Lasik surgery for a martial artist or prescription goggles?

October 13, 2010 11:26 AM

Lasik surgery vs prescription sports goggles?

My son is very interested in having Lasik eye surgery, mostly so he doesn't have to deal with not wearing his glasses during martial arts training. His vision is not *that* bad and I didn't realize that it was bugging him so much. He's spoken to our optometrist, who says he is a perfect candidate for the procedure. We are going in for a consultation with the surgeon this Saturday.

I have a very strong negative reaction to the idea of him doing this. I know a lot of my feelings are based on the fact that I see the procedure as relatively new (what will happen with his eyes in 20 or 30 years?) and what happens if he takes a kick to the face too soon after surgery, also, eye cutting (Ugh!).

TL;DR - I guess my question is; have any of you worn prescription sports goggles for martial arts training and were they impossibly hot and sweaty or were they fine and dandy? He is 21 years old, if that is relevant.

posted by jvilter to Health & Fitness (22 answers total)

Are contact lenses not an option? I wore sports goggles for a couple seasons of of soccer and baseball as a kid and they were terrible, really uncomfortable and honestly, made the nerdy kid look way nerdier.
posted by ghharr at 11:37 AM on October 13, 2010

I didn't do martial arts, but in middle school I had to wear prescription goggles for basketball, softball, and volleyball (I'm female). My parents made me get the goggles after I got hit in the face with a basketball, and my glasses nearly cut my eye.

Frankly, I hated the goggles; they were ugly, unwieldy, and the clear plastic turned a sort of gross yellowish color from sweat, no matter how hard I tried to keep them clean. Finally, when I was in 8th grade (about 13 years old), my parents relented, and let me get contacts. I've worn contacts ever since, without any issues.

I'm too much of a wimp to go for Lasik surgery (I can barely keep my eyes open for the puff of air test at my annual eye appointment). Has your son considered contacts at all?
posted by mesha steele at 11:38 AM on October 13, 2010

I had mine done 8 years ago and besides a little loss (still 1000x better than they were when I had it done) my vision's great.

My wife had it done a couple of months ago specifically because she hated wearing special goggles while skiing. Yes, wearing goggles for any very active sport is a pain. There should not be any cutting that is done manually, it is all done by lasers now. He will need to take about a month off, but your eyes actually heal within a week or so.

He is 21 years old, this should be a decision he makes on his own, unless you are paying for the surgery.
posted by TheBones at 11:39 AM on October 13, 2010

I also hated wearing goggles for basketball. Contacts were (and are) life-changing.
posted by callmejay at 11:49 AM on October 13, 2010

Two things to consider:

1. My father, a surgeon, has always said: "If there is a non-surgical option, choose it." Every surgery, even minor surgery, carries risks.

I see the procedure as relatively new

2. Indeed. No one who has had LASIK as a teenager has yet turned 65 years of age. In other words, there is no data - zero, nada, nothing - on the long term results. Why be part of clinical trial if you don't absolutely need to?

Disclaimer: Extremely satisfied wearer of daily contact lenses.
posted by three blind mice at 11:53 AM on October 13, 2010 [3 favorites]

I have had eye issues my entire life, I am not a good candidate for Lasik (the lens in my eye is too thin instead of too thick), and I wear contacts. If I was a decent candidate I would do it in a second, there is nothing I want at a more fundamental in my life than to be able to wake up in the morning and actually see my alarm clock clearly, or to not have to apply eye drops in the evening because my contacts are dry and sliding around my eyeball. If you have good vision, then there is no way to fully explain this. They have been doing Lasik for 20 years now, it has a very high rate of success, and if insurance is going to pay for this then you should let your son make his own decision.
posted by BobbyDigital at 12:02 PM on October 13, 2010 [1 favorite]

I LOVE my LASIKed eyeballs, but seem to remember one of the specific rules post surgery being, "Do not get punched in the eyes.". I don't really remember if it was only n# of months of not being allowed to get punched in the eye, but I would be worried about martial arts and that. Also, 21 year old boys are more likely to be in face punchin' situations than 38 year old housewives, although I have been punched in the eye by little babies since LASIK and my cornea didn't fall out or anything. Ask the doctor about LASIK + contact sports. (I think the rule was more for boxing, since you're not supposed to punch faces in martial arts, but still.) if I were my kid, I'd probably let him get LASIK, but try to make him wear goggles anyway for at least 6 months or so for martial arts.
posted by artychoke at 12:36 PM on October 13, 2010

Some things to think about:

Today's "rec specs" are way cooler than yesteryear's sports goggles. My kids *liked* having to wear them - albeit for soccer, not martial arts.

Contacts work for lots of people.

I agree with three-blind-mice's father re. non-surgical options. I had to have PTK (laser surgery but not Lasik) to treat an eye injury. I have had "dry eye" ever since, requiring ointment every night; some weeks eye drops several times daily to be comfortable. This is a risk with Lasik and it's not non-zero, even though there is a high rate of success.
posted by evilmomlady at 12:37 PM on October 13, 2010

I had LASIK surgery when I was 21, being extremely nearsighted, unable to sue contacts, and of a rather rough and tumble nature that led to lots of broken glasses. That was 10 years ago now. I have perfect vision and still get my one yearly eye exam to ensure there have been no changes. Its anecdotal of course, but I have been nothing but pleased with my surgery. If he does go through with it, make certain you check into the practitioners track record and don't get suckered by one of the 'low cost' places

(and for what its worth, I *have* been punched n the face since getting LASIK. No problem so far, but the protective eye wear for a few months following the procedure is a good idea)
posted by skrymir at 12:44 PM on October 13, 2010

While I can't speak to Lasik, I had the old radial keratotomy done about 15 years ago and I can tell you it was life changing. Mind you, I was extremely nearsighted and had been wearing corrective lenses for the better part of two decades at the time but the surgery was worth every penny.
posted by JaredSeth at 12:49 PM on October 13, 2010

Response by poster: Three Blind Mice: Those are my feelings too, regarding going for the non-surgical option first and as I said, the long term results being unknown.

For those asking about contact lenses, he tried them a couple of years ago and could not get the hang of inserting them. I don't think he was very patient with the process and they kept hitting his (long, lush) eyelashes on the way in and he gave up.

Insurance is not paying for the procedure, we would be using money inherited from my father and put aside for his use for things like school, or possibly a car or start up money for his wildly successful business (yes, I just saw The Social Network, why do you ask?)

Lots of the sports goggle info I'm seeing here seems to be pretty old and I'm wondering with the advent of polycarbonates, if they've improved any in the last few years?
posted by jvilter at 1:02 PM on October 13, 2010

Response by poster: Of course it will ultimately be his decision. I'm just being his mom and doing my due diligence before what I consider to be a major surgery.
posted by jvilter at 1:07 PM on October 13, 2010

I looked into having LASIK surgery about five years ago, when I was at the height of my martial-arting. At that time, LASIK was not recommended for people doing silly things like getting punched in the face/generally active sports/etc -- instead, they recommended PRK or similar. Apparently, those are the procedures used within the various military for corrective eye surgery, as the procedure is more stable and less likely to result in the 'flap' coming loose.

It's possible things have improved since I investigated, but I'd definitely recommend asking the doc some serious questions. For the record, my not-horrid eyesight didn't stop me excelling at my chosen art, and I never did get eye surgery.
posted by coriolisdave at 1:15 PM on October 13, 2010

I would strongly suggest he give contacts another chance. I was the least likely candidate for contacts, having what often feels like the strongest blink reflex on the planet, and I've managed to wear them for over a year now. If he opens his eye up properly, his eyelashes shouldn't be getting in the way, no matter how long and lush they are.

There are a couple different methods for putting in contacts if one doesn't work for him. I found, for instance, that I did much better holding my top lash open with my left index finger, my bottom lash open with my left thumb, and inserting the contact with my right middle finger, which is a very different method from what they had me do at the optometrist's.
posted by litnerd at 1:18 PM on October 13, 2010

I had Lasik a few years ago. My doctor advised me not to do ANY contact sports for 3 months, or the flap of eye that they cut open could come lose. You also cannot rub your eyes.

Is he prepared to take a few months off from Karate?
posted by blue_beetle at 2:32 PM on October 13, 2010

An economic argument: Lasik is expensive. But it's a one off cost. Glasses are also expensive, and an ongoing cost. Over the long term, Lasik is the cheaper option to correct his vision.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 4:03 PM on October 13, 2010

My usually-cautious boyfriend went from glasses to Lasik about 2 years ago, and is thrilled with the results. He hated wearing glasses for sports, and now he has the eyes of a superhero. He said that once Tiger Woods had it done, he stopped worrying. He did take the recommended time off from sports, plus another month, just to be safe (so basically he missed a whole season), just to be sure he wouldn't get a football to the head or something. Since returning to sports, he gets hit in the face more than the average person (although less than a martial artist, to be fair). He's had zero problems with his eyes, and he heartily recommends the procedure to anyone who'll listen.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 4:23 PM on October 13, 2010

My concern would be the contact sports issue - it seems likely that he'll still have to wear goggles, just non-prescription goggles, to protect his eyes.

LASIK has been around for decades now and if it really has unknown long term consequences, they'll be known well before he gets them and they'll be endured by legions of well-heeled professionals and athletes who, I am confident, will have the clout to either make sure that there's a fix or that it doesn't become a serious handicap. That's what I tell myself.

My LASIK needed touching up, and I am still so so happy with it and share the feeling of why the hell did I wait so long.

Part of the reason I finally did it is that contacts were getting harder and harder to tolerate. But your son could certainly give them another try! He might have an easier time with the RGP (rigid gas permeable) contacts, which are better for you anyway, though they take longer to get used to.
posted by Salamandrous at 4:44 PM on October 13, 2010

I did martial arts with contacts for years. Only once did I get hit so hard my contact flew out, and that wasn't my biggest worry at that moment, being unconscious at the time.
posted by lumpenprole at 4:48 PM on October 13, 2010

Look into your different options for LASIK. The most common way creates a "flap", and that's the one where they tell you not to ever get punched in the face. (Good advice in general.) People who are police officers and military jet pilots also get LASIK, but they get they type where (if I recall correctly) the entire top layer is scrubbed off and grows back in. Hence no "flap"; ie, there is no part where the cornea has healed and may or may not be less strong. This actually used to freak me out (oh god, I have to worry about the flap for the rest of my life!) but I think you have to have a lot of force at just the right angle, which for us non-military, non-martial arts folks is much less likely. It was explained to me that in order for something to damage the flap, it would be a situation where the face and eyeball would be damaged anyway. The flap just adds to the damage. (Yay.)

Here's a quick article from some Review of Optometry. They recommend LASEK or PRK. The healing time is much longer with those, but you don't have the flap issues. I think they used to feel that LASEK/PRK gave slightly poorer vision results, but tech has improved and that's no longer the case. Obviously, do some more of your own research, but I think PRK and LASEK are considered good enough for the military. I kind of wish that's what I'd gotten!
posted by lillygog at 5:30 AM on October 14, 2010

My rambly data points:

My husband works in the Visual Science department of our local university. The director of the department wears glasses. If *he* won't get LASIK surgery, I am going to wait.

I've seen people play sports with prescription goggles. They get fogged up to hell (though that's in a high-endurance sport - not sure if that would be as much of an issue with martial arts).

I have long eyelashes and never had trouble putting contacts in, although it is an acquired skill.

An economic argument: Lasik is expensive. But it's a one off cost. Glasses are also expensive, and an ongoing cost. Over the long term, Lasik is the cheaper option to correct his vision.

Glasses can be cheaply purchased, and over time a person's prescription can level out to where you don't have to buy a new set of glasses every year. My eyes haven't changed in 6-7 years.
posted by Lucinda at 7:26 AM on October 14, 2010

Response by poster: We went for the consultation today and I have to say, I was very impressed with the people we met and spoke with. They took their time and were very happy to answer all our questions. We were there for about two hours and part of that time we spent watching an actual procedure. There was absolutely no pressure on us to decide today, which I was just sure there would be.
My son is still considering his options and has gotten a lot out of reading what you all have written here. I think he will end up going for it, sometime in the near future. I really appreciate your input.
posted by jvilter at 12:16 AM on October 17, 2010