LASIK eye surgery

[stevymac]

Hi, 

 

where’s best place to get lasik in bangkok ? Interested to hear from people who have had it done and what there experience is as like. Thanks chaps in advance.

[Sydebolle]

When you need bread, see the baker, when you need veggies, see the farmer growing it. 

Do not compromise on anything around your eyes, www.rutnin.com is a dedicated, highly professional eye hospital on Asoke/Bangkok and they do, over seven, eight floors, nothing but eye-related care. 

Call 02-639'3399 or 02-639'3300 for an appointment; I can highly recommend Dr Roy Chumdermpadetsuk, bilingual in Thai/English with decades of experience in the US.

I ended up there after two completely wrong diagnosis by the leading hospital in Pattaya and, likewise a second opinion by the leading hospital in Sriracha - I am not naming them for legal reasons. Both suggested multi-focal lenses against cataract whereas a third opinion at the Rutnin hospital found a macula degeneration which got successfully diagnosed and treated by Dr. Roy. And, ten years after, I still don't have a cataract problem and my macula degeneration retracted as well. 

The LASIK can be done anywhere I assume but get a proper diagnosis first; it is not always what you see ........ Pricewise Rutnin is even less than those top VIP-shops in Bangkok or along the Eastern seaboard .

[kbelyeu]

Hi Stevymac,

 

I had mine done at TRSC in Bangkok, price was fair, technology was the latest way back in 2013.  My eyes are still good to go to this day, but they do offer a lifetime of corrections.  TRSC was and probably still is the world leaders in Lasik correction surgery in Bangkok.

 

FYI you will have an acceleration of needing reading glasses after the surgery.

[BKKBike09]

+1 for either Rutnin or TRSC.

 

If you are not very myopic (say less that -5), don't have astigmatism and have normal corneal thickness then it should be very straightforward.

 

Correcting high-order myopia / astigmatism is where the surgeon's skill and experience come into play. Always a good idea to ask how many patients of your profile the surgeon has treated and with what outcomes.

 

Common side effects are dry eyes and halos at night (particularly if your pupils naturally dilate more than 'normal').

 

Reading glasses will be a fact of life as you age. There is blended vision where one eye is corrected for distance and the other for nearer vision. Works very well for some people, not so well for others.

[wwest5829]

1 hour ago, Sydebolle said:

When you need bread, see the baker, when you need veggies, see the farmer growing it. 

Do not compromise on anything around your eyes, www.rutnin.com is a dedicated, highly professional eye hospital on Asoke/Bangkok and they do, over seven, eight floors, nothing but eye-related care. 

Call 02-639'3399 or 02-639'3300 for an appointment; I can highly recommend Dr Roy Chumdermpadetsuk, bilingual in Thai/English with decades of experience in the US.

I ended up there after two completely wrong diagnosis by the leading hospital in Pattaya and, likewise a second opinion by the leading hospital in Sriracha - I am not naming them for legal reasons. Both suggested multi-focal lenses against cataract whereas a third opinion at the Rutnin hospital found a macula degeneration which got successfully diagnosed and treated by Dr. Roy. And, ten years after, I still don't have a cataract problem and my macula degeneration retracted as well. 

The LASIK can be done anywhere I assume but get a proper diagnosis first; it is not always what you see ........ Pricewise Rutnin is even less than those top VIP-shops in Bangkok or along the Eastern seaboard .

Agreed. Rutnin Eye Hospital replaced my natural lens with prescription lens. 

[Dart12]

1 hour ago, BKKBike09 said:

+1 for either Rutnin or TRSC.

There is blended vision where one eye is corrected for distance and the other for nearer vision. Works very well for some people, not so well for others.

I've worn contacts my entire life.  There have been weeks where I've had to use only one contact due to a scratch or something.  So I have plenty of experience, and length of time trying it.

Put me down for a person it does NOT work for.  Loss of depth, extra squinting.  Seeing half the field.
Its awful.

If you go this route, try a  single contact for awhile before committing to it.

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, BKKBike09 said:

Always a good idea to ask how many patients of your profile the surgeon has treated and with what outcomes.

 

How do they give you this data?

[HarrySeaman]

I wanted to get Lasic in 2002.  I didn't know if this was possible or not because of my large prescription for myopia (shortsightedness).

 

I first went to that "World Famous" hospital in BKK that specializes in treating farangs at inflated prices.  The head of ophthalmology gave me the least professional and most worthless examination in my 50 years of wearing glasses and contact lenses, then scheduled me for surgery the next morning. 

 

I was so shaken that I didn't take a cab home to my apartment but walked down the street to the Nana Hotel, where I stayed before getting the apartment, to get something to drink and to settle my nerves.  It was there that I got perhaps the best advice of my life from one of my Nana lounge friends - go to Rutin Eye Hospital for an examination.  I immediately canceled the surgery at that "World Famous" hospital and made an appointment at Rutin.

 

I have never had such a professional and through eye examination in my life as I was given at Rutin.  The exam showed that while my myopia was greater than 9 diopters in both eyes that my corneas were thick enough for successful Lasic.

 

I was shocked when the doctor told me she wouldn't do the surgery then.  Turns out that she had found that my corneas were swollen because I had worn contact lenses.  I had not been wearing my contacts for a month so that any cornea swelling would go away but her testing showed that more time was needed.  She scheduled another examination a month later.  This examination went well and the surgery was scheduled for a couple of mornings later.

 

I won't kid you, the surgery was nerve wracking.  I should have been given a Valium prior to the surgery to keep me calm during the surgery.  The doctor never lost her cool and completed the surgery successfully even though I became agitated and "difficult" part way through the surgery.

 

I should also have had arrangements for someone to take me home afterward and take care of me for a day.  The hard part was being home alone while wearing vision restricting eye shields on both eyes.

 

The results were spectacular in my opinion.  I didn't have any infection, any haziness, or any light beams or rings of light shooting out of bright lights like some people have reported.  What I did have was the ability to read, from my seat along the bar wall, the numbers on the tags attached to the bikinis of go-go dancers.

 

Over the next couple of years, as my eyes aged, my vision did become worse again so that I now need a +0.5 diopter correction for one eye and a 1.5 diopter correction for the other eye.  I could have Lasic again but at my age I am content to wear glasses when driving or when using my computer. 

 

Naturally at 79 years old I need reading glasses.  I go to a street market, buy two identical pairs of 100 Bt reading glasses.  One pair that gives me good vision at the reading distance for the right eye then one pair for the left eye.  I pop the left lens out of one pair and the right lens out of the other.  I then swap these lenses to the other pair and I have two pairs of glasses that have individual corrections for each eye. 

 

Hint, if you want to do this find on line and print out an eye test chart that you can hold in your hand at your normal reading distance while trying on glasses to find the right prescription(s).

[Hanuman2547]

A former GF used to work as a Lead nurse at Rutnin Eye Hospital.  She even had the LASIK procedure done there in 1999.  Never heard her complain of any problems.

[stevymac]

Thanks for great advice. My eyes not too bad -1.50 but wearing contacts is a pain in the <deleted>. Looks like it’s trsc or rutnin. How much did u guys pay ? Heard bumrungrad is good too they got deal on now 99k for both eyes. Also researching which procedure, smile , prk or lasik? Any advice on which is best ? Thanks

[DefaultName]

Wrote this years back, now, at 66, I'm thinking of having it done again as my eyes have deteriorated a bit.  Reading glasses I can accept, but I'm getting close to needing glasses for normal use and I don't like that.  Sorry if this is a bit dated, it's as I wrote it then;

 

"Laser Surgery (done December 2003).

 

I wore glasses or contact lenses (not very comfortably) for about 35 years and never liked them.  I was short sighted with astigmatism, my sight wasn't too bad, I wouldn't walk into walls or anything, but I certainly couldn't drive without glasses.  My eyes were different; the left was a bit worse than the right.  Glasses fogged up, got rained on, stopped me wearing most sunglasses, generally were a nuisance to take care of & I was fed up seeing the world with a frame around it.  I did a bit of research on the net about laser surgery and asked around to find people who had had it done.  

 

I heard a lot of horror stories but they were mostly anecdotal, I didn't manage to speak to anyone who'd had a problem themselves.  Even on the net I couldn't find a case of anyone who'd lost their sight through this, although there are some who ended up worse off than when they started.  The cases where someone had a bad result seemed to be caused by infection, and always seemed to be due to not taking care of the eyes after the op, not to the surgery.  It is after all an operation, and a lot of post-op care needs to be taken in the first month - especially in the first few days.

 

I looked into the various types of surgery and decided that I wanted 4th generation Lasik (aka "Wavefront") equipment to be used.  The laser beam is a 9th of the size of previous versions but the main change is in the computer technology.  The older versions basically cut your eyes to match your glasses prescription, this version does a computer mapping of the inside of each eye (by flashing lights into it at various angles) and programs the laser for the best possible cut for you.  My surgeon asked me what I wanted in particular; long sight, short sight, one eye of each (didn't fancy that!) or a more general average - Wavefront is accurate enough to be able to produce the end result that you ask for.  I wanted long sight; I was prepared to need glasses for reading but wanted to be able to conduct normal life without a frame around it.

 

I looked into who to get to do it.  I could only find one clinic in the UK who used Wavefront technology and that would have been expensive (about £5,000).  In addition, the closest clinic to me was in Bristol (I'm in Cornwall) and I'd have needed to travel up; for a consultation, the day before the surgery, the day of the surgery, the day after, the week after, the month after, 3 months after, 6 months after, and 1 year after, for appointments.  That would have eaten up my annual leave pretty fast, and cost me a fortune in rail fares!  As I usually holiday in Thailand, and Bangkok is the world centre for laser eye surgery, I looked into getting it done there while on holiday, and decided on this place [email protected] - I only have the email address with me but I think the website has the same name.  They have US trained eye surgeons, Chinese equipment (supposedly the best) and spoke good English - OK for the staff, excellent for the surgeons. 

 

After asking a lot of questions on emails I made an appointment for 18 Dec 03, here's how it went;

12:00 turned up,

All afternoon - tests, with various eyedrops to dilate/undilate the pupil.

18:00 into surgery - there is no anaesthetic used apart from eyedrops and you need to be awake for this.  However, as there are no nerves in the pupil itself that didn't worry me much.  The only things that hurt were the anaesthetic eyedrops (stung a bit) and the clamps that hold your eyelids open (blinking during the op would NOT be a good idea!).  One eye was clamped open, the other taped shut, the surgeon did a lot of cleaning, then used a "microkeratome" (I think that's the spelling) to slice the top of my eye almost off and hinge it back - think of cutting the top off of a boiled egg.  I was then told to stare at a red light and the laser did its thing.  The flap of eye was then folded back down and smoothed into place (no stitches, no glue, it just sticks there!!!), more cleaning, then the eye was taped shut and the same procedure was done on the other eye.  After, I was fitted with eye-shields to protect the eyes in the first few hours - apparently the cut mostly heals in about 8 hours - I had to keep them on until I returned the next day.  They did have small holes to see through but vision was very limited, I WANTED TO SEE IF I COULD SEE!!!  What I could see through the holes looked clear but it was frustrating and I couldn't manage to line the holes up so that I was using both eyes at once.

18:20 walked out of the surgery.  The actual time on each eye from the cut to the flap being put down was under a minute, all the rest of the time was cleaning and disinfecting.

18:30 was put into a taxi to go to my hotel.  Here's where I made my only mistake, I was alone, in a strange taxi, to a strange hotel, in a strange city, in a strange country, with limited visibility.  I hadn't even booked into the hotel.  I strongly advise having someone with you.  Fortunately, everything went fine but I felt really vulnerable, I hadn't anticipated the eye -shields and the limited vision they caused.

 

So, after checking into the hotel - they didn't see anything unusual in the eye-shields, the clinic sends a lot of people there - I managed to eat a sandwich and tried to sleep for the night.

 

12:00 the next day - back to the clinic, eye-shields off and the eyes cleaned again.  Things were clear.  Success, the cut was mostly healed but the next week was important, that's when most post-op infections happen, if they happen at all.  I was given two lots of eyedrops, one an antibiotic, the other a lubricant (artificial tears) because the antibiotic tends to dry the eyes and they feel grainy.  I was told to use the eyedrops every 3 hours, the tears when I needed them, and to wear the eye-shields when sleeping - in case I rubbed my eyes in my sleep.  Also, I was told to keep my eyes completely dry, no washing, showers, swimming, etc.  And come back in a week.

 

During the week I found that my long sight was pretty much perfect, if I hit a golf ball 300 yards I could see it - if I could hit a golf ball 300 yards in the first place!  My eyes were dry and grainy so I made good use of the "tears" eyedrops, also they were more light sensitive, I needed sunglasses more than before.  My short sight wasn't too good, I needed reading glasses (+1.75 lenses) for even normal print, but I expected that and was prepared to put up with it in exchange for good long sight.  One thing that was very different was that my eyes were the same, my left was always worse before.  Keeping my eyes dry was a nuisance (ever tried shaving your head without getting water on your face! - probably not) and wearing the eye-shields to sleep was a nuisance as well.

 

A week after the op I went back to the clinic.  The cut was completely healed and I was told to stop using the antibiotic eyedrops, my vision was tested as 20/20 for long sight, and my short sight was improving.  Within a couple of hours the graininess had gone but I kept the "tears" eyedrops with me and needed them a few times over the next few weeks.  I was also allowed to stop using the eye-shields at night and I could wash, shower, swim, etc. again.  I was still being careful; for example, if I got into a bunker on the golf course (and I do!), I put on a scuba mask to make certain that no sand got in my eyes.  OK, so people laughed, I would have laughed too.  

 

Four weeks after the op (still in Thailand) I went back for a check-up; no problems, long sight the same, or maybe a touch better, short sight improving.

 

It's now almost a year since the op.  I've just had an eye test at a UK optician (free through my work, I like free!) and I've got better than 20/20 for long sight - I can read the line on the chart below the 20/20 line.  Over the year my short sight has improved to the point that I only need reading glasses for REALLY small print - serial numbers and such - or in lower light conditions like reading in the car at night, they are only +1.00 now and can be bought in any supermarket cheaply.  Normal print in normal light is fine, VDUs are fine.

 

To summarise, this is life-changing stuff.  I'd recommend it to anyone, I'd also recommend the clinic I used if you happen to be going near Bangkok.  Total cost 79,500 Baht (about £1,200 then).  It is, however, scary.  There was a moment, lying on the table, when I was thinking; this man is going to cut my EYES, last chance to chicken out, last chance to chicken out, too late, he's done it.

 

Getting up in the morning and being able to see clearly is worth the money alone.

 

I hope that this helps."

[thaiowl]

I got both eyes done at TRSC in 2008. Very good service and no problems at all.

[Freddy42OZ]

A female friend had it done recently.  This was her report to me afterwards.
 

I went to TRSC (https://en.trsclasik.com/). It’s near Sala Daeng. I got the newest procedure called RELEX - it’s the most precise and least invasive, blade-less. The total cost came out to just about $4000 USD flat. 

 

I’m super glad I went here. The facility is really top-notch, international-standard machines and service. There’s always about 15 staff there and everyone speaks perfect English and are very professional. The technicians and my doctor are very patient with terrific bedside manner, always making sure I’m comfortable and if I have any questions. They really make sure you are comfortable - like they put me in this over-the-top massage chair just to give me dilation eye drops. 

 

The process is pretty easy. You go there initially to meet your assigned agent and do extensive eye tests. They make you watch a safety video about the different kinds of procedures, pre, op, and post. Then the doctor talks to you about expectations, the surgery, results, etc. Then your next appointment will be the actual surgery. 

 

The surgery is a very smooth and quick procedure: they check your eyes again, give you a valium, you spend less than 10m under the machine, then they put eye covers on you and you’re done. Absolutely no pain, maybe slight discomfort under the machine due to pressure on the eye ball. Technically you can see immediately but it’ll be blurry. You return the next day and they’ll take the covers off, show you how to take care of your eyes for the first week and you’re on your way. 

 

It was slightly blurry for me due to dry eye for about 2-3 weeks. After that, it was basically perfect. I’m very glad I did it, major life improvement. 

[natway09]

Go to a reputable eye Doctor before you do anything.

It may not be Lasik that you need or will fix your problem & can actually make things harder to

fix later

[Sheryl]

On 3/25/2022 at 7:22 AM, kbelyeu said:

Hi Stevymac,

 

I had mine done at TRSC in Bangkok, price was fair, technology was the latest way back in 2013.  My eyes are still good to go to this day, but they do offer a lifetime of corrections.  TRSC was and probably still is the world leaders in Lasik correction surgery in Bangkok.

 

FYI you will have an acceleration of needing reading glasses after the surgery.

This.

 

I had mine done 21 years ago at TRSC. Great results.

 

TRSC was the first place in Thailand to do refractive surgery, and it is all that they do. No place equals their degree of experience and expertise when it comes to this.

 

 

[Longwood50]

Here is my opinion - DONT

I had my right eye done about 25 years ago and the left eye done about 5 years later.  I was near sighted so leaving one eye untreated allowed me to read without glasses until my distance vision got bad enough I did the second one. 

In the beginning, great.  I was able to see at distances without glasses.  However what they don't tell you is that correcting your vision for distance means you are still chained to glasses for reading.  The second thing which is what they are now discovering is that people's vision change as they age.  There is a phenomena knows as "second sight" where the person's distance vision recovers as they age.  Mine did.  That meant I was over corrected and needed glasses to compensate.  Now because your cornea has been altered, contact lenses don't fit properly.  I could wear single vision, but not multi-focal lenses. 

Finally, at night as I have aged, the night glare has become significant.  The opthamologist explained a portion of that was very small cataracts but the majority of it due to the lasik that flattened the surface of the eye causing the light to disperse. 

I just had cataract surgery, not because I really needed it to see but do get rid of the night glare.  That procedure is complicated by Lasik because it is more difficult to accurately determine what lens to implant.  My right eye was done, and it was undercorrected.  I just had my left eye done, and they increased the power of the lens and it appears great.  I now have monovision which is great.  I can read without glasses and see clearly at distances.  However the night glare was not totally eliminated.  The opthamologist at Bangkok hospital stated that my previous lasik surgery meant that I would always have that light glare. 

Stick with glasses and if you are really wanting to rid yourself of glasses consider an Interocular lens replacement.  Those can be changed if need be or a second lens "piggy back" can be done if your vision changes.  Lasik can not.  

Finally, if you have more than one lasik procedure to "fine tune" your eyes you may find that the thinning of the cornea would make you ineligble for future lasik corrections 

In short, I wished I had not done it.  The few years of good vision were not worth the future complications. Particularly since the lasik gave me only distance vision, so I was still chained to glasses for reading and still needed glasses with clear lenses on the top and reading on the bottom to drive since you can not see the finer elements on the car dashboard controls without the reading assist. 

Edited March 26, 2022 by Longwood50

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, Longwood50 said:

Here is my opinion - DONT

I had my right eye done about 25 years ago and the left eye done about 5 years later.  I was near sighted so leaving one eye untreated allowed me to read without glasses until my distance vision got bad enough I did the second one. 

In the beginning, great.  I was able to see at distances without glasses.  However what they don't tell you is that correcting your vision for distance means you are still chained to glasses for reading.  The second thing which is what they are now discovering is that people's vision change as they age.  There is a phenomena knows as "second sight" where the person's distance vision recovers as they age.  Mine did.  That meant I was over corrected and needed glasses to compensate.  Now because your cornea has been altered, contact lenses don't fit properly.  I could wear single vision, but not multi-focal lenses. 

Finally, at night as I have aged, the night glare has become significant.  The opthamologist explained a portion of that was very small cataracts but the majority of it due to the lasik that flattened the surface of the eye causing the light to disperse. 

I just had cataract surgery, not because I really needed it to see but do get rid of the night glare.  That procedure is complicated by Lasik because it is more difficult to accurately determine what lens to implant.  My right eye was done, and it was undercorrected.  I just had my left eye done, and they increased the power of the lens and it appears great.  I now have monovision which is great.  I can read without glasses and see clearly at distances.  However the night glare was not totally eliminated.  The opthamologist at Bangkok hospital stated that my previous lasik surgery meant that I would always have that light glare. 

Stick with glasses and if you are really wanting to rid yourself of glasses consider an Interocular lens replacement.  Those can be changed if need be or a second lens "piggy back" can be done if your vision changes.  Lasik can not.  

Finally, if you have more than one lasik procedure to "fine tune" your eyes you may find that the thinning of the cornea would make you ineligble for future lasik corrections 

In short, I wished I had not done it.  The few years of good vision were not worth the future complications. Particularly since the lasik gave me only distance vision, so I was still chained to glasses for reading and still needed glasses with clear lenses on the top and reading on the bottom to drive since you can not see the finer elements on the car dashboard controls without the reading assist. 

People's experience varies and it also does depend on the skill and experience of the surgeon.

 

It can be often be possible to avoid the need for reading glasses by undercorrecting one eye.

 

That is what they did for me at TRSC and 21 years on, I still do not need reading glasses. I'm 20/20 in one yee and about 20/40 in the other and it works fine for me.

 

In your case it sounds like the second procedure fully or almost fully corrected the left eye so that you no longer had monovision.  Hence the need for reading glasses.

 

When planning on monovision it is a good idea to first try it out with glasses or contacts of differing prescriptions (i.e. create the conditions planned, one eye under-corrected) for a while to make sure your brain adjusts. Most people do, but a few do not.

 

Also of course this approach requires doing one eye at a time and letting the vision fully stabilize before doing the second one.

 

You will need full details of your eye pre-surgery for later reference if/when you need cataract surgery, including the original power. Get this and put it somewhere safe.

 

re night glare, personally I had before the Lasik and it neither got better not worse (it was already pretty bad) which is what I was told to expect. I do find that yellow-tinted glasses (like one wears skiing) help. But YMMV

 

 

[scubascuba3]

Contact lens seem a no risk alternative

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Contact lens seem a no risk alternative

Contact lens do have risks. https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/contact-lenses/contact-lens-risks

 

And drawbacks...especially for those who travel a lot or spend time in less developed countries.

 

It is a pretty good bet that anyone considering refractive surgery has already tried (or is currently using)  contacts

 

 

[Longwood50]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

In your case it sounds like the second procedure fully or almost fully corrected the left eye so that you no longer had monovision.  Hence the need for reading glasses.

Yes that is correct.  My distance vision in my left eye deteriorated as I aged.  I should have been "smarter" since I was already using monovision by leaving the left eye uncorrected to have them not fully correct the left eye. 

I used one contact in the right eye for some years and then went and had the Lasik performed on the right eye only.  I used the monovision for several years until the left eye distance vision got worse. 

I asked my Opthamologist about the need for the mapping of the eye prior to Lasik before I proceded with the cataract surgery.   He stated at one time that was mandatory.  Now, the machine at Bangkok Hospital the Zeiss IOL Master calculates the lens without the need for original mapping. 

I saw the printout and it gives multiple options for lenses from different manufacturers and lens powers both with and without Toric correction for astigmatism.  The printout shows the expected vision for the various power of IOL and how close that gets to perfect vision.  

Now here is the complicating factor.  There are 3 main algorithms used to determine the power of lens to use.  

With my right eye, they used only one algorithm.  After the experience of the undercorrection they ran the machine again on my left and right eyes and used 4 different formulas.  There was a variation in the lens suggested from 22 power to 23 power.  They had implanted the 22 power in my right eye but the other algorithms suggested it should have been 22.5 or even 23.   The doctor used the mean between the 4 algorithms for my left eye which was 22.5 and that appears to be near perfect. 

So I ended up with what I wanted monovision only with my right dominant eye being the one slightly myopic.

I asked the doctor before the surgery if I got my mapping prior to Lasik if it would be helpful.  He said, no.  They did not have the methodology to input the original mapping and have it calculate a reccomended IOL power. 

Edited March 26, 2022 by Longwood50

[ATLShawn]

Has anyone had a good Lasik experience in Pattaya?  I'm considering TRSC; however the significant drawback is the distance (multiple trips to BKK to follow appointments, if there are unknown issues more appointments in BKK, etc).  I work (not retired) so I need to schedule a full day off for each of these appointments.... if there is a surgeon/clinic in Pattaya with exceptional results I would prefer doing this locally.

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, Longwood50 said:

I asked the doctor before the surgery if I got my mapping prior to Lasik if it would be helpful.  He said, no.  They did not have the methodology to input the original mapping and have it calculate a reccomended IOL power. 

 I was told by Dr. Roy at Rutnin that they could indeed make calculations based on pre-Lasik and indeed he asked that I get that info. (I don't need cataract surgery yet, but as it was already 20 years I thought best to get it now so as to be sure it is available when I do). Maybe Rutnin has something Bkk Hospital does not?

[Sheryl]

11 minutes ago, ATLShawn said:

Has anyone had a good Lasik experience in Pattaya?  I'm considering TRSC; however the significant drawback is the distance (multiple trips to BKK to follow appointments, if there are unknown issues more appointments in BKK, etc).  I work (not retired) so I need to schedule a full day off for each of these appointments.... if there is a surgeon/clinic in Pattaya with exceptional results I would prefer doing this locally.

No.

 

Come to Bangkok.

 

It is not that many trips. 1 for the initial consultation, then day of procedure and a visit IIRCC the very next day then nothing for I  think about 2-3 months then repeat process for the second eye.

 

I was living and working in Phnom Penh when I did mine. 

[Longwood50]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Maybe Rutnin has something Bkk Hospital does not?

I "think" it is that Bangkok Hospital has the Zeiss IOL Master that eliminated the need for the original mapping.  

The opthamologist said that even if they had the mapping pre lasik,  they would not be able to use that to determine what the IOL power should be. 

I don't know if that was because they lacked the machine or because they were not familiar with the formula used to calculate the IOL from the pre-lasik mapping. 

After I had the under correction of the first eye, they took the measurements from the Zeiss IOL Master and applied different algorithims to estimate the correct IOL power.  The different algorithims came up with different powers.  The lowest being 22 and the highest 23  

The doctor also manually entered into the computer while I was sitting with him my measurements into a program to calulate the IOL power.   The IOL Master machine at Bangok Hospital mapped out my eyes and provided the doctor with the various measurements.  He entered those and the program used came out at a 22.5 IOL. 

I did a little research there are 13 different formula's for determining IOL.  So the same eye measurements "may" come up with different results based on which formula(s) were used. 

Perhaps Rutin has a formula that is used for pre-lasik measurements and calculates the IOL power.  I don't know if that is better, or if it is now not relevant with the advancement of the IOL measurement devices. 

One way or another, I have spoken to three different opthamologists and they all said the same thing.  1. Lasik complicates the process of IOL selection. 2. Stay with Monofocal Lenses that the Multi-Focal lenses often did not have good results even in patients without lasik and they were even more challenging for patients who did have lasik. 

Now if I wanted to, I could have my eye "touched up" with lasik to adjust.  However if I did that, I would suddenly be chained to reading glasses which I now enjoy not having to wear any glasses at all. 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32522789/

Edited March 26, 2022 by Longwood50

[Sheryl]

3 minutes ago, Longwood50 said:

......Stay with Monofocal Lenses that the Multi-Focal lenses often did not have good results even in patients without lasik and they were even more challenging for patients who did have lasik. 

 

This is my impression as well.

[kbelyeu]

On 3/24/2022 at 10:00 PM, scubascuba3 said:

How do they give you this data?

When I visited TRSC they provided the number of procedures as well as the number of "issues".  Its been so long I only remember there being a couple of issues but I can't remember what they were.  The end of the day, LASIK is elective surgery and with any surgery there will be a number of patients that have issues, some of those issues being loss of sight.

 

Kurt

[kbelyeu]

On 3/24/2022 at 10:38 PM, HarrySeaman said:

I wanted to get Lasic in 2002.  I didn't know if this was possible or not because of my large prescription for myopia (shortsightedness).

 

I first went to that "World Famous" hospital in BKK that specializes in treating farangs at inflated prices.  The head of ophthalmology gave me the least professional and most worthless examination in my 50 years of wearing glasses and contact lenses, then scheduled me for surgery the next morning. 

 

I was so shaken that I didn't take a cab home to my apartment but walked down the street to the Nana Hotel, where I stayed before getting the apartment, to get something to drink and to settle my nerves.  It was there that I got perhaps the best advice of my life from one of my Nana lounge friends - go to Rutin Eye Hospital for an examination.  I immediately canceled the surgery at that "World Famous" hospital and made an appointment at Rutin.

 

I have never had such a professional and through eye examination in my life as I was given at Rutin.  The exam showed that while my myopia was greater than 9 diopters in both eyes that my corneas were thick enough for successful Lasic.

 

I was shocked when the doctor told me she wouldn't do the surgery then.  Turns out that she had found that my corneas were swollen because I had worn contact lenses.  I had not been wearing my contacts for a month so that any cornea swelling would go away but her testing showed that more time was needed.  She scheduled another examination a month later.  This examination went well and the surgery was scheduled for a couple of mornings later.

 

I won't kid you, the surgery was nerve wracking.  I should have been given a Valium prior to the surgery to keep me calm during the surgery.  The doctor never lost her cool and completed the surgery successfully even though I became agitated and "difficult" part way through the surgery.

 

I should also have had arrangements for someone to take me home afterward and take care of me for a day.  The hard part was being home alone while wearing vision restricting eye shields on both eyes.

 

The results were spectacular in my opinion.  I didn't have any infection, any haziness, or any light beams or rings of light shooting out of bright lights like some people have reported.  What I did have was the ability to read, from my seat along the bar wall, the numbers on the tags attached to the bikinis of go-go dancers.

 

Over the next couple of years, as my eyes aged, my vision did become worse again so that I now need a +0.5 diopter correction for one eye and a 1.5 diopter correction for the other eye.  I could have Lasic again but at my age I am content to wear glasses when driving or when using my computer. 

 

Naturally at 79 years old I need reading glasses.  I go to a street market, buy two identical pairs of 100 Bt reading glasses.  One pair that gives me good vision at the reading distance for the right eye then one pair for the left eye.  I pop the left lens out of one pair and the right lens out of the other.  I then swap these lenses to the other pair and I have two pairs of glasses that have individual corrections for each eye. 

 

Hint, if you want to do this find on line and print out an eye test chart that you can hold in your hand at your normal reading distance while trying on glasses to find the right prescription(s).

When I did my surgery at TRSC, I had to go without contacts for 6 months prior to my surgery.  To this day I still need to wet my eyes when I wake up due to my idiocy of never removing my contacts in my younger life.

 

Kurt

[kbelyeu]

On 3/25/2022 at 12:11 AM, stevymac said:

Thanks for great advice. My eyes not too bad -1.50 but wearing contacts is a pain in the <deleted>. Looks like it’s trsc or rutnin. How much did u guys pay ? Heard bumrungrad is good too they got deal on now 99k for both eyes. Also researching which procedure, smile , prk or lasik? Any advice on which is best ? Thanks

Go with the latest surgery they offer.. I want to say I paid 3500 in 2013 for the procedure with lifetime corrections if needed.

 

Kurt

[Eaglekott]

On 3/26/2022 at 11:58 AM, Longwood50 said:

I had my right eye done about 25 years ago and the left eye done about 5 years later.

I would think technology has improved a lot in 20-25 years

[Longwood50]

35 minutes ago, Eaglekott said:

I would think technology has improved a lot in 20-25 years

Absolutely,

However the fact that technology has improved does not change the fact that Lasik surgery changes the shape of the cornea. 

If you correct for being far sighted, you become near sighted.  You can do mono vision with Lasik where one eye is corrected for distance and the other for reading. 

However if and when the person's vision changes as they age, contact lenses do not fit properly because of the altered cornea  This is not such a problem with single vision contacts but almost rules out multi-focal contacts.   

Finally, most people will eventually get cataracts.  Those who have had Lasik it will "complicate" the selection of the correct lens to use.  That won't change if it is old lasik or new lasik.  Your cornea has been altered.  

They now use very sophiticated IOL mapping instruments to caluclate the correct lens.  Perhaps the precision will improve in the future but for now, you stand a greater change of having less than an accurate IOL lens selected for your cataract surgery.  It virtually eliminates for now the prospect of a multi-focal lens beacuse of the additional complication. 

If I had it to do over again, I would opt for the IOL lens to be implanted in the eye.  The lens can be replaced in the future if your vision changes or eventually when you require cataract surgery. 

https://eandv.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40662-018-0110-5