Hi aaslong80,
Welcome to the flap. Corneal refractive surgeries, such as LASIK are serious surgeries with permanent consequences that cannot be reversed.
No one can predict how your corneas will react to the surgery and the healing response can have permanent effects on your visual quality.
Please read The LASIK Report at the top of this forum. A PDF form is available at
htttp://www.thelasikreport.com .
As for Ortho K - go ahead and try it. It's not likely to hurt you. While you are in law school and doing a lot of reading, my advice would be to stick with your old reliable glasses.
You are entering a profession where much reading and computer work will always be required. After LASIK, even young patients can have trouble seeing their computer screen for more than a month. Some have permanent difficulty reading. Is this risk really worth the 'possiblity' of going without glasses for some period of time?
I really don't have answers about the efficacy and patient satisfaction rate of Ortho K. I do know it is unlikely to hurt you. I do know many patients, including myself... have been permanly harmed by the surgery you're scheduled to have this coming Friday.
I would do almost anything to be able to go to the time of my surgical decision and just say no.
Please be aware that the LASIK flap never heals, that LASIK actually *induces* permanent distortions in your cornea, on average... it doesn't reduce or treat them in normal eyes as the marketing would imply. LASIK also damaged corneal nerves that can lead to permanent dry eye disease.
I didn't have dry eye problems before LASIK. Now I do. You already have some dry eye issues. This makes you an extrememly bad candidate for ANY form of corneal refractive surgery as they all damage the corneal nerves responsible for comfortable wetting of the eye.
Large pupils are also a risk factor for a poor outcome. The larger your pupils the more you will be affected by surgically-induced distortions in dim light. It is a horrible experience to have your night vision ruined. I can speak with some authority on this subject.
Your career choice, dry eye history and large pupils are all risk factors for dissatisfaction/complications with your LASIK eye surgery.
Many damage corneal refractive surgery patients are unable to restore their former crisp vision by any means including contact lenses. The damage continues, even with so-called 'new technology'.
The only kind of treatment for surgically induced distortion that typically works best (hard lenses) is something you wouldn't be able to tolerate because of your pre-existing dry eye. So, to put it simply, the only 'fix' for a bad LASIK likely won't work for you. You have no 'safety net' and these are your only pair of eyes.
Please call and cancel your appointment and enjoy your healthy, intact corneas and good correctable vision.