is the steriods in the eyedrops. Not the tool used to cut. The surgery is not painful just uncomfortable. It's a planned surgery. Not something you do before work. I drove the next morning to the eye doctor for a recap/test of the results. 40 minutes one way. But I had the surgery 3 hours from home in Indianapolis. If you sleep for 4 to 6 hours afterwards you won't really be affected by the irritation. It's not the least bit painfull though.

#1 response to anyone having Lasik, "Why didn't I do this years ago?"

Due to thin corneas, I had to have LASEK. Was done 6 years ago. I have ridden many coasters since. It was the best $1600 I ever spent. The healing contacts they put on were awful and caused me to use Ambien to get sleep which caused me to get halfway down the stairs from my apartment to go outside in the snow... In my underwear. Luckily, someone was there to stop me.

Shane-

I used to not be able to read the clock on my cable box (approximately 6 feet away), so not as bad as yours. Immediately after they were done with one eye, I could see far better than before, and could see as good as I did with contacts that night, driving was not an issue at all. They give you eye drops afterwards, but perhaps you may need safety glasses that kind of seal around your eyes. I would bring up concerns about that with the lasik surgeon. Also try to work the surgery around your days off, so you have a few days without your dusty work environment.