LASIK surgery is now pretty cheap, and depending on how much you spend on new glasses, optometrist appointments, contact lenses etc., it might actually pay for itself eventually. It should also save you time and effort, and might make you look better.
“Pretty cheap”? I looked up the prices once in the name of VoI and saw numbers in the range of $2,500. I’m pretty sure I can improve my life more than LASIK would with $2,500 worth of other improvements.
But if you would spend 2500$ over ten years of glasses- and contacts-wearing—which is very possible, especially if you’re prone to breaking them—then it pays for itself already. Or twenty years, whatever, ignoring alternative ways to invest that money. Add in more for the massive convenience of not having to deal with glasses and contacts, too.
This is why I’m going in for a LASIK pre-op next week. I’m certain it will improve my quality of life appreciably and save me money over the long term to boot.
$250 a year for glasses seems high given that my $90 glasses have been fine since 2008. I do have an extra pair ($40, not titanium framed) for backup, and should get new ones to update my prescription, but $250/year?
If you hate glasses then lasik might be worth it, but I doubt it’s cheaper for many people.
lasik is worthwhile since it’s a superior product to wearing glasses. Between peripheral vision and correction of astigmatism, you’re better off going under the laser.
Yeah, it can definitely be done for cheaper. In my case going through college and such I got new frames every year or two (between breaking them or starting to hate the style..). The bigger expense was contacts, which we either didn’t have insurance for or it didn’t cover, coming out to 100-150/year depending on how often I lost or damaged them.
It might hinge on how quickly one’s vision is worsening. A younger person who needs a new prescription every time their eyes are tested could well spend $250/year on glasses; an older person whose vision has stabilized can use a $90 pair for years.
Yeah, the price of glasses matters too. Even someone with continually worsening eyes who buys two pairs a year won’t spend $250/year if they only buy $90 glasses. But it’s quite easy to spend, say, £200 on a pair of glasses, and if you do that annually you’ll burn through $300 per year!
Lasik circa 2013 is way, way, way better than Lasik circa 2003. It’s mostly done by machine based on a precalculated map of your eye. Correcting higher order aberrations improves aspects of your vision that can’t be improved by glasses or contacts. To me, this feels like vastly improved 3d vision resolution. I can see the intricate structure of the leaves of trees much better than before.
The cost is reasonable enough when amortized over a decade. Lasik sort of wears off over time, so worst case, plan on getting your eyes lasered every decade. Or, plan on getting them lasered for a decade or two, and then get a lens replacement when they can come with high resolution heads up displays.
It depends on your particular vision issues. If you’re astigmatic, laser eye surgery is well worth the price in terms of removing clumsiness. Especially if you can finance it over the time period you’ll enjoy it in.
“Pretty cheap”? I looked up the prices once in the name of VoI and saw numbers in the range of $2,500.
$2500 is pretty cheap for a surgery, or for a form of eye care that lasts for decades. I’ve spent several hundred over the last 5 years, and I don’t even have contacts.
I’m pretty sure I can improve my life more than LASIK would with $2,500 worth of other improvements.
Great. Do you just feel compelled to let everyone know when a comment does not apply specifically to you? That must be exhausting.
I’m pretty sure I can improve my life more than LASIK would with $2,500 worth of other improvements.
Do you just feel compelled to let everyone know when a comment does not apply specifically to you?
The implicature of the comment was that it might apply to other people, too. I think this presumption is reasonable. For example, the cost of LASIK exceeds the cost of all the other improvements suggested in this thread combined (for which prices were given).
Seconded. I had NO IDEA how much discrimination I suffered for wearing glasses until I gave them up. Contacts might be a better alternative if you expect to be wearing Google Glasses in a few years anyway though.
I don’t think it would substitute for optometrist appointments, just for getting new glasses of the same prescription as you already had. For people who have had LASIK, had your glasses prescriptions been changing up until then? And did you vision continue to change afterwards?
One of my best friends got LASIK and reported terrible results (to the point where worries about his vision problems were giving him suicidal thoughts).
Another, contrary datapoint: I had LASIK myself, around a year ago. It went well. I do experience the most common side effect (starbursts/halos) but consider it more than worth it nonetheless.
LASIK surgery is now pretty cheap, and depending on how much you spend on new glasses, optometrist appointments, contact lenses etc., it might actually pay for itself eventually. It should also save you time and effort, and might make you look better.
“Pretty cheap”? I looked up the prices once in the name of VoI and saw numbers in the range of $2,500. I’m pretty sure I can improve my life more than LASIK would with $2,500 worth of other improvements.
But if you would spend 2500$ over ten years of glasses- and contacts-wearing—which is very possible, especially if you’re prone to breaking them—then it pays for itself already. Or twenty years, whatever, ignoring alternative ways to invest that money. Add in more for the massive convenience of not having to deal with glasses and contacts, too.
This is why I’m going in for a LASIK pre-op next week. I’m certain it will improve my quality of life appreciably and save me money over the long term to boot.
$250 a year for glasses seems high given that my $90 glasses have been fine since 2008. I do have an extra pair ($40, not titanium framed) for backup, and should get new ones to update my prescription, but $250/year?
If you hate glasses then lasik might be worth it, but I doubt it’s cheaper for many people.
lasik is worthwhile since it’s a superior product to wearing glasses. Between peripheral vision and correction of astigmatism, you’re better off going under the laser.
Yeah, it can definitely be done for cheaper. In my case going through college and such I got new frames every year or two (between breaking them or starting to hate the style..). The bigger expense was contacts, which we either didn’t have insurance for or it didn’t cover, coming out to 100-150/year depending on how often I lost or damaged them.
It might hinge on how quickly one’s vision is worsening. A younger person who needs a new prescription every time their eyes are tested could well spend $250/year on glasses; an older person whose vision has stabilized can use a $90 pair for years.
If you’re getting $90 glasses then to spend $2500 over ten years you need to go through nearly 30 pairs. That sounds high.
Not to mention the discount rate—Lasik is $2500 now, while $90 ten years from now is less than $90 now.
Yeah, the price of glasses matters too. Even someone with continually worsening eyes who buys two pairs a year won’t spend $250/year if they only buy $90 glasses. But it’s quite easy to spend, say, £200 on a pair of glasses, and if you do that annually you’ll burn through $300 per year!
Probably more like $3500 in the Bay Area.
Lasik circa 2013 is way, way, way better than Lasik circa 2003. It’s mostly done by machine based on a precalculated map of your eye. Correcting higher order aberrations improves aspects of your vision that can’t be improved by glasses or contacts. To me, this feels like vastly improved 3d vision resolution. I can see the intricate structure of the leaves of trees much better than before.
The cost is reasonable enough when amortized over a decade. Lasik sort of wears off over time, so worst case, plan on getting your eyes lasered every decade. Or, plan on getting them lasered for a decade or two, and then get a lens replacement when they can come with high resolution heads up displays.
It depends on your particular vision issues. If you’re astigmatic, laser eye surgery is well worth the price in terms of removing clumsiness. Especially if you can finance it over the time period you’ll enjoy it in.
$2500 is pretty cheap for a surgery, or for a form of eye care that lasts for decades. I’ve spent several hundred over the last 5 years, and I don’t even have contacts.
Great. Do you just feel compelled to let everyone know when a comment does not apply specifically to you? That must be exhausting.
The implicature of the comment was that it might apply to other people, too. I think this presumption is reasonable. For example, the cost of LASIK exceeds the cost of all the other improvements suggested in this thread combined (for which prices were given).
Seconded. I had NO IDEA how much discrimination I suffered for wearing glasses until I gave them up. Contacts might be a better alternative if you expect to be wearing Google Glasses in a few years anyway though.
I’m intrigued. What was the nature of the discrimination? How did you know glasses/not-glasses was the cause? Any specific examples?
The most basic is that as far as I can tell, I had never been hit on while wearing glasses, and that started happening regularly.
Reading failure, “never been hit on” is very different to “never been hit”. It sounded wrong when I (mis)read, and I didn’t notice.
I don’t think it would substitute for optometrist appointments, just for getting new glasses of the same prescription as you already had. For people who have had LASIK, had your glasses prescriptions been changing up until then? And did you vision continue to change afterwards?
I can be corrected to better than 20⁄20 with glasses. Would LASIK allow me to achieve the same level?
yes
Would that happen automatically, or would the procedure set me at 20⁄20 unless the person doing it takes special action?
There are additional ‘add-ons’ with names like ‘clear view’. The tech changes continually, so do some research before buying it.
One of my best friends got LASIK and reported terrible results (to the point where worries about his vision problems were giving him suicidal thoughts).
I’m passing this along without endorsement: http://gettingstronger.org/2010/07/improve-eyesight-and-throw-away-your-glasses/
Another, contrary datapoint: I had LASIK myself, around a year ago. It went well. I do experience the most common side effect (starbursts/halos) but consider it more than worth it nonetheless.
Yeah, but you must take off 3 days from work sitting bored in a darkened room, then wear sunglasses for months?