Climbing after Lasik?

I've had glasses and contacts for the last 15 years and have decided I'm sick of it. Looking to get lasik in the next month. Anything I should be aware of for climbing? 

I had LASIK 9 years ago. The only issues with climbing or being outdoors are dry eye (mainly for the first few years, I don't notice this anymore) and some night vision issues (doesn't impact driving or climbing). Would do again.

I got Lasik in 2010. No issues, would 100% do it again. It's so freeing not to worry about dropping my glasses and being blind out there. Husband got PRK the same year, also no issues and very happy. The healing time and process is different for the two surgeries. Talk to your eye doc about which is right for you. 

SinRopa wrote:

Maybe ask about PRK as an alternative to LASIK.  

I opted for PRK because it was the recommended route for athletes, outdoorsy folks, etc, as sticks in the eye or blows to the head could detach the flap formed by LASIK and ruin your vision again.  PRK burned down the lens, meaning it was basically permanent.

This was 15+ years ago though, so maybe there have been developments I’m not aware of since my surgery.

I got PRK mainly because my corneas were too thin for LASIK. A couple years after the surgery I was mountain biking without glasses and got a branch in my eye that directly scratched my cornea. That eye is still a bit blurry from the injury, but the eye doctor said that if I had gotten LASIK it would have been much worse.

I can say that the laser surgery was the best, most life changing money I have ever spent. 14 years later and my vision is still perfect (except for the slightly blurry scratched eye).

Another LASIK person here, got it in 2011. Above replies pretty much cover my experience. I know other climbers who've had it as well and all had good outcomes.

I don't think the type of shenanigans involved in climbing warrant PRK. I'd reserve that more for stuff where you're taking blows to the head: boxing, soccer, stuff like that. But really either procedure is fine. I know folks in the military who were required to go the PRK route and everything is peachy with them too.

I used to work with a guy years ago who got sands of Sahara when he got his LASIK. It resolved ok and he's fine now, but his description of it sounded scary. Definitely do all your post-surgery meds and care instructions to the letter.

LASIK over 20 years ago, couldn’t imagine living with glasses.  The flap heals, it isn’t like it flaps around in front of your eye.  I’ve done every high intensity/ high impact activity you could in every environment and haven’t had an issue.  LASIK is better for climbing/mountaineering because you don’t have to worry about contacts/glasses.  The most important thing is how experienced your doctor is and how many times he has done the procedure.  

I got PRK earlier this summer. My vision was pretty bad before (-4.5, I think?), but correctable to 20/20. I was able to climb after getting the bandage contact removed after around a week, though I wore nice Julbo sunglasses to keep the sun and dirt out of my eye. My vision did not come out to 20/20, though it is close. I believe it’s worse than it was before when it was when corrected with contacts. 4 months in, I still have dry eyes, (I put drops in 3 times a day) but maybe that will heal?

In my opinion, it was pretty expensive for essentially a mixed-bag result. Take that as you will.

I opted for PRK 3 yrs ago (53) as my corneas were too thin for Lasik, and I couldn't tolerate contact lenses well. My eyes were only -2 OD  / -1.75 OS with significant astigmatism, but I also needed +1.5  for close vision/reading, although without bifocals I could squint and read an ingredient label in the supermarket. 

PRK has a much longer healing time than Lasik (4-7 days with a protective contact lens), and you have to have one eye done at a time.  After 6 months my vision stabilized and hasn't changed much since...distance is 20/20 with much less astigmatism, but my near vision is much worse...I can't use a cell phone, computer or read a book without +2 readers. Since I have to wear glasses most of the time still, and without them I'm unable to read, I'm not sure it was a worthwhile tradeoff. My doctor assured me my near vision would be adequate, so take that with a grain of salt if you hear it, or get monovision so that one eye can focus close and the other distant if you are already needing magnification. 

My night vision is good and I can drive comfortably, but my eyes are very sensitive to dirt/pressure. When climbing, I use bifocal sunglasses as the magnification helps when placing small gear or examining anchors/rappel setups, and I'm nervous about getting dirt/grit blown in my eyes.

I may have been an edge case where my vision was good enough that the tradeoff of close vision wasn't worth it. I have friends with severe myopia that are much happier now that their distance vision is fixed. YMMV. 

Had LASIK 20 years ago. As someone said, “life changing” in a totally positive way. Been climbing ever since with no issues. Eyes are a bit drier, but not enough to require regular drops.  Had a bit of night time halos initially, but that went away after a few months. My surgeon was fanatical about precise placement of the flap. I’ve had eye checkups with other docs since who said if I hadn’t told them I had Lasik they never would have noticed - whichever procedure you do find a very experienced, high volume surgeon.   I also wound up with monovision and highly recommend it - as you age, it’ll keep you out of reading glasses for a few years....and help when you’re 3 pitches up and need to read the small type on that route topo!

I'm too chicken so still have glasses.  The one thing I have heard is that if your definition of climbing includes high altitude there may be issues with Lasik.

Thanks for the recommendations! Can't wait to be able to camp without having to worry about contacts and never wear glasses again. 

SinRopa wrote:

You can have both eyes done at the same time (I did), but it could be difficult if you don't have someone to take care of you for a bit.  Definitely wasn't driving or doing much of anything for the first week.

In my case I couldn't take the time off from work, and needed one good eye, LOL...

I wore glasses for 25ish years and couldn’t wear contacts because my eyeballs are shaped funny.
I had LASIK done at the beginning of this year with great results. I was -3.75 in one eye and -4.0 in the other with an astigmatism. I now see 20/20. I dealt with minor dry eyes for a few months but that seems to have dissipated. I’ve always been a little sensitive to light and after a few weeks of being a bit more sensitive, I’m back to where I was initially. I used to have two pairs of glasses, one regular and one for sun, on me at all times and was constantly worried about breaking/losing them. Now I rock dollar store sunglasses and don’t care what happens to them. I can get caught in rainstorms and still see.
Also of note, I got the procedure done in Mexico for a quarter of the price that it is in the US. I know, I know... MEXICO?!
Yes. Mexico. I had the procedure done in Guadalajara, a very modern city, in the nicest, most modern hospital I’ve ever been to in my life. The ophthalmologist who did the procedure was recommended by four different close friends who have all had the procedure done by her. Honestly, the before, during and after care I received was unparalleled by anything I’ve ever received in the States. 

I got lasik in April of this year. Take the advice and heal up well and follow directions. Keep  a spare few single use eyedrops on you while climbing.  My dry eye was moderate for about 3 months and now is not even an issue. Wear ansi rated  lenses on  safety eyewear when climbing. I always have but with no contacts my eye feels extra vulnerable. I had a thin piece of limestone with no sound or visual hit me right in the lens while belaying. Likely saved major complications or injury. I also got some pairs with gaskets for wind, sand, campfire smoke etc. that helped a ton after and currently .Lasik changed my life after 20 years of contacts. Climbing is even more beautiful. Protect that investment! Enjoy 

There is one thing I wish I had known that nobody told me.

I was seriously near-sighted before I had Lasik. The only part of my field of vision that was clear without glasses was extremely close to my face. Now that I've had Lasik, I can see clearly both at a distance and reasonably near (books, laptop, reading labels, etc.) but things that are very close are forever fuzzy. It's harder to thread a needle or do other up-close detail work, and I can no longer look into my husband's eyes while we're kissing. I mean, I can, but he looks like a cyclops. I probably still would have made the trade if I had known, but it was a bit of a surprise. 

The complaint of the loss of near vision is from a separate condition called presbyopia, more affectionately known as the 40th birthday present. What happens is the lens that sits behind your iris muscle begins to lose its flexibility over time due to oxidation. To see things up close, if you are not nearsighted, that lens has to flex to create an optical magnification to focus in on things within arm's length. For anyone getting close to the 40th bday, I would recommend under correcting the nondominant eye so that you reserve a little bit of your nearsightedness to make gear placement easier. Right after surgery, you might be a little more light sensitive than usual, so sunglasses outside really helps. Dry eyes are usually mild enough that occasional artificial tears will do the trick. 

I'd recommend PRK if you are involved in contact sports like MMA because typically the risk of getting poked in the eye so bad that it messes up the LASIK flap is pretty low for the general public. If that were to happen, then you just go back to the surgeon and get a PRK procedure to fix it. If your cornea is thick enough for LASIK, go for it, it's instant gratification, no need to suffer the pains of PRK, even though in the end, PRK isn't that bad, you're only out of commission for about a week. With LASIK, you can probably climb the next day. 

100% agree with Benny J, protect your eyes, protect that investment:D