LASIK and motorsports

Anybody have LASIK and still race especially at night. I am starting to work with more and more unusual chemical and biologic's at work and safety glasses for people who wear glasses are terrible fitting.

I wear contacts just about everywhere else but even that when surfing I would love to not worry about losing a contact. I am all kinds of blind without them. But the new machines go -6.0 and I am under that and my prescription has been stable since I was ~15. Worried about staring at night and dry eyes at the track and with sports and th elike.

I'll do this probably in my mid-30s if I can afford it. I've done a little research into it, and long story short the types of LASIK that involve cutting into the lens of your eye won't leave your eyeballs shockproof. Ablative procedures don't have that problem, but will take longer to heal.

There's also implanted lens technology, that's bleeding-edge stuff but may be worth looking into.

Edit: BTW, I'm holding out for these

I got the all laser version of LASIK (PRK I think it was called) over 2 1/2 years ago. While I don't race at night (or at all anymore ) I do drive a semi truck at night with no issues. The only real changes are a bit more sensitivity to light, and my eyes get dry more often, but not enough that I would be worried about driving all night with anything more than a bottle of eye drops.

I got LASIK done 14 years ago to correct a -9.0 right/-7.5 left diopter nearsightedness (for those who don't know that's legally blind).

Best thing ever!!! Seriously, anyone who still wears corrective lenses should get their eyes zapped if it's at all available for them.

Heal time for me was several months due to the huge amount of correction (roughly one month per diopter). But most of that was night halo effect. Regular night driving was fine but not great and I'd rather not have raced during that time.

But don't let that hold you back, glasses suck. Get lasered!

I wasn't a good candidate for LASIK (cornea was too thin to cut), so I had the ablation type laser surgery. It took about 2 weeks to heal up enough for me to go back to work. That was in 2004 and still the best money I've ever spent.

To your concern though, is that I had a slight drop in night vision. Bright lights and headlights have a bit of a glare around them (although the doc said its more pronounced with the ablation surgery compared to LASIK) and smaller objects are harder to pick out.

That being said, It's not enough to hold me back from doing a night race. I did a night autocross last year and didn't have any issues. I would feel the same about a road course if it were one I was familiar with.

wait, so they can just laser your eyes without cutting them apart? rad.

In reply to PHeller:

Yup. The downfall is that the recovery time is long and uncomfortable. Imagine the feeling of having an eyelash or dirt in your eye for a couple weeks. Plus your vision will be blurry/hazy during the healing process. With LASIK you'll have perfect vision immediately after the procedure. Don't let any of that scare you away though, it's a small annoyance to an otherwise kickass glasses free life.

I had it done maybe 5-7 years ago. I forget the flavor. Only had to have one eye done, because only one eye needed it. I'd been wearing a contact lens in that eye for about 25 years. Holy cow, I'd become so used to the constant irritation of the lens that I didn't realize how bad it was. I was more comfortable a day after the surgery than I had been before it.

Since then, I've raced some long races (including two Targas, a week of 13 hour days), crewed on 25 hour races and driven cross country late into the night. Best thing ever. I'm more comfortable and my night vision is better.

Have not had it done myself, a buddy did and he says it ruined his night vision. He says street lights etc have rainbow halos which make it difficult for him to drive at night. I have not had it done and don't plan to, reason being that with my glasses I can see at night but if the LASIK screws them up there's no way to fix it that I'm aware of. Meaning I'd be stuck with the results the rest of my life.

No halos here. I used to get worse artifacts from my contact lens.

BTW, there are different levels of this. Locally, we have the Nick Riviera type of eye doc who has screaming ads on the radio and prices that cannot be believed. And we have a guy that comes in once or twice a week from Denver. He's more expensive, but he spends a lot more time on each patient before, during and after. Guess who I went with?

LASIK did me great. I got the cut flap them laser under kind. Worked great and I was driving the next day. Second best decision I ever made in my life.

Concerns of shock are pretty minor. Not a concern for racing. Might worry if you were going to take up boxing or extreme free diving.

I am definitely more light sensitive at night. It wouldn't hold me back from a night race though. Mostly just major glare from Oncoming cars, especially in the wilderness with no street lights. No halos or anything.

I did it about 15 years ago. I had coke-bottle bottom near-sightedness. I still had some astigmatism afterwards that the dr attempted to correct with incisions (which didn't work).

I went 10 years without wearing any glasses, then gradually needed some correction, though not near as much as before. My night vision sucks because of double images (don't know if that's the same as halos). Mostly in my left eye. Don't know whether that's a result of the LASIK or the incisions. The Opto tells me everything I'm experiencing is typical for LASIK patients over the long-term.

I don't regret doing it, though, considering the amount of nearsightedness I dealt with most of my life. It could be that technology has improved considerably which may lessen the side effects.

Having said that I wouldn't recommend it for someone with a mild correction and that is just looking for the convenience or cosmetic result.

everyone's results to LASIK surgery can be / is different … from my buddy who wore contacts AND wore glasses and ended up with 20/10 vision to people that actually lose their sight

I was in the 3rd class of potential patients …. typically the best results are for those that are near sighted, next is those that are far sighted, then there are the rest of us … those that suffer from astigmatisms … I was also already wearing trifocals … so I ended up with "mono" vision … one eye surgically shaped for up close vision, and the other for distance vision …

the distance eye didn't respond as well to the surgery as hoped … the reading eye was fine for several yrs … though now I do need reading glasses

night driving has it's issues … from the halo effect from any and all lights to just plain old lack of visual acuity

I do have special glasses that correct my distant eye (as best as my doc can do) and "re-correct my "reading eye" for distance vision … plus it's got yellow tint … helps with the halo problem and REALLY helps with driving in the rain … anyway .. to answer the OP's question, I don't have any MORE problems with racing at night than I did before the surgery

I've contemplated this quite a bit. I'm not sure I'd do it even if I was eligible. I've got astigmatism

Did it about a year ago....wouldn't change a thing, best decision ever. Halos at night, as noted, no worse than with contacts.

I had it done in 2006. Best thing ever! I used to wear contacts to correct -5 in my R eye and -6 in my L eye. Since then I have had better than 20/20 vision. For the first few months, my eyes were a little sensitive to light, but nothing that good sunglasses couldn't solve. I have no halos, and no issue driving at night. The only thing I have noticed is that in lower light levels under flourescent light (say, at an airport in the evening, or playing sports under lights), my vision isn't great. Certainly not bad enough to have to stop playing, but not awesome. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Do it!

clutchsmoke wrote: I've contemplated this quite a bit. I'm not sure I'd do it even if I was eligible. I've got astigmatism

even though my results aren't exactly what I had hoped for … I still glad I did it

10+ yrs of cheap sunglasses … plus to this day I can still pass my drivers test without the help of glasses … so while my results weren't the absolute greatest … I'm glad I did it and would do it again

I've considered it for my eyes but I'm pretty concerned about losing my night vision. I'm at -6.75 and -6.5 right now and that's been pretty stable for the last few years. Do you guys think it's still risky or has it gotten better?

There was a commercial on just before the Super Bowl about this very thing. From the IMSA site:

CJ Wilson Racing driver Marc Miller will be featured in a pre-game commercial that will air between 5:30-6 p.m. ET on WOOD-TV8 in Western Michigan. The market of more than one million people will see a commercial for KEIL LASIK focusing on Miller, and how surgery has transformed his vision. The spot will feature footage of Miller in the No. 3 CJ Wilson Racing Mazda MX-5 competing in the Continental Tire Challenge.

glad for him and all the others that had GREAT results … everyone that's considering the surgery … keep in mind that it IS surgery … results can and will vary with the person / surgeon … from great to OMG bad … it is one of the safer surgeries you can get … but there are no guarantees

good luck those that are planning on doing it

umm, can you do one eye at a time? I'd hate to have a doc screw up and loose ALL of my vision.

Seems safer to go one at a time, at least to me?

^Haha, I don't see why not...

Honestly, at this point, my glasses are as much a fashion accessory for me as also a requirement (I am blind as a bat). The girlfriend thinks I look weird not wearing them, so meh.

My main concern is how important my vision is to me, plus I have a lifetime of rallying and offroad racing ahead of me.

rcutclif wrote: umm, can you do one eye at a time? I'd hate to have a doc screw up and loose ALL of my vision. Seems safer to go one at a time, at least to me?

I only had one done because I only needed one done - so I have a control to judge how well it worked :)

Do you have to be awake during the procedure? I have a really bad bluffer's spasm (contacts are but a dream for me), so I'm not sure there is any way possible I could keep my eyes still for a long enough period of time. The few seconds it takes the eye doctor every few years is hard enough.