I had Lasik in 1998, so about 12 years ago. Some of the first clinical trials were in Chicago, so I was able to find a surgeon who had already done a bunch of them. I had followed the procedure's development for about ten years before that time. I don't fully understand the distinction between the varieties, but mine was the peel back your lense and reshape the material underneath based on a scan. I would not be a candidate today, my eyes were too bad and I didn't have enough meatiness, but I got the surgery before they had some of the more current criteria. I have to say that the results were truly life changing. I could hardly function without my glasses and I couldn't wear contacts as I had the same experience as TM -- full on rejection. Males in my family sleep with their eyes half open and have crazy dry eyes as a result, so contacts have always felt like corn flakes. Worse after nights when I happen to roll over and have an eyeball on the pillow.
12 years after getting Lasik I still have 20/20 vision. I can read a street sign a block and a half away and I can read a book at arms length. I can look at boobies... You get the point... The only draw backs for me are that my night vision is noticeably less good than some people's. Its hard for me to compare precisely and its good enough to drive, but its not as good as it was when I wore glasses. I don't see any lense artifacts, its just that my eyes don't see contrast in low light, so I can't make out as much compared to someone with similar day vision and no surgery. My wife has 20/05 vision or better and can see in the dark like a night stalker. (Baseball players in her lineage apparently cave dwellers in mine).
Even with the the nightvision issue, I would get the surgery again tomorrow -- scratch that. I would stop typing and get my butt into a chair for the surgery straight away. Best money I have ever spent.
