Cary M. Silverman, MD

I'm going to have to disagree with Dr Chynn. The evidence shows that LASIK is safe with high altitude climbing. Many climbers of Mt Everst have in fact had LASIK.  LASIK has also been used for years by Naval fighter pilots without adverse effects. 

This answer is coming from a surgeon who performs both LASIK and advanced surface treatments!

Having LASIK surgery does not increase one's risk of developing cataracts in the future.  It does not decrease the risk either.  

LASIK prior to cataract surgery does effect the calculations required to determine the power of the implant (IOL) used to replace the eye's natural lens (which is removed during cataract surgery.)

This means that there is a greater chance of needing glasses following cataract surgery.  This can usually be corrected by doing a LASIK enhancement folowing cataract surgery if the Rx is small, or by implanting another IOL if the Rx is large.

There is no universal agreement on how long someone should be out of contacts before Lasik. Some doctors will say a few days, others weeks or even months. Personally, I like soft contact lenses out 3 days before surgery, hard or gas perms out 3 weeks before surgery.  This allows the cornea to return to its natural state before having Lasik or any similar surgery.

Wearing your lenses for 2 hours 2 days before the surgery will probably not have a big impact on the results.  There may be a slight increased risk of needing an enhancement or getting a corneal abrasion during the procedure.

My advice to you would be to discusse this with your surgeon and follow his guidelines.

First off your spherical equivalent would be -7.75 right eye and -6.50 left eye.  LASIK candidacy would ultimately be dependant on your corneal thickness and curveature.  Is there enoug tissue to treat?  Is your cornea steep enough to treat?  

Surface treatments such as PRK or LASEK would preserve more corneal treatment.  There is a slower healing process, but if done with mitomycin c (MMC) would have minimal haze risk.

LASIK would provide a faster recovery but carries the flap complications.

The accompanying video will explain the anatomical differences between the procedures.

A final option would be the ICL, an implantable lens to improve vision.

I think the most important thing you can do is to seek the advice of a refractive surgeon who is well versed in all refractive techniques.  It doesn't sound like this has been the case thus far.

Good luck!

When we are young, the lens is clear and is able to change its shape, to focus.  This is called accommodation.  Aging affects the lens.  First, the lens begins to stiffen and lose its ability to change shape and focus.  This is called presbyopia, and usually manifests itself in the early 40's, when we start to need reading glasses.  Presbyopia will continue over the years, making focusing more and more difficult, ultimately leading to the need for bifocals.

Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) works very well for those patients who do not want to wear glasses or contact lenses.  RLE involves removing the dysfunctional natural lens and replacing it with a multifocal artificial lens (IOL) that is capable of focusing light near and far.  It is the same procedure as cataract surgery, except there is not enough lens changes (cataracts) for insurance to pay for the procedure.

My RLE patients are able to both drive and read without glasses!

Latisse is safe to use following cataract surgery.  I would advise waiting 6 weeks after the procedure to limit any inflammation that it might cause.

The goal of standard cataract surgery is to improve one's best corrected vision.  Many patients will still need to wear glasses for both close and distance after the surgery because of a residual refractive error.  If you would like to see better without glasses, LASIK would be an excellent option, providing you are a good candidate for the procedure.  If you did not recieve a premium lens such as a ReSTOR (multifocal IOL), reading glasses would still be required.

One of the main advantages of PRK over LASIK is the reduced incidence of dry eye following surgery.  The reason being that thereis no flap made with PRK, and no cutting of the corneal nerves.