After years of intending to get LASIK, I finally managed to align everything to fall into place. My prescription was in the realm of -6 diopters, which is the point that is considered “high myopia”. Without glasses on, in order to read a computer screen, I had to be within 5 inches. The only real reason I didn’t do it sooner is that I never managed to align an evaluation, cost estimate, and the timing to turn in my flexible spending account amount in time. Finally last November, I thought about it in time to go get evaluated at Clearly Lasik, which does the most Lasik procedures in the area. Unfortunately, the day I was there for my free evaluation, one of the two potential surgeons was getting arrested for putting a hit out on the other. (This didn’t happen on-site, but the actual arrest took place at about the same time as my evaluation.) I thought about taking that as a sign. I finally managed to get the cost estimates in time only to have something that crazy happen… Still, I had enough time to look elsewhere, and the only personal recommendation I had was for Bellevue Lasik. They definitely had a different style than Clearly Lasik and were more expensive as well. I wasn’t particularly concerned about the expense though. I mean, we’re talking about my permanent eyesight here, not the place to skimp and try to get a bargain.
So, with the place worked out and the estimates set aside, I had my surgery scheduled for 1:20 PM on 1/14/2010. Pre-op was scheduled 1/8/2010 and post-op was set for 8 AM on 1/15/2010. At the pre-op, it was determined I have a mild case of blepharitis, which is a dry eye condition. It often goes hand in hand with rosacea, which I also have. This meant I had a week of treatment for that before the procedure to try to alleviate issues for that before the lasik induced dry-eye issues began. So, I had a week of taking eight capsules total per day of fish oil and flaxseed oil (which I would have started day of procedure anyway), evening warm compresses for 10 minutes, lid scrubs twice a day, and an ophthalmic gel (Azasite) each evening at bedtime.
I was getting increasingly nervous as the surgery day approached. I intentionally avoided knowing the specifics of things like how they’d keep my eyes open. Somehow when I was far too young I managed to see this scene from A Clockwork Orange and it has scarred me for life. I have huge issues with the concept of sharp things near eyes and really anyone other than me doing anything close to my eyes. As a result, I didn’t really ask about what I’d see, feel, and be aware of for the procedure until about 10 minutes before it started. Also, filling out the consent forms were no comforting matter either. You have to copy sentences about knowing it is an entirely elective procedure and that some unlikely complications could mean irreparable harm… Lovely.
Anyway, the day of surgery arrived. I tried to push back my fears, knowing that the fears were pretty much unfounded. My friend Jeannie drove me in, using my car because I suspected the smoke residue would not be a good match for my post-op eyes. I went in shortly after arriving. They went over the post-op care, provided me with some medications beyond what I had already picked up, and included a couple nifty bags. Next the other doctor came in, gave me some Ativan to put under my tongue and wash down shortly thereafter and put a number of drops in my eyes. A little after that, the surgeon came in and explained step by step exactly what would happen, what I would see, and what I would feel. It was conceptually still creepy to me.
I think one of the things I was most surprised about is that I had to go through two ORs. I had assumed it would all be in one place. In the first OR, they made the flap, in the second, they did the correction. The first step took about 30 seconds per eye. There was some kind of ring they used to keep my lids open, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. My eyeballs were also completely numb so I felt nothing. I guess they had some kind of vacuum thing come down over my eye, so there was a little pressure feeling. Everything went dark. I really just felt like both eyes were closed. (One was closed as they did them one at a time.) When they had me sit up to go to the next OR, I guess I looked a little pale. I was a little light headed too, I guess. (Might have been related to the Ativan and breathing exercises they had me do.) They had me lie back down for another minute and put a cold pack on my forehead for about 10 seconds. I was fine. I got up and they guided me to the next room. I was just as nearsighted as always at this point, but there was an added fog factor because the cornea now had a layer of bubbles underneath it, which had been created by that first laser. I sat on the next bed, leaned back again. The lid rings returned one at a time again. I was supposed to keep my eyes on a green flashing light at this point. The surgeon apparently lifted up the flap and that pinpoint green light turned into a giant green blob. Still, I kept my eye on it. Thankfully current technology doesn’t require that you stay perfectly still. The computers track your eye movement and correct along with your movement. If you move too far, it simply stops. Then I was aware of it getting clear again as he replaced the flap and then did something to smooth it down. Couldn’t feel a thing. That part with the laser took about 20 seconds per eye.
I sat up and though I still had some serious “fog” in my view, I could already tell I could see better than I had before. It was by no means perfect, but it was better. They had me walk over to some equipment right outside the door so the surgeon could then get a close-up view of my eyes. He said everything was good. They had me carefully put on the sunglasses they provided and walked me out to see Jeannie. They were a little over protective because of my earlier lightheadedness. She guided me back to the car. I was to keep my eyes closed the whole way home which was rather disconcerting.
I got home, ate some dinner and looked around. My near vision wasn’t so hot (making it a little tricky to re-read my instructions), but I could see at a distance pretty clearly other than it basically appearing like looking through a slightly foggy window (exactly as the surgeon had described). I put the drops in as ordered and went down for my required two hour nap while wearing eye shields. I woke up to blurriness, but it turns out that was mostly from those eye shields. I put in three more types of drops over the next half hour. At that point, my vision was miraculously better. Over the next hour or so the fog had dissipated and I could see so clearly. I very much felt like I was just wearing my contacts. There were still a few side effects in the vision, but now two days later, I couldn’t tell you what they were.
By the next morning it was even better. It was more than I’d hoped for. I could see as clearly as I could with my recent fantastic contacts. (Those contacts were the best I’ve seen in my 21 year history with contacts. Everything was so crisp. When I first got them, I couldn’t stop looking at how beautiful the world is.) I had some halos around lights which is perfectly normal for the first few days. (It can also be permanent, but that’s much less likely than it used to be with the current technology.) I went to the way-too-early post-op appointment (Thanks Holly!) and was asked to read the lowest line I could with each eye. My right eye went straight to 20/15. Left to 20/20. It was such a miraculous feeling realizing I was doing that with no corrective lenses. The surgeon looked at the eyes again and said my only “issue” was a little dryness at the bottom of my eyes, but that that is common. Next appointment in a month.
At this point I’ve got to put approximately 51,450,523 more drops in my eye during my post-op time frame. (That might be a slight exaggeration.) I despise eye drops, but it’s so worth it.
Overall, I’d describe the procedure as just seeming awkward, not scary. I wouldn’t want to see what it looks like from the outside and then have it done, I don’t think. I don’t actually know what it looks like, just what I experienced. There really wasn’t much to it. I suspect even my descriptions have an ooky factor, but just from my perspective, just not that bad. It was so ridiculously fast. Even the things that were weird were over before I could really think about it. I’d have to recommend it for anyone considering it.
(Edit: fixed to different layout.)
