PRK tommorrow

[reapergm]

I took a loan out. Came to a grand total of 3800$ (after a 1200$ discount for joining USMC ;-) ). They gave me a loan right then and there. 18 month pay off... 225 a month. No collateral. It sucks, but I needed the surgery asap so I can begin this damn wait. I bartend/wait tables, so I know I can make that money back in about a month and half. So hell, if you have a good job, but dont have the time to wait and save.. go for the loan. Sidenote.. my credit is "ok", not the best ever. But I know Im responsible to pay it fast so I dont kill my credit again. Good luck to you guys! Once again.. its worth it.. I feel like a spazz.. I stare at EVERYTHING now!

 

[DBLang]

A couple questions reaper...
How long did the (horrible)pain last?
When you say 'custom PRK' do you mean they used a something like LADAR/Wavefront to give corrections that are very specific to your eyes.

 

[cricechex]

what does -6.25 mean? Someone said something about a 20/30 cutoff. Is that true?
cricechex

 

[wildflyin69]

20/30 (that's the uncorrected limit for pilots) is just the number for you reading the chart...the -6.25 was his eye refraction..that is the number that really matters. It's how your eye bends the light as it comes into your eye (or something like that)I belive the worst your refraction can be is +/-1.00 . So you can have 20/30 eye sight, but if your refraction is greater than +/-1.00 then you've got a prob. My refraction pre-op was -4.75, but now 3 months post-op it's now 0.00 . the waiting period for a waiver after a surgury varies on your post-op refraction. if you are seeing better than +/- 5.50 then your wait is only 3 months. If it's greater than that (like reapergm's -6.25) then your wait is 6 months. Hope that helps.

 

[jfk]

reaper dude, thats freaking awesome. dont stop fighting obstacles until youre in the cockpit.
i'm having it done this summer despite the bs advice my oso gives me.
once it goes through, and hopefully all goes well, i'll be re-applying for plc aviation.

 

[reapergm]

DB - The horrible pain was the next morning. The night of the surgery, I didnt feel anything, it was great. The next morning was just like having 20 hairs in your eye, and you cant do anything (hell!). So when I got to my eye docs for the appointment (I had appointments everyday for the 1st week), he put some anesthetic drops in, and I was fine for the rest of that day. Thanksgiving (day 3), it was rough, but not terrible. By Fri, it was good to go! So the pain is nothing in comparision to the time youve had to deal with glasses and contacts! Once again, Marines or not.. it feels damn good to see!

 

[NeoCortex]

Reaper,
They didn't give you a scrit for the pain? I got Darvaset. Congrats again!!

Ben

 

[perotti17]

When I had PRK, they gave me Vicodin. If you are planning to have the surgery, you will need it. My eyes hurt like a mofo for a week after. Its worth it though. Instead of seeing 20/400, I now see 20/15 in one eye and 20/10 in the other. Make sure you get a lot of rest after the surgery.

 

[DBLang]

I cant wait

 

[texag02]

when i had the surgery i was paying for i myself...so i didnt want to spend any extra dough where unneccessary. i had already dropped money on the surgery and a significant amount on pre-op eye drops, $80 or so. since money was getting tighter and tighter i neded to cut costs where possible...so spending another $100 on pain meds wasnt going to fly in my book. i'm tough right? a little pain never killed anyone, right? i've broken my jaw...how bad could this be!? so i tough through that first night, no eye drops, no pain meds, fightin' it tooth and nail (and eye for that matter) and i was absolutely miserable. kept everyone in the house up with my sniffling, tossing and turning, no sleep. so the next morning i go into the doctor, and sent my cousin after my pain meds - cause at this point i didnt care how much it was, i'd take out a $200 dollar loan at 1000% daily...to put an end to this annecdote, it was the best $8.99 i EVER spent.

 

[Banjo33]

"i'd take out a $200 dollar loan at 1000% daily"

Next time you feel this way, give me a holler!

 

[reapergm]

LOL! "best 8.99"!! Yeah, I got some pain meds. I have the name upstairs... something with an L. Didnt do much though. Tylenol 3 helped a tad. It will suck either way.. but after a few days, youll forget about the pain, and be seeing everything. My left eye is alittle blurrier than my right. I havent done a test since weds.. but Im guessing its 20/20 in the right, and 20/30 in the left. Is this normal? Did this happen to you guys? Also, how long till the halos subside alittle?

 

[DBLang]

I've heard it takes about a month to stabalize for most people.

 

[Hampton]

you are all a bunch of little girls

 

[NeoCortex]

Don;t compare your eyes, it was the first thing that the docs told me. They are going to heal at DIFFERENT rates. I was stablized around 3 weeks to a month. you're on track, don't worry about it.

Ben