A strange man beeping.

[fifi]

I have already told this story on Facebook to some of my Forum friends and much to my dismay have been advised to buy a white stick and may indeed do so (Annalivia)if the surgery doesnt work.    

Recently myself and my friend were in the Supermarket car park and there was a man beeping his horn and looking in our direction a few cars away from us.  "Is he beeping at us? I asked . "I dont know ", she said. "Do you know him"? No she said....do you?  No says I.....maybe he is beeping at that man that just walked past us. Well anyway the beeping continued and so we both walked closer to the car." Excuse me", I said....."are you beeping at us"? "Fiona "....he said....."Oh says I ....do I KNOW you"? "I should hope so he said. I am your Brother".

So it is official.....I am as blind as a bat.

I have decided to get laser surgery and have an appointment made and would love to know if anyone on the Forum has had it done and if it was successful and also what type that they had done.

I know it is an odd place to post such a query but I would love some feedback if possible before I have my op. xx

[Voldermort]

NO MORE VINO FIFI 

[Paddster]

I've had a couple of friends at work who have had it done - changed their life they quoted to me.....Easy process even though there is risk attached to any operation but thankfully they get it right the majority of the time,i wouldn't mind it myself but i don't like anyone touching my eye area so alas...Good luck with it Fi and let us know your experience,my friends were very very happy after their operations for sure 

[fatherted]

My sister had the op done in the mid 90's.At that time it was only possible to have one eye done at a time,but since with all the new technology I think you might be able to have both done with one visit. I did'nt realise just how blind she was even with her bottle bottom bins on but since having the op her sight is much improved,in fact it's that good she only crashes her car once a week now (only joking)

[zedzedeleven]

Hi Fi, how far have you got with it all? just that you have to have a diagnosis that the eye correction is suitable for laser surgery and that the eyeball itself is suitable. I`ve just drawn some specs on your avatar and you look just lovely, think I`ll try some dame edna`s next!

[annalivia]

 

[azuldan]

I had it done seven years ago and it was the best thing I have ever done!
It was so strange being able to see straight after it was done, I had worn glasses for about 15 years beforehand, since I was little. If you have any questions just ask!

[nacnud]

Likewise Fi my wife and myself had it done probably 5 years ago I was short sighted ( so can relate to story beleive me ) and my wife had stigmtism, had it done in Dublin so if you want any info please feel free to give me a shout.
PS Best thing I have ever done ( of course excepting marrying my wife says he with sore ribs )

[gattaca66]

Hi Fifi

I had laser eye surgery myself about four years ago, and despite all the obvious fears and trepidations it has been, without doubt, one of the best decisions I ever made. The term is a bit over-used these days, but it has been genuinely life-changing.

Effectiveness depends to some extent on how poor your sight is to start with. In my case, I started wearing glasses for short-sightedness when very young, about forty years ago, and it developed to the point where I honestly couldn't read the big top letter on the optician's chart. I'd worn contact lenses for twenty years, and relied on those so much that I didn't own a pair of glasses. I'd have been happy to continue like that but a minor eye injury in the garden meant I couldn't wear the lenses for a week......a seriously bad situation for work/sport etc, no driving..! Taking that as a foretaste of things to come (older eyes don't like contact lenses), I went for a consultation with Optimax in Bristol.

To cut a long story a bit shorter, I ended up having Lasik Wavefront surgery to correct severe short-sightedness and quite severe astigmatism. Like any patient I can give the toe-curling description of what they do during the op, but the fact is it was over inside 15 minutes and completely painless. I could see reasonably well within half an hour, and within a day or so I had better than 20/20 vision. I actually had my left eye deliberately slightly under corrected, so now I can read without glasses, and see distance unaided.

It's not cheap - nothing is - but if you have the chance to seriously consider the op I'd strongly recommend it. Good luck!!

[Spike On Q]

Laser surgery can cure long or shortsightedness but then when you get older everyone gets presbyopia [the aging process of the lens] and you will need some form of reading correction still - so it is not a cure all. Remember too that a fundus camera image taken of the retina regularly is the best form of early diagnosis for problems like brain tumor, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. so regular eye examinations should continue, especially as you get older.

There is a new form of lens replacement that can fix everything but it is still in it's infancy. Any road up I think a girl in [the right pair of] glasses looks very sexy, especially when I take MY glasses off.

[Spike On Q]

Anyway FiFi your perfect for glasses - I trained fashion spectacle dispensing for a number of years and can guarantee the boys would be running after you if you wear the rights specs - you're beautiful, have gorgeous hair and look just a little studious and very intelligent - the perfect combination to add a lovely pair of designer specs to

Trust me I'm a doctor!

[fifi]

NO MORE VINO FIFI 

Oh ....could you tell? Very chatty form last night Voldemort....  

[fifi]

Hi Fi, how far have you got with it all? just that you have to have a diagnosis that the eye correction is suitable for laser surgery and that the eyeball itself is suitable. I`ve just drawn some specs on your avatar and you look just lovely, think I`ll try some dame edna`s next!

Hi ZedZed, I have an appointment with one of the leading private clinics and you know me I always bag a special offer. They normally charge €100 for the initial consultation but are giving me mine free of charge because they forgot to answer my email ....so the plan is....get tested by the best....and get a price from the rest. The appointment is surprisingly long....two hours...and they put drops on the eyes and dilate the pupils and look at the back of the eyes etc. All of the places that do it vary so much in price so I really need to do my research on this.

Thanks a million for the replies everyone. I really appreciate them and im  really glad to hear so many positive stories and  will be in touch tomorrow to find out more. I had Varifocals (well I think that is what they were called) made for me but was violently ill , had dreadful headaches and  got vertigo within minutes of wearing them so had to bring them back for a refund so I am hoping that I will be a suitable candidate for the Laser.

Thanks again. You are a great bunch. xxxx

[fifi]

Anyway FiFi your perfect for glasses - I trained fashion spectacle dispensing for a number of years and can guarantee the boys would be running after you if you wear the rights specs - you're beautiful, have gorgeous hair and look just a little studious and very intelligent - the perfect combination to add a lovely pair of designer specs to

Trust me I'm a doctor!

Oooh....gosh ....really....wow.....ive changed my profile pic......bring it on.    

[Spike On Q]

Next time your over Fi let me know, I'll come and look into your eyes!!!!!

[fifi]

 

[dagwood]

Hi Fifi, You should look up the university hospital in Belfast. I believe they have some ground breaking developments  in eye laser surgery. A bit on the expensive side but you only have one pair of eyes.                       As the fellow with the glass eye said "Ill keep an eye out for you next time I'm over"     

[Paddster]

Love that avatar Fi  Wow 

[fifi]

Thanks Dagwood, Im doing loads of research so will look them up.

Love that avatar Fi  Wow 

Its my new School Maam look Paddster...

Now put that tongue in you naughty boy.    

[fifi]

Well now....the school Maam look will be updated soon. I CAN NOW SEE EVERYTHING lol


I am now a mono visionist ... a what says you ?    .one eye can see perfectly for long distance and the other can see perfectly close up. The clinic are trialing me on lenses first to see how I cope with the side effects of mono vision....aparently it can take the brain a couple of months to get used to each eye seeing different distances and in the beginning you see halos and sparkly things coming out of lights candles tvs and even the laptop. Well that was an interesting experience and I enjoyed the show but my sparkly visions have now disappeared three days later and I must say it is amazing to be able to see everything. The driving experience hasnt settled down yet and I think that there is still a problem with depth of field so I will wait a few weeks and get a script for more permanent lenses (they only have to be changed every two weeks...how good is that? ) before I have the surgery.

New technology is just amazing.


Im looking forward to having permanent sight like I have with these lenses.


There is always a bad side to every story however, and the day that my sight was returned to me....MY LAPTOP LEAD SIZZLED AND DIED Yes it is a tragedy and I am on borrowed time on this laptop once again and loving every moment of my time online. Those wonderful people on Laptopleads.ie promise next day delivery  AGAIN.....so heres hoping...........


What did we ever do before we were online?


Hello everyone....have missed the Forum for the last few days.x 

[Paddster]

Hiya fi,good to have you back,did wonder where you'd disappeared to ? Pleased to hear the lenses are working out for you,so you're still going for the surgery then i assume ? Keep us updated.....
PS Hope the power lead turns up asap - you'll be lost without us dregs on ere 




And yes i do like the school ma'am look.....

[dagwood]

Glad to hear you can see all kinds of everything again Fifi. They say most people when the get that job done spend a month or so removing the cobwebs etc. from the house that they had missed for years. Best of luck with the new vision seeeee you.       

[fifi]

The eyesight saga is not over yet....oh no.....not by a long shot.

On my way to the eye clinic today for some minor adjustments someone in a four by four crashed into the back of me. No major damage thank goodness, just Whiplash, according to the Doctor. No cobweb cleaning allowed so Dagwood.

The good news is...........I have now got NEW MONOVISION............and it is supposed to be better for driving.  

Why is she telling us this you might ask?


The answer is .............I dont have a clue.

[Truncheon Meat]

just Whiplash, according to the Doctor.

That should pay for the operation and a nice bit of time on the beach to get over it then. Every cloud.....

[fifi]

Wouldnt that be nice ?

[Carlo]

I have been wearing glasses for 35 years (since I was 4). I am short-sighted (myopic) and also have astigmatisms in both eyes. Tried contact lenses in my teens and twenties but gave up on them in the end. The contact lenses for astigmatic prescriptions (Toric lenses) have to be placed on the eyeball and 'lined-up' correctly, otherwise they are very blury and out of focus. Several years of this made me give up on them completely. The glasses I have now are the 'reactolight' lense things, so living here, they always look like sunglasses anyway. I would love to have the surgery and wouldn't hesitate (if I had the disposible cash to do it, that is).

My mum first realised I needed glasses when I was four. She was taking me to the shops, when I asked her why there was a dog in the road. Turned out the 'dog' was a wheelbarrow. An appointment for the optician was made post haste! 

[SheilaW]

SNAP!, Carlo, though my eyes are over 20 years older so I'm long-sighted as well as short-sighted. How can that be?

My son was diagnosed when he was 4, too, although I took him to an optician first when he was 18 months old and was told he had 20/20 vision. I knew my problems were hereditary and unfortunately I'd passed on to him far worse that I had myself. He had a lazy eye and is colourblind as well as everything else. The surgeon he saw at Moorfields said he'd never seen further than 2 metres in his life! That explained some things I'd been happy about: the fact that he was already quite a good reader, the fact that he never strayed when out shopping, the fact that he rarely had bad falls in the playground at nursery, etc. It hadn't occurred to me that he never ran anywhere other than at home - I was used to seeing him rushing around there. Of course, the bad is that he screamed constantly for the first year, hated roundabouts, and he never learnt spatial awareness so he still couldn't play football or anything else that requires those skills, which can't be learnt later in life.

Would you believe that they fit little kids with contact lenses in Holland? He was 7 when we moved there and he had toric lenses right away. He could see much better with them, too, though it wasn't easy for him to care for them as they had to come out every day. We decided at the outset to set aside money for "the op", but he hasn't used it. Surgeons aren't so positive about the outcome for really bad cases as they have to shave so much off. He's now -15 (minus 15) in each eye, and the best they suggest is to go down to -8, with the astigmatism sorted. But he'd still have to wear glasses so he's decided against it.

But I can understand how great it would be to do away with the glasses altogether. I need two pairs now!

Good luck, fifi!

[Paddster]

Just caught up with this thread,glad to hear you're ok after your little bump Fi,you never said if you were still going for the laser surgery ? 

[fifi]

Thanks Sheila and Paddy. The Clinic gave me  different strength mono vision lenses to trial for a month so I dont have to make my mind up until then.  I was told to not wear them on the flight....and guess what....I forgot to bring them with me to Fuerteventura.

[dagwood]

So that's why you didn't see my number when I phoned you on your Spanish phone. I thought you didn't love me anymore.