About a month ago I started doing some hardcore research on Lasek and related eye surgeries to correct my vision. I have worn glasses sine I was 6 years old and wanted to change. I talked with Barbara Boser a bit who had had lasik surgery, Gary Lee who also had Lasik and John Chow in person who had Lasik in 1 eye and PRK in the other.
My wife is a Anesthesiologist and several of her partners had had laser correction surgery so I asked them who I should goto and what I should have done. They all recommended this guy out of Omaha, NE DR W.R. Schlichtemeier. Even though he is a 1 hour drive from Lincoln each way it was very unanimous among doctors here that he is the guy to see. Its always good to consult with the Doctor’s Doctor. (I have found).
So during the consultation we talked about the regular Lasik and also the PRK procedure. Both have upsides and downsides. Lasik gives you great eye sight but it takes 2-3 YEARS for the cornea to fully heal. If you are into any contact sports (like mixed martial arts sparring) this is not a good choice. The PRK procedure is much safer however it takes 1-2 weeks for your vision to clear up and up to 6 weeks to get your full sharpness back in your vision. The dr also told me PRK is what he does for his friends and family. Ok sold me on it. You can read more about PRK here
I opted to have the PRK procedure but I wanted to have them 10 days apart. This way I would at least have 1 good eye at all times to work.
Well I had the procedure last friday and really the procedure was so easy and so pain free. I just wish I would have had both eyes done at the same time. This is my 4th day out of recovery and I can see way better out of the eye i had done then before but not quite as good as glasses. I poped the lens out of my glasses for that side for a while but that made for a pretty bad headache.
The DR also told me no more then 20 minutes a day on the computer as this will delay the healing process… OWIE that sucks. So the last 2 days I have been kind of chilling in bed taking drugs to chill me out. Today I get to have the contact removed and I am going to express my concerns as I leave for vegas pubcon a week from Monday.
One thing I have not been able to find was a good journal of someone who went through the procedure. I have been keeping one and will post it when its all said and done.
This site is good if you want to learn the differences between lasik and prk
Hope everyone else is doing good. See you all at pubcon soon.
About the author...
Jeremy Schoemaker – who has written 2415 posts on ShoeMoney.com.
Hi I am Jeremy Schoemaker and ShoeMoney.com is my blog. 99% of the post here are done by me but you will see others occasionally make guest posts. This blog is fun to write but for my day job I run several online companies.
Images provided by ShutterStock
How I made 15,000.00 In 1 Month Just By Tweeting 
Shawn Hogan Speaks Out On FBI Charges 
Twitter will be as worthless as MySpace shortly 
{ 110 comments… read them below or add one }
Shoe you look so cute without your glasses!
I had the prk laser eye surgery May 7th and 10 days later my vision is still blurry, my doctor keeps telling me, it’s a healing process. I am glad to find someone out there who had the same procedure, because i was beginning to freak out about my blurry vision. thanks for your blog
http://terrencechan.livejournal.com/?skip=60
Scroll down a bit for detailed report on PRK
I look forward to your PRK journal! I read that PRK is more invasive but overall is the better surgery. I’m considering the procedure myself but I haven’t been able to justify the cost yet. We’ll see (no pun intended). Speedy recovery!
Hi Shoe, you actually look a bit alien-ish without your glasses. How much does it cost to do both your eyes?
if you have a tax free savings or as we do… execucare then its tax deductable
I think the total was $5,183 for both eyes
Nothing like chillin in bed and taking drugs
its been nice….. but i get super stir crazy quick
I had Lasik about 10 years ago. No problems at all. You will be totally freaked out when you don’t have to deal with glasses and contacts. It was totally liberating for me.
You’ll be fine man, then you’ll be so happy you went through with it.
ShoeMoney , i have heard that there is some possibilities for the operation to fail and the person become blind (saw a case about it on the news) , did they mention any of those cases in the “downside part” and why the MMA Sports could face problems ?
O researched PRK extensively and in 25,000+ eyes done by the military they had 5 infections that cleared up and no major issues.
The letter O should obviously be an “I”
seriously, thanks for posting this. I am in the same boat and looking to get one of the surgeries done after the new year when I have a full flex spending account. Looking forward to the journal
Shoe, did it cost more money to have the PRK? I would have thought so but I’m thinking about getting Lasik when I’m older and hopefully the procedure will have improved.
I hate not being able to work, can’t even imagine not being able to see. I have a sigmatism, so my site is not that great, but I don’t have to wear glasses to drive, but I do.
20 mins a day max… dang that’s rough… glad to hear it all worked out.
I know this is all serious but this was a pretty funny quote,
“Its truly frustrating for someone who uses their eyes as much as me.”
I use my eyes the entire time I am awake. Do you use yours more than that?
lol
Hope you feel well. btw. . . .what was all that banging in the background? Sounds like the house was falling around.
Well the statistics of people going blind from laser surgery are the same as people going blind from wearing contacts… almost exactly.
per your mma questions… its hard to continue to train mma if I cant take a hit
It was about $800 more for the PRK
Awesome Jeremy, I’m sure it will work out for the best. My grandfather and my gf’s dad both just had eye surgery, which was for cataracts… not the same, but anything with the eye is pretty scary. I would like to get my vision done as well. Good luck with the procedure!
haha ya thats live vblogging for you =P
The banging in the background is the new edition we are having built at our house.
Good news Jeremy. I’ve been thinking of having that done someday too. My eyes aren’t too bad, but I need glasses at night while driving.
Never posted before but long term fan. Just wanted to give some moral support, as you say it’s got to be pretty scary, and your video post was kinda moving. Your in my prayers. Ryan
are you including the cost of the person who is “looking at the computer” for you since you can’t look? hope it all works out. seems like it has done well for everyone I know.
Now, what about hair?
hmm i should let it grow out sometime and freak everyone out =P
I have been shaving my head since I was like 17
Looking forward to seeing you in Vegas. Hope you can see me.
Good luck with the recovery, my wife is desperate to have this done but I keep on trying to convince her we can’t afford it. Of course the real problem is that if she gets her vision sorted she’ll realise what an ugly git she married
Congrats on taking the decision shoe, I am still considering doing this but still not too sure yet.
One thing I did notice was how prominent your eyebrows are now.
hey, glad it went well for you. wishing you the best on the second procedure. it’s going to be strange seeing pictures of you without your glasses from now on
it’s gonna be weird seeing you without glasses . . . . now you’re going to see the real benefits of getting your eyes fixed . . . coming home drunk, watching tv on your side, not worrying about dry eye, glasses falling out . . . . enjoy the drugs . they’re the best!
My wife had this done a number of years ago when it was pretty much brand new and the insurance did not cover any of the cost. She still says it was the best 5K we ever spent.
Thanks for the link. My wife is actually having regular Lasik surgery this Friday. I guess you can watch the procedure on a TV in the surgery room while it’s being performed. If the doctors will allow it, I’ll video tape it and post it.
Who’s the new guest blogger, Jeremy’s younger cool brother?
I had RK surgery for my eyes in 1992. It was supposed to be the best there ever would be. They used diamonds to do the cuts. It was a simple procedure and it was really cool to have good vision for the first time in my life. Over the past 15 years I’ve spent way too much time in front of a PC and have worn out my eyes. I’m considering Lasik in the next year. The idea of lifting up the lid of the eye freaks me out though. They didn’t have to do that with RK.
start up some neighborhood basketball games with some local kids.
or goto the library and see if they are interested in someone coming in and talk about small biz online marketing. Worked nice for me to get some easy clients.
Shoe wouldn’t be Shoe with hair. Think how much money it would cost him to update his graphics…
Congrats on the surgery & get well soon. My mother wanted to have this done, but they wouldn’t do it because they said her vision was too impaired in her other eye & it was too risky.
Congrats! Although I am not to the point I need/want to consider it, it still scares the hell out of me. Though I don’t tell my girlfriend since she actually needs to get it done now. I mean I know it’s pretty basic these days but it’s one of those things you just don’t want to lose if there is a freak accident. Same reason I don’t get my meat pierced lol
um, i wanted go as far as to say that. my dad had it done, so did my sis in law. they love it. i heard somewhere that if you do it too early, liek before age 30, that ur vision can get bad again.
Interesting. I was playing professional basketball when I had lasik. Can you say elbows flying everywhere? No 2 years of healing for me or waiting to get my vision. Was fantastic. This was over 7 years ago too, and I had it done by Dr. Samuel Masket out of Los Angeles.
http://www.masket.com/masket.html
Hope all is good after the surgery is completely finished and your eye completely healed. I have been thinking of eye surgery in the future, but as of now, I simply don’t have that kind of money.
-Mike
I wish you will get well soon, and that everything will work out fine with you!
Just Drink More!! I like that. Good stuff.
Get Well soon!
I’m also interested in Lasik surgery but my parents tell me that I’m still too young for it (20 yrs. old). I have been using glasses since High School and it sucks. I want my life back without glasses and astigmatism.
I had LASIK done back in April. It was one of the absoulute best decisions I have ever made. 20 years with glasses and now at 41 its nothin but cheap sunglasses for me!! I did find that its about twice as expensive here in Michigan (3500-4000) for both eyes. My wife had hers done in Windsor Canada about 4 years ago and she still has 20/20 vision – she had something like 20/400 or some god awful vision before.
Hers were $1200 for both eyes. Mine cost $1800 – but I had a stygmatisim and I got the 3 year bumper to bumper tune up service (extra 300) just in case.
At this point, my vision is 20/20 left and 20/15 right!! – I highly reccomend getting it done but – - follow the docs orders to the letter and verse (SHOEMONEY!!!!) you have one set of eyes so take a little time and let them heal. Since my surgury I have run into several others who have had the procedure and it amazes me the varying info out there – do your homework and ask questions.
And use the drops before you think you need them. After my surgery – I reffered 2 people and the LASIK place sent me $50.00 per person – I guess that was kind of my first affiliate check.
I hope you have a speedy recovery. The no time on the computer must be tough. Did the doctor warn you about partying like a rock star when you are recovering?
so you dont have a bald spot? i thought you did.
i agree it is scary, one simple screw up and ur blind. bamm. done. my best buds dad is 95% blind, and can only see blurs.
sweet u were a pro? who did you warm the bench for? just kidding. who did you play for?
I would get stir crazy too.
I was going to get Lazik but the doctor told me I couldn’t read, view the computer, watch tv or go outside for 24 hours… DOH.
I plan on getting it eventually, but I am going to have to drug myself and sleep for the down time.
Hahahaha. This made my laugh.
I thought the tapping was shoe tapping his fingers on the desk next to the mic.
I had PRK on both eyes at the same time at the end of July. My prescription wasn’t all that high, but I had a pretty severe astigmatism that would have had me wear glasses even if the vision had been 20/20. Wore glasses for 30 years! After surgery, I was really light sensitive and basically spent four days in a dark room listening to audiobooks (even with the monitor brightness turned way down, it made me wince to look at a monitor for more than a couple minute at a time.) Once the protective contact lens came out things got a lot better. I was able to drive within a week of surgery and had fluctuating 20/20 vision within four weeks. My vision didn’t become “crisp” until almost 8 weeks after surgery. My eyes are now at 20/15 with no astigmatism as of my last optometrist visit a month or so ago.
Don’t be discouraged, surprised or depressed if it takes longer than 2 weeks for your eyes to heal and for your vision to settle into some sort of “normal”… it can take much longer than two weeks. I was lucky because I had a colleague who had had PRK a year before me… he coached me through the frustrating “why isn’t my vision clear yet” moments and then the “why are my eyes feeling so dry” days. Make sure you are religious about the steroid eyedrops (evens out the healing process!), use lubricating teardrops even if you don’t think you need them. Hang in there… it’s worth the wait! I truly experienced the colours of fall for the first time this year and it was spectacular!!!!
Wouldnt that mess with the healing process?
The “Shoe” with no glasses … WOW! LOL
Darin
Wish you get well soon
–blog for dream–
So, you are not the fat and glasses guy anymore… I bet these changes have an strong effect in the personality and temperament, they aren’t?
Good for you!
Jeremy,
Dude thanks for being a guinea pig for me, I am in the same boat having glasses for over over 30 years. I look forward on reading your works. I have been thinking of having it done for years.
Cheers
Which of those sites are yours?
Wish you a quick recovery and much more success with shoemoney….you guyz rock!!!
Hey there. I hope all this turns out really well for you–I know it will. I’ve been a reader of your blog–I think I was baited by the huge adsense check–saw the picture somewhere and figured you were doing something right. This is my first comment though. Here’s to a speedy recovery!
My dad got lasik a couple years ago. I remember when he came home, he had these Goggles on and his eyes were all goopy.
But he can see perfectly now. Enjoy life without glasses Shoe.
Great … now I’ll have nightmares : someone sticking a laser in my eye
Wish you quick recovery to continue your good work.
Get some rest man… You can tell us about it later.
Time to change the PR shot.
Are you freakin NUTS??!
You know more about the procedure you didn’t have than you did have..
I too wear specs, and have been thinking along the same lines (although never followed through, because never had the time – a bit like another procedure I’ve been meaning to have – 2 kids is enuf !)
***********************************************************************
Anyway – assuming you actually read this (unlikely) – how much did it cost and how long did it take, and did they put you under ?
***********************************************************************
BTW – HOPE IT WORKS OUT AS EXPECTED
Everyone here at team Blogoria wishes you a speedy recovery.
This is a great blog. Thank you for putting this forum together. I have been reading blogs like this for awhile and for the most part people have had positive experiences with their elective procedures. That is great to see. I would be interested to know what your cirteris would be – or has been – in a search for a elective surgeon or provider. That could be the most difficult part of the process – finding a good surgeon for your specific situation. I am the VP of Operations at The Patients Advantage. I am not interested in selling what we do on these blogs. What we do is at no cost to patients. I am interested in feedback from people who have already gone through the search process and or taken the process all the way and had an elective procedure done. We have been in business since 2004 and feedback from people like yourself is vital to develop the tools to keep patients better informed on who the best surgeons or providers are and the research tools about the procedures of interest. Subsequently surgeons and providers will benefit by having more informed patients. Please reply to this post on what is important to you…or email me directly from here or through our site http://www.thepatientsadvantage.com.
LOL, I just had a flash back to a young KOJAK…
“So the last 2 days I have been kind of chilling in bed taking drugs to chill me out. ” — lol, what you been taking?
I had laser PRK a little over 3 years ago and couldn’t be happier. My doctor said I was one of the first and I had to sign an additional waiver because the procedure was considered experimental at the time. My vision is still better than 20/20.
Just expect your vision to fluctuate throughout the day for about the first month. I wasn’t expecting this and got a little freaked out. Use the drops as instructed by the doctor and you’ll heal better. The steroid drops slow the healing process and keep any scar tissue from forming so your vision will be super-sharp.
Shoot me an email if you have any questions.
I would like too.. but i heard and see too much horrible story to move the next step … can find a good motivation to do it I don’t know it is scary to know that if they miss their shot it is over !!!
Yeah, I read that the most problems occur when patients don’t use the eyedrops.
Hello Jeremy!
For more info about eye surgery, i have a comparison website in the netherlands, here are alot of different options through companies like type of machine, price of surgery and more. check it out: EDIT: nice try spammer jackass
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about this, too. I’ll probably do it one day in the near future, but haven’t researched enough yet.
I submitted too soon. I meant to add that I’m glad everything went so smoothly for you.. Just make sure you stick to the aftercare procedures as if your vision depended on it. I’ve been told it is critical to everything working great for a long time.
we just not used to the spectacle-less shoe
nice that you have a choice to grow back your hair…
mine is receding higher and higher… a man’s curse.
Hey Jeremy, My girlfriend Gill had PRK and her results we less pleasant that yours
I sort of journaled it, mostly a horror show really. Turns out after reading during the 2 week recoveryprocess that no two procedures are the same, a friend of hers had PRk ( she found out later) and he had to take a month off of work
What’s going on Jeremy? I really hope things work out for you. Good luck man. Happy Thanksgiving.
Hope you recover quickly. Thanks for posting this. I have a friend who spends a small fortune each year on contacts and glasses. Here eyesight is appalling, so maybe this would be a good option for her. And it sounds like the US prices may be a whole heap cheaper than getting it done in the UK.
Hope your peepers are both well again soon, Jeremy. Losing sight is not a good at all, I’m partially blind in my left eye due to an accident, but don’t think it can be fixed with lasers.
Great to see your eyebrows too, I may even attempt another go at the Shoemoney head, your glasses were a real pain. =)
Hoe it works and you recover fast
i just had mine done on 4th October 2007, both eyes on LASIK, vision back to normal, but they can’t cure my astic … overall, i’m happy with it, cause i hate wearing glasses !
All I Can say is thank god I don’t have glasses!
I just commented on your thanksgiving post about PRK, I hope your results are better than my gf’s. I didn’t realize you lived in lincoln (I’m in Omaha). Cheers!
he would not be shoe, he would be slipper
Your site looks great! I found your blog via Google while searching for air carrier freight and your post regarding nnial 2007 – salvatore iaconesi – del.icio.us poetry looks very interesting to me. I have seen many other so-called sites and they have been far from good quality.Your site has all the key ingredients to pulling in visitors.
i’m in between needing glasses but dont yet wear them and i did a lasik assessment and my eyes arent bad enough yet, maybe some more daily blogging and i’ll knacker my eyes enough
Did this surgery cost a lot you? Is it have any risk of failure? I dont know if your sight after surgery will be very good, i mean perfect or just ok?
I heard that it wears off, is this true?
I don’t think it wears of Dean Saliba but i might be wrong. It should be permanent.
Many people who get Lasik (or PRK) have mild vision correction. I had pretty major eye correction (-9 in both eyes, very nearsighted) which eliminated Lasik as an option. Plus I had some mild astigmatism (I am 40). Due to a history of wearing hard contacts, I had to wear glasses for almost 3 months before getting PRK done – only one eye at first due to the healing time. It was anticipated that I would have 6-8 weeks to heal, and it took 8 weeks (4 weeks before the double vision cleared and I could see and read up close). I experienced mild discomfort, similar to having a piece of dust in your eye (with a contact lens) and did not require any pain medication. To all, I would advise that you find a conservative doctor who will tell you the facts. Mine was excellent – he never tried to exaggerate or claim I would be healed – he always said that my expectations should be more towards the facts, which are that most people will not get 20/20, and healing time will vary. 6-8 weeks is just an estimate, for some it could be longer. If any doctor tries to tell you that he or she will give you 20/20 vision and he’ll operate tomorrow, run! If you’ve worn glasses & contacts as long as I have, waiting 12 or even 20 weeks to ensure stability prior to surgery is nothing, let alone a few months after surgery.
Be careful about the steroid drops if you have (or anyone in your family) a history of glaucoma, even low-pressure glaucoma.
Also, use the rewetting drops frequently even if you don’t think you need them – the more, the better.
Same thing my husband said….I’m sure that you are likewise still happily married!
I hope you are fine after your surgery. I have had this surgery too. It took more than 2 weeks since I was able to work with computer as I did before. Type of this surgery was older PRK, the place of surgery Prague, Army hospital. Laser took away approx 5,5 diopters. Price for BOTH eyes is around 30000 CZK = approx 1600 USD / 2 surgeries. I am quite satisfied, if anyone is going to Prague I would reccomend it to undergo is here
I’M HAVING PRK NEXT MONTH AND WILL BE HAVING ONE EYE DONE , THEN 2 WEEKS LATER THE OTHER. I’M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT BLURRY VISION AND HOW LONG I WILL BE OUT OF WORK FOR EACH EYE
Shoemoney, I am as well thinking about getting prk. When will you have your journal posted? How high WAS your contact prescription? Also, they told me something like I need prk because my pupils are too big. Was that your problem or does that make sense? Thanks bro. Peace.
I HAD PRK DONE IN 98 MY RIGH EYE IS DRIVING ME NUTS ANY NEWS ON HAVING THE PROCEDURE REDONE
Hello Shoe,
I’m going to have PRK too… Can I ask you in how much time were you able to go back to work?
Hi Jeremy
how is your vision,and how have your eyes recovered ?
Interested in getting your opinion one year after the treatment
Thanks
Dominic
Editor
Laser EyeSurgery Review
Just wondering if your PRK laser eye surgery has treated you well? Did you ever have any complications or issues with adjustment?
Epi-lasik and lasek are new refractive surgery techniques to correct refractive errors. They can be done for patient with low to moderate myopia which can be up to -7.0 diaptor and also they both can be done for hyperopia up to +4.00 diaptor. The indications and contraindications of them are the same as those for lasik but they have advantage over lasik in that they will cause less flap related complications. Another difference between lasek and lasik is that patient with thin, deep or flat cornea who is not a good candidate for lasik can undergo lasek surgery
I was scheduled to have PRK too (still am). I’ve been researching it like crazy now and decided not to do it
Kind of sad about that, but I have heard WAY too much negative about it. Down time and pain are worse than I first heard, but I’ve also heard that many people slowly return to having bad eyes again sometimes within a year. At over $4000. I want to know it works for good. Also the cornea can become blurry-ish to see through–for life! Also many times the eyes can be changed to the point that you see halos and or ghosting for life! (Especially in darker areas) It’s just not worth it to me. Damn. I did want it, but no. Wish you all the best.
Kel – I had RK done around 1995, it was fine for several years, then 2 years ago as my Doctor said, I had major distortion. She referred me to Dr. Meister in Sacramento, and he recommended PRK. I couldnt be happier. I have good night vision when driving, and can read without glasses. I am 57 yrs old. The cost was around 3000.00 for both eyes. I wouldn’t give up the idea just yet.
Laser eye surgery is extremely safe nowadays and there are even fewer complications with PRK compared with Lasik as the majority of any complications are as a result of the formation of the flap during Lasik. The only downside to PRK is the longer recovery time after surgery.
There are certain side effects you need to consider before opting for surgery. The most common ones are dry eyes, tenderness and light sensitivity, but there are other less common side effects to think about before you go ahead, such as decentration, ectasia, and infection.