It's on Groupon today in the UK. £1300. Wavefront technology, if not suitable for whatever reason you get a full refund. I have 8 hours left to buy. I don't even wear glasses or contact lenses (though I should) and haven't had my eyes tested in years. My left eye is bad at medium to long distance, and my right eye is mostly fine (definitely not perfect), though probably not as good as the left for reading/laptop use. I've always figured I would get LASIK eventually.

I know we have done this before, and I don't know why a small sample of experiences really matters to me, but I do like hearing tales like 'best thing I ever spent money on'.

'best thing I ever spent money on'.

Got it done this past November after talking to a lot of people and reading a ton online. I actually had a minor complication where my right eye developed a wrinkle during healing and had to go back in for a second time so they could smooth things out. Even with that happening I would gladly do it again, my vision is awesome now and its so nice waking up in the morning being able to see.

During the second procedure I went in without valium and they just used numbing drops on my eyes. This freaked me out, but the doctor was pretty quick and it wasn't too bad.

you should go get a consultation first. you might not even be qualified to get it. they usually want your eyes to stop changing.

Got it 4-5 years ago, no complaints. Went with one of the more reputable (read:expensive) doctors, I think it was $3300 with the insurance discount. My eyesight isn't quite as good as it was with glasses, 20/20 as opposed to 20/15, but I can live with that. My eye doctor tells me I'll probably need reading glasses as I get older (I'm 36), but not in the immediate future.

One of the best things I've done, especially with my line of work (fire and emergency services). The new technology is great, I can even get "touch ups" for $99 if I need to if my eyesight regresses.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/63...-weeks-829988/

just reading some old threads now, you got it done in 2003 i think? nice!



yeah, i just read this in an old thread and this is what i'm a bit worried about i guess. i haven't had my eyes tested in about 8 years.

fwiw you buy the groupon, go for a consultation, if not suitable you get a free refund w/ no problems (allegedly!).

pretty sure I would never buy laser eye surgery from a ****ing groupon

ah, gotcha. i know, like most anything, you can negotiate, so don't feel pressure to buy the groupon. knowing they are willing to do this groupon means they will probably be willing to do it later.

they are probably hurting more then most industries, since it is a luxury, and people are probably skipping it for later.

i was amazed at how cheap my buddy (salesman) talked them down for him and his wife.

not entirely sure why you would say this, given all these places have insane margins anyway and they basically all will negotiate down to a fraction of their list price.

oddjob,

yeah for sure. i called the place already and offered to negotiate some deal and cut out the middle man. they didn't seem interested which was pretty surprising.

wow, that's shocking, but i should say, i've never had lasik, and am mostly talking out of my ass.

That's right folks, today only we've got Lasik for the low low price of only 1300! Call within the next 8 hours and we'll do the second eye for free! But wait there's more! If you're among the first 100 callers we're going to throw in a cane and braille tutorial at no additional charge, so you're covered either way!

Yeti,

My guess is that a place offering a groupon for impulse lasik buyers is on the lower quality end of the spectrum.

I needed glasses/contacts since I was 16 years old and wanted to get LASIK for years. But I waited because apparently your eyesight doesn't become stable until the age of ~25. I finally got it last month at the age of 26.

I got the procedure done by the leading LASIK specialist in my country (Philippines) and it turned out great. My grade before was -1.50/-2.00 (not terrible but I really depended on my glasses) and now I can see 20/15. I paid $500 per eye and definitely feel it's among the best purchases I've ever made.

I think the convenience factor alone makes it worth it. I no longer have to ask myself "where the **** are my glasses" and spend hours looking for them.

it sneaks up on you with small print. I am the only member of my family (parents, siblings, & children) that never needed glasses, until last year, for closer than 12". And there ain't a procedure to remedy it.

I'm 22. My eyes were too ****ty (thin cornea, high near-sightedness, high astigmatism) for regular LASIK. So I got PRK. The difference in the two procedures are:

Lasik:
-Cut a flap in your cornea before the operation
-Both eyes at the same time
-Vision change is instant (within 24 hours after the procedure/sleeping/etc)
-No irritation or extended recovery complications

PRK:
-Rub away the top layer of cells on your cornea before the operation
-One eye at a time (usually 1-2 months in between eyes)
-After the procedure, they insert a protective contact lense to help the cornea heal. It is removed after 1-2 weeks
-Discomfort, mild pain for a week or two after the procedure
-Tons of eyedrops, wetting drops, and other stuff to do for months after the procedure
-Vision improves very gradually and takes up to 6 months after the procedure to optimize

Before PRK, I wore contacts during the day and glasses at night. My vision peaked at 20/30 with the optimal prescription.

After PRK, I have no need for contacts or glasses. My vision has been measured at 20/25 consistently.

For most people who are considering this and and can afford it, I recommend doing it!

this too

+1

Ya I actually got PRK as well, did both eyes at same time though. Recovery kinda sucks (for prk not lasik) but sooooo worth it in the long run. Did not negotiate at all on price oops.

Best thing I ever spent money on.

I wouldn't get it from a groupon.

I went to the place that did both my mom's and my uncle's eyes. We have notoriously bad vision so I wanted someone with a lot of experience. Also went the custom lasik route, which means it is better mapped to your eye. Was still warned I may need a touch-up. I did the bladeless lasik procedure.

Super easy, the actual procedure only took about 2 minutes total. Waiting for the xanax and valium to kick in took longer. And I could see when they helped me sit up from the table, it was fantastic.

Also, contrary to what they used to say about wanting you older for your eyes to "stabilize" they now recommend you get lasik as young as possible, as young patients are healing better and faster. I imagine the eyes not stabilizing part more applies to someone like a teenager who isn't fully grown, but I did it at 23 with no problems and even with my horrendous starting point my eyes are now perfect.

There is a big thread on lasik in EDF and mike of the pokercast runs a bunch of lasik clinics if you have questions about the various procedures and their pros and cons. The other issue of just diving in with a groupon is that you may qualify just fine, but then find out that the procedure they offer is not one you want to do.

For reference, my eyes were -6.25 and -7 with astigmatism in both eyes.

Age 21. Prescription stable for 2 years.
Had LASIK two weeks ago. No WaveFront, no IntraLase.
Optical Express.
Prescription was -4.25, -3.75, minor astigmatism
Originally quoted £900 per eye.
Bargained down to £750 per eye.
Vision now better than 20/20. Better than before with lenses or glasses.
Procedure was fun and cool. No general anaesthetic, only drops on eye.

If you're thinking about getting it done, get it done. You absolutely will not regret it. I had a miserable recovery after PRK (multiple ripped corneas, extreme prolonged pain, took quite awhile for my vision to come back, very dry eyes) and I would still do it again in a heartbeat.

Best thing I ever spent money on.

ASPoker missed one thing about LASIK - you will have to use eyedrops for this as well. for the first week there are a couple prescription drops that you use 4-5 times a day. after that its just moisture tears as needed, I had stopped almost completely within 3 weeks.

c/p from the EDF thread: