JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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In an OECD survey of 36 nations on people's perceptions of their living conditions, Japan ranked 21st in terms of quality of life; Australia, Norway and the U.S. were the top 3. What do you think of that?
( 12 )
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The Fukuoka mayor is banning public servants from drinking alcohol for a month; the Osaka mayor has declared war on tattoos on civil servants. What do you think of all this?
( 21 )
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Why do you think Facebook's stock failed to live up to the hype in its trading debut?
( 13 )
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Which sport, when played well, do you think is the most exciting to watch?
( 62 )
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What's the difference between an average burger and a great one?
( 12 )
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- Business Teaching Positions - Part-time - Kanto Region
- Interac, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥3,000 ~ ¥5,000 / Hour
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- National Relief/Substitute Teacher - summer start
- Interac, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥275,000 ~ ¥300,000 / Month
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- 営業パーソン
- 加治金属工業株式会社, Tochigi
- Salary: ¥240,000 ~ ¥350,000 / Month Negotiable
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37 Comments
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smartacus
I don't trust it.
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Altria
I'd get it in a flash if I ever needed glasses or contacts.
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cleo
One of the best things I ever did. I only wish it had been available earlier.
Freedom from glasses and contact lenses - great!
I see better now with my own eyes than I was ever able to with glasses. I don't need to worry on a windy day about a speck of dust blowing into my eye and turning my contacts into instruments of torture. Beaches and swimming pools are in focus at last.
I strongly recommend it.
Go to a reputable clinic though, not a hole-in-the-wall place like the Ginza we-don't-wash-our-hands-or-equipment-between-patients dump.
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neverknow2
It's great in a nation of blind people.
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Farmboy
I have friends who were very pleased with the results, but to be honest, I don't think I could go through with this operation...not enough trust and too much fear, I guess.
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Mz
It's great, highly recommend it! Having worn glasses from the age of 6 there's the wonder of waking up in the morning and being able to see without groping for glasses (seriously!); no longer getting grit in or losing a contact lens; no potions and pots to remember to take with; can nap on-the-go...list goes on and on...If you're thinking of doing, do your homework and find a reputable place.
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notimpressed
I wanted it until a family friend was pretty much blinded and had her life ruined by it. It can go wrong. It is so sad, beause she has young children who she will never see again. My eyes arent so bad as to risk that.
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telecasterplayer
Shoot laser beams directly into my eyes, not covered by insurance and carrying the risk of what "notimpressed" describes above? Or $15 magnifiers from the pharmacy that I use 2 or 3 times a day?
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nisegaijin
I want to do it, but scared s**less. especially after posts like by notimpressed.
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noborito
Had it done 7 years ago! Still 20/20 and can't speak more about it! Do it. Why people wear glasses is beyond me. It's basic human improvement that we all should have covered under insurance, as it is in America.
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Ari94
BIG NO STOP PLEASE: This is copy of text from the web I am also giving link so you could read yourself and inform others.
"For those who have entertained the idea of getting Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis -- commonly referred to as LASIK surgery -- in hopes of correcting their vision ... think again.
What exactly is LASIK surgery? It is a procedure that permanently changes the shape of your cornea (the clear covering of the front of the eye) with an excimer laser:
•Using a knife known as a microkeratome, a flap is cut in the cornea; a hinge is spared at one end of the flap.
•The hinged flap is then folded back, revealing the stroma (the middlesection of the cornea).
•Finally, pulses from a computer-controlled laser vaporize a portion of the stroma and the flap is replaced.
The end result: perfect vision, right? Not necessarily."
Link
http://search.mercola.com/Results.aspx?q=Lasik surgery&k=Lasik surgery
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Patrick Smash
I've had it done. I went for intralasik, and I now have better than 20/20 vision. Research the place, the doctors, the traning, the number of ops, and the rate of refusal. If your cornea is too thin, or you suffer from very dry eyes, you have to forget lasik. A good clinic will tell you if you are honestly a candidate or not, and will not mess it up.
According to the FDA, no one has ever gone completely blind through lasik. It is all about where you go. Anyone considering this needs to check a number of clinics, ask all the right questions, and go where they are comfortable, even if that means spending a little more.
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cleo
Ari94 -
While lasik isn't the answer for everybody, neither should people be put off by companies with an agenda of their own. The site you link to, mercola.com, peddles its own 'natural vision enhancement program' and even claims that eyeglasses are bad for the eyes.
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Farmboy
We don't have to go far to find the downside in Japan: www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/ex-eye-clinic-patients-file-damages-suit-over-unsanitary-surgery
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abromofo
A friend in New Zealand had it done a few years ago. The first operation was unsuccessful, meaning no improvement in vision. The second operation, which cost more money, was also unsuccessful. After that, they couldn't modify the cornea any further. She still wears glasses, has very poor vision, and is about $5000 poorer.
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Badsey
When you cut the cornea with a laser you are depending on the human body to heal those cuts = people with autoimmune disease need to stay away or be very concerned about this.
After Lasik you usually use eye drops for dry eyes. (some use eye drops for life)
People have lost eye sight with LASIK and it does degenerate picture quality (acuity). Imagine jello (cornea) being cut with a laser and trying to see thru it. If the human body can heal the cuts you will do well, but right after your vision will be crap = you can read the clock and determine a number but the image may be foggy/abberated.
If you work at night (outside) you need to be extra careful about glare = If you are a night driver be aware of this.
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Sarge
"I strongly recommend it."
Other people strongly recommend you don't do it.
Whaddya gonna do... Heck, you can always slap on a pair of fashionable Sarah Palin style glasses, which cost way less than Lasik.
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helloklitty
Has the inventor of the surgery even tried it yet? No. He's waiting for the long term results to come in to see if it's safe.
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movieguy
I had LASIK done on both eyes six years ago and my Japanese wife had hers done five years ago in the States through LASIK Plus. We both agree it was the best money we've ever spent. Please do your research and find a reputable doctor and don't let "Ari94" and "notimpressed" scare you off.
And that link that "notimpressed" left???
What a joke! He actually writes:
My eyes are still in great condition. Everything the doctor told me about discomfort after the procedure came to be true. I had some discomfort after the procedure like having sand in both of my eyes and that was expected. I was given some medication to put me to sleep and when I woke up the next morning I didn't need glasses anymore. I followed the directions in regards to follow-up care with eyedrops and six years later I still have perfect vision with one eye slightly stronger than the other. I do feel that I will need bifocals soon because I have to focus more when I read, but I'm in my 40s and that's normal. The doctor told me that at that time LASIK could not help with the need for bifocals.
The best part was that in the consultation he told me that I was young enough and that my vision wasn't weak enough that he thought I didn't need to have the procedure done. I really felt that he wasn't just trying to pad the clinic's bank account.
We recently heard that there is now a LASIK procedure that can correct the need for bifocals and we're considering that procedure for next year.
Just do your research people. ALL surgical procedures involve some risks. LASIK isn't any more dangerous and any other surgical procedure.
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cleo
After Lasik you usually use eye drops for dry eyes. (some use eye drops for life)
Dunno who 'you' is, but I don't need drops for dry eyes. I did when I had contact lenses, though.
You rest with eyes closed for 30 minutes, then open them and wonder at the clarity of the world. No crap vision, no foggy image. Tears of joy.
Glare disappears after a couple of weeks.
I don't think there is a single inventor, is there? The inventors of the excimer laser would have been too old for the procedure by the time it was ready.
Assuming that you think that is fashionable, of course....
A pair of SP glasses cost 33600 yen just for the frames. If you need any kind of special lenses - bifocals, or extra-slim - you can easily add another 70000 to 90000 yen to that price. And you'll need to replace them in a couple of years when the lenses are scratched, the frames are no longer fashionable or your prescription has changed. Lasik surgery on both eyes will cost 173,000 yen, some of which you will be able to claim back on your private health insurance if you have it. So those glasses don't cost way less. Just a bit less. And in the long term, they cost more. Much more. And you still have to deal with fingerprints and doggie nose-prints on the lenses.
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ca1ic0cat
It was great for four years and then my eyes changed enough that I was back in glasses. Of course the perscription is much lower than it used to be (-0.25 diopter vs -6.00 pre surgery) so it was useful. But it is not up to all the hype. In fact the opthamologist who did the surgery has stopped doing it.
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Sarge
Cleo, I'm glad you have eagle eyes now.
Are you going to get Lasik surgery again when your prescription changes?
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Badsey
The more of the cornea they shave off the less of an outcome you will have. Plus your eyes will tend to bulge at the weaker (thinner cornea) = your visual acuity will change thru the day if they take off too much.
Look into the Internet under "LASIK disaster" , "LASIK problems" , "Lasik glare"
Reality: For most ~90+% LASIK works well, but you only get two eyes for life.
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sfjp330
I had lasic surgery while back ago and it was successful. If your eyes sight have been stable for about 5 years without alot of changes, you might be a good candidate. If your vision is still changing, I would not recommended. If you are a in teens or in early to mid 20's, you might have to wait until your eyesight has been same for a while. Best is to find a good reputable doctor with excellent history and referrals. Cost is a secondary on this type of surgery.
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Badsey
6 diopters of correction is alot for Lasik. The FDA approval of these machines has % success in diopters.
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Mz
My friend had it done 10 years ago - still perfect vision. I had my done 15 months ago, still perfect.
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WMD
Well this is all academic for me at the moment as my eyesight is naturally good. But I seem to see stuff everywhere about EYE EXERCISES for which the claim is that your eyesight can be greatly improved. Is this for real or is it a scam I wonder??
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Tahoochi
I did it 11 years ago in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and haven't had a problem since. As far as I know, the procedure started out of California? so I figured it would be safe to have it done within North America... I wouldn't feel safe having it done in any other continent. But like many others have already mentioned here, definitely research historic success/failure of any lasik clinic you are considering, and DEFINITELY pay very close attention to the consultation before AND after, do everything exactly as they tell you, and don't do it if they don't recommend it to you because it is not for everyone. Tiger Woods did it, that kind of put my worries at ease because who else relies so much on vision more than Tiger Woods?
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Azrael
Do any of the opponents to Lasik actually have myopia, astigmatism or the like? Such conditions of deficient vision are caused by progressive deformation of the eye lens.
In the case of myopia, for example. Myopia progresses for a number of decades, then stabilizes - meaning that the prescription does not change significantly anymore, if it changes at all. Note that all eye lens afflictions follow the same mechanics. Once the prescription stabilizes, that is the best time to have Lasik surgery. No decent doctor will recommend Lasik to a person of any eye condition whose prescription has not yet stabilized. The reason is simple: Lasik -polishes- the natural eye lens to achieve 20/20 (or the closest possible) prescription. Lasik is merely a physical correction. If the patient's condition was not yet stationary, it will continue its natural progress and the person will need glasses again, in time.
If the patient's prescription was stationary pre-surgery, the condition though will never -return- to pre-Lasik state. At most, it will require reading glasses or very mild prescription ones. If the patient's prescription was far from being stationary well yes, the lens will be deformed again, because it was not the proper time for surgery. You have to wait till your prescription stops changing significantly or your money will be wasted.
My prescription hasn't changed in a decade. I would like to have Lasik done because my myopia is significant. I like wearing eyeglasses so I am not particularly urged, if not for the safety factor. Losing my eyeglasses would leave me unable to see three feet away clearly, let alone cross a street safely. I'd like to have Lasik surgery but maybe in a few years more.
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bdaniel08
cleo
2 months ago, i bought a pair of SP glasses, extra thin, flat (not bifocals) for ...less than 20 000 yens. In Shibuya or Shinjuku there are a lot of these "New fashion Optician shop"...not in Ginza and Hiroo !
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noborito
Kanagawa Eye Clinic. Awesome place. Doctors speak English and several have US licenses as well. Just do it.
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Tahoochi
Noborito:
The question is "what do you think of lasik?" not "would you recommend it?"
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notimpressed
Excuse me movieguy: I did not leave any links, get it right.
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cleo
A lot depends on the prescription. I was never able to get lenses for less than 50,000, unless I was happy to have what looked like the bottom of a cheap jam jar on one eye. (I wasn't).
And I don't shop in Tokyo.
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TokyoHustla
The disaster stories are too scary. People who lost vision, couldn't work, lost their jobs and ended up homeless on the streets, hooked on drugs and bleeding from their eyes. That is way too much of a risk for me.
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notimpressed
either way, you only get one pair of eyes, and if you want to gamble with them via elective surgery its up to you. All surgery carries inherent risks, but most of the time its out of necessity. I can see pretty well without my glasses, and use them only for night driving or watching a movie here and there. I calculated the risk and it wasn't worth it for me, maybe when they get a better record. You don't have to travel far to hear a horror story, or a success story, but we all know which one we would prefer for ourselves. I don't see why people are trying to sell someone on the idea when we are only asked what we think of it. Good for you if it worked for you. Sucks to be the people who got the short end of the stick and then are not covered by insurance because it was voluntary.
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