Doing horses after laser eye surgery?!

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seabsicuit2

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Has anyone here had the surgery or know of horsey people that have had it done?
I'm having it done on Tuesday & have been told by the surgeon that I can't muck out or touch hay for 6 weeks after surgery because of the risk of infection, even if I have goggles on it is still a no-no.
I am allowed to ride after two weeks but I'm thinking that I can't ride, because I keep my horses on a stately home estate & every time I would bring in a horse to ride, the others would get upset so they would all end up having to be brought in( 5 of them) which means mess, stabling, haying and mucking out , which I can't do, and i cant bear the thought of making a mess of the owners lovely yard, so because of that silly reason alone, I'm thinking I won't be able to ride the horses, so am going to just have to turn them away for six weeks :-( ... And no, don't think I could afford to pay someone to do all the stables etc every day... At the most my budget will stretch to paying someone to chuck hay and feed into their field!

I'm guess I'm just looking for any possible ways around the situation from people that have had the surgery before?
 
I hate to say it but a client of mine had it done and he paid me to ride his horse for a couple of weeks and couldn't even come to the barn. As it was on full livery at a super posh place, he didn't have to worry about even grooming it and there was no hay etc in any of the areas he had to go. He also had it done in winter specifically so dust wouldn't be an issue.

He is a vet, too, so generally hardy and up on his medical knowledge. I think his feeling was having paid to have it done, it would be silly to risk it.

Perhaps the surgery has come on since, but I also know he initially struggled a bit with driving at night (one of the things that made me not look into it further for myself) so that limited what he did for a few weeks.

On the upside he was very happy with the results. :) (or should that be :cool:)
 
Oh dear, I guess I really will have to turn away for 6 weeks. :-( unless I can start learning to ride with my eyes stuck together, now that would be fun!

I guess I am just really frustrated because some of them have only just been brought up& together. But never mind six weeks off will not hurt them.
I can study for my HGV licence in the meantime( to get my HGV is the only reason for getting the eyes done, so that I can pass the medical!)
Will have to be aware of not driving in the dark too...so much to think about!
 
I'm not sure the issues with driving after dark affect everyone and I do remember his got better over time. (I have trouble with GP contacts driving in the dark, too, and I haven't killed anyone yet. ;) )

As I said, it was awhile ago now so maybe the op has come on. I guess the issue is though, which ever way you look at it, they're cutting into the eye and that's the time it takes to heal. Just like a bone or anything else, with the possible proviso that you might not know you've done damage until you've done serious damage.

(Don't mind me, I'm paranoid about my vision! :) )
 
I had the op done about 4 years ago. Best thing ever and am so pleased I did.

I had mine on part livery but even so I dont think you will need to avoid the horses for six weeks, by then all discomfort will have gone and you should be several weeks over the danger time for eye infections. I think I did not ride for a bit but maximum a week and wore dark glasses to help with the stuff like dust spores from hay. I was on eye drops for ten days and its very important not to get stuff in your eyes then but I think if you wear goggles or dark glasses you should be fine but do not rub your eyes! Sounds like your surgeon is being very cautious. Def take his advice for the first couple of weeks but after that I think you will be ok !

I had the starbursts at night thing for about 6 months but no worse than with my GP contacts and now its ok.
 
six weeks? I was told no riding for two.
I was still around my horse - I just made sure I didnt touch my eyes and wore glasses.
I got the ok to drive the day after my surgery and I've had no issues driving in the dark.
it will be worth it :)
good luck
 
A friend had both of his done last year a few months apart, I still can't get used to him without glasses!
He had to wear a patch for the first fortnight then protective goggles at all times for four weeks, wasn't allowed to drive for a month after each op either. This might have been due to his job (kennel huntsman) or the fact that his house is wall to wall dogs with horses outside the door! Obviously some jobs/environments will have greater risks of contamination and I'm afraid horses and their environment come into that last.
Says it's the best thing he ever did though.
 
I had mine done in April this year (best thing Ive ever done, you wont regret it!) I think I was told not to ride for six weeks, cos if you fell off and banged your head, its like classed a contact sport. However, there was no way I wasnt riding for 6 weeks and I rode after 2, wasnt planning on falling off :P and i didnt

mine were living out full time, so I didnt have to worry about hay or anything. I was just careful not to groom too enthusiastically, and kept sun glasses on all the time, which made me look a bit of a poser lol. But otherwise I didnt have any problems

As for the driving at night issue, mine has got noticeably worse driving at night, I have to really concentrate and I find it makes me feel really tired, the glare is really bad for me at night, but it doesnt affect me so much that i cant drive, i just have to really concentrate during.

I actually found the operation really scary and passed out afterwards! lol, but Im a bit of a wuss, I was so scared of something happening to my eyes, but its so safe and so many people have it done, its nothing to be afraid of. :D

good luck, u will LOVE the results x
 
I had mine done last year, like everyone says, best thing ever!

I was back riding again 2 days after & was at a yogi clinic the following week (but then again I am quite bad at listening to doctors advice...not sure how many of us are when it comes to horses :p) Having checked and double checked with the clinic & the surgeon I was told it should be fine as long as the eyes are protected so consequently looked like a right fool in the middle of feb riding in large sunglasses!!!

The main concern is obv dust & grit, but I was told the motion of riding doesn't affect the eyes at all but then again I guess everyone gets different advice so there really is no definitive right or wrong. I was religious with the drops just to make sure my eyes didn't dry up & were kept clean. However, I did listen to the bit about no make up or water in the eyes for 2 weeks as somehow that seemed more of a risk than being at the yard!!??!!

Depending on the type of laser you are using night driving should be ok too, the light bursts or stars that occur are usually found with those that dont have the edges of the cornea sealed as part of the treatment (iirc!!) Just be extra careful with everything you do and you will be fine....good luck!!
 
TarrSteps said:
I'm not sure the issues with driving after dark affect everyone and I do remember his got better over time. (I have trouble with GP contacts driving in the dark, too, and I haven't killed anyone yet. ;) )
Click to expand...

Are you getting halos around lights with your GPs? I tend to find that this happens when the protein builds up. Try one of those fizzy tablets overnight, should help.
 
Thanks everyone seems like mixed reviews on what happens afterwards! I have been told I can ride after two weeks, its just all the stable work associated with bringing them in to ride that Im worried about! If only I had a full time groom !
Yes Im looking forward to having the op done, as am blind as a bat without contacts/glasses!
 
I have to see some of the post asessment patients at work ( i'm an optom :) ) Have to say its obvious who's kept to the post care regime!
Stay away from dust for at least 2 weeks, then after that be careful- use goggles if you can and take some comfort/ lubricating drops with you to the yard to flush out any dust you get in there.

In terms of the RGP haloes its usually because the lens is too high and is at the pupil margin causing light be reflected excessively.

If you have any more questions just ask! The results are worth it :)
 
Sorry to butt In SB but is it usual to need your eyesight corrected to do an hgv? Being very short sighted myself is there a minimum level of vision needed without glasses?
 
6 weeks?!

I had mine done and was told not to muck out for a week/ride for 2 weeks and then I was fine - a friend mucked out for me and rode my horses when she could. I wore safety goggles around them also for the first 2 weeks just so there was no risk of eyes being hit.

Best thing I have had done.
 
I had mine done in April and I am SO pleased with the results!! I have perfect vision now. Driving in the dark was an issue at first but not so much now unless I'm tired.
I wore my goggles :rolleyes: and sunglasses to the yard to drop something off for the horse but didn't go after that for two weeks didn't want to risk it :(
K x
 
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