I've been wearing glasses for forty two years, since I was ten years old. I've had astigmatism for forty of those years. I've always had a "corrective lenses required" stipulation on my drivers license.
I had run out of progressive corrections, and was going to need trifocals for my next glasses. With progressives in the middle pane. I just couldn?t handle that thought. I never did well with the progressives or bifocals. I didn't feel I could function with trifocals. I have always been squeamish about my eyes, but this was too much for me. I felt it would be like operating a periscope.
I spent some time studying possible Lasik surgeons and procedures, and wound up with the fellow my ophthalmologist recommended. He does all his own surgery ? no stand-ins. He is the guy that the other Lasik surgeons send their patients to when there?s a problem. A bit more expensive, but I wanted someone really good.
The contract is for a year. There?s the pre-test, the procedure, and the two-week follow-up. Then there?s a three-month follow-up, when a redo is possible if the results need to be honed for satisfaction. Then anything that relates to the surgery, including a redo, until a year is over.
One day after Lasik surgery, with my vision estimated to be only 80% recovered so far, I had 20/30 vision, with almost no astigmatism. I could watch TV, drive a car, recognize people from a distance, and even identify the birds feeding at my seed-strewn steps.
And my eyes weren't even itching or irritated. I had to sleep with the goggles again fro two more nights. A relief, actually; I had pictured a big, plastic cone over my head.
I had two types of drops, four times a day for a few more weeks. And artificial tears to take hourly and as needed. I had twice-daily Doxycycline that I'd been taking for a week, needed to continue for another week, and then go to one capsule a day for two more weeks. In essence, no recovery tasks of real consequence.
The procedure involves pretesting to ensure you're a good candidate, which takes about three hours (and $300).
If you have dry eyes like I do, you have to start Doxycycline for a week before the Lasik. It's used to change the oil content of your tears, not for its antibiotic effect. There are no other preparations or restrictions the night before you go in, other than not wearing contact lenses for two days prior.
When I went in, I signed a very grim document that outlines many of the things that can go wrong. They take me inside and the doctor and I go over my case and expectations again briefly, and I ask last questions. Then, a technician gives me drops to dilate my pupils and deaden sensation. And a cafeteria-lady type hairnet. And a Xanax tablet. I have to lie back with my eyes closed for about 40 minutes. Then they photograph my eyes one more time. At that time (after gauging my readiness), they give me another Xanax tablet. I still feel the flight-or-fight response, but some part of me realizes that it would involve getting up and moving of my own volition, which is really too much effort.
After more drops and waiting with eyes closed, I am led to a different room, where I lie on a table, still in street clothes, with a pillow under my knees for comfort. Unlike what I had imagined, my head is neither strapped to the table nor cranked into a vice. There is a semihollow that loosely cradles my noggin for the procedure. I?m asked to look directly into a blinking red light, and apparently that attention keeps my head sufficiently rigid. Metal lid holders are put in place. They do it quickly, and I don?t really notice (I can?t feel them). The only reason I know they?re there is because I saw it in the illustrations.
After a minute or so, the surgeon comes over to place some kind of shielding over each eye. I feel some pressure, but it?s quick, and it?s not enough to be concerning, Xanax aside. They?re probably doing something with the corneal flap, but I can?t tell, and I can?t feel it.
Then I see bright, light green lines forming sort of a grid over in front of my eyes. It?s not the laser I see, because it?s infrared. What I?m seeing are gasses illuminating from the process. It?s a great light show. I smell a little smoke. How interesting: it?s me. Without enough time to really react, it?s over. Then he comes back, takes all the stuff off of my eyes, and leads me away. Maybe ten, fifteen minutes tops, mostly setup. No pain. I?m told to keep my eyes closed.
Of course, I take a quick peek. Murky green, like looking through a dirty aquarium. A few minutes later, another quick, fearful peek, and everything looks normal this time. Whew!
They don?t really want you to open your eyes for about two hours, but they only keep you for 45 minutes or so longer. They give you sunglasses for the glare. The sunglasses fit over the modified ski goggles you?re supposed to wear until the next morning, and again for the next two nights.
I keep my eyes shut for the whole ride home (OK, I peeked a little now and again). Once home, I go upstairs to try to keep my eyes closed some more.
At night, there is a Valium waiting for me. But my eyes aren?t that irritated, and I?m not very afraid I will rub them. I take the 30mg diazepam (generic Valium), and it completely wakes me up. Story of my life.
The next night, I get a call from work at 3:00 am. I spend a frantic ten minutes searching for my glasses on the nightstand. I glance to see what time it is and suddenly realize: I am reading the clock from across the room. I can?t do that. Yes, I can. I don?t have glasses anymore.
There is some minor irritation on and off during the day, like dryness or eyestrain, but nothing that calls for Motrin or tempts me to unthinkingly rub. The drops do well keeping the eyes wet.
The sharpness of focus comes and goes in each eye independently. I?m told it will be this way for a few more weeks. In the morning, my left eye was perfect, my right somewhat blurred. The right sharpened up a few times during the day, then blurred again. Then they were both on, full tilt. Then my right eye vision was incredibly crisp, and I suddenly noticed the left seemed a little blurred. The brain doesn?t seem to care. It favors whichever lamp is brightest at the moment.
Even with that, I feel that I can see at least as well as I did with my glasses. Two days after the Lasik, I had driven at night. I felt fully confident in my vision, and had no haloes or star effects from the lights. Less effects than my glasses had given.
I?m a week out, and there?s no discomfort of any kind. I go back on February 4th, for a thorough reexamination. Then we?ll see how things went from the pros.
Lasik is not for everyone, and I wouldn?t have done it if I didn?t feel I was at the end of my rope. I have also heard some not-so-great stories from some other people at work who knew people who had had it done, as well as some good stories from others.
Not everyone gets perfect results. I don?t really know what my final results will be yet - there is some indication I may still have a very slight astigmatism, but it may also go away. Not everyone has a smooth recovery, as I have had so far. And my eyes may still change over the years, requiring a "tune-up" or "adjustment" (a.k.a. "redo') years from now. This isn't an adertisement for Lasik surgery.
I note that there is at least one site on the web by and for people who did not have good results. Fortunately, no one mentions my Lasik surgeon there. But no one is 100%.
Anyway, I thought I?d try to share what it?s been like so far.
Best wishes,
I had run out of progressive corrections, and was going to need trifocals for my next glasses. With progressives in the middle pane. I just couldn?t handle that thought. I never did well with the progressives or bifocals. I didn't feel I could function with trifocals. I have always been squeamish about my eyes, but this was too much for me. I felt it would be like operating a periscope.
I spent some time studying possible Lasik surgeons and procedures, and wound up with the fellow my ophthalmologist recommended. He does all his own surgery ? no stand-ins. He is the guy that the other Lasik surgeons send their patients to when there?s a problem. A bit more expensive, but I wanted someone really good.
The contract is for a year. There?s the pre-test, the procedure, and the two-week follow-up. Then there?s a three-month follow-up, when a redo is possible if the results need to be honed for satisfaction. Then anything that relates to the surgery, including a redo, until a year is over.
One day after Lasik surgery, with my vision estimated to be only 80% recovered so far, I had 20/30 vision, with almost no astigmatism. I could watch TV, drive a car, recognize people from a distance, and even identify the birds feeding at my seed-strewn steps.
And my eyes weren't even itching or irritated. I had to sleep with the goggles again fro two more nights. A relief, actually; I had pictured a big, plastic cone over my head.
I had two types of drops, four times a day for a few more weeks. And artificial tears to take hourly and as needed. I had twice-daily Doxycycline that I'd been taking for a week, needed to continue for another week, and then go to one capsule a day for two more weeks. In essence, no recovery tasks of real consequence.
The procedure involves pretesting to ensure you're a good candidate, which takes about three hours (and $300).
If you have dry eyes like I do, you have to start Doxycycline for a week before the Lasik. It's used to change the oil content of your tears, not for its antibiotic effect. There are no other preparations or restrictions the night before you go in, other than not wearing contact lenses for two days prior.
When I went in, I signed a very grim document that outlines many of the things that can go wrong. They take me inside and the doctor and I go over my case and expectations again briefly, and I ask last questions. Then, a technician gives me drops to dilate my pupils and deaden sensation. And a cafeteria-lady type hairnet. And a Xanax tablet. I have to lie back with my eyes closed for about 40 minutes. Then they photograph my eyes one more time. At that time (after gauging my readiness), they give me another Xanax tablet. I still feel the flight-or-fight response, but some part of me realizes that it would involve getting up and moving of my own volition, which is really too much effort.
After more drops and waiting with eyes closed, I am led to a different room, where I lie on a table, still in street clothes, with a pillow under my knees for comfort. Unlike what I had imagined, my head is neither strapped to the table nor cranked into a vice. There is a semihollow that loosely cradles my noggin for the procedure. I?m asked to look directly into a blinking red light, and apparently that attention keeps my head sufficiently rigid. Metal lid holders are put in place. They do it quickly, and I don?t really notice (I can?t feel them). The only reason I know they?re there is because I saw it in the illustrations.
After a minute or so, the surgeon comes over to place some kind of shielding over each eye. I feel some pressure, but it?s quick, and it?s not enough to be concerning, Xanax aside. They?re probably doing something with the corneal flap, but I can?t tell, and I can?t feel it.
Then I see bright, light green lines forming sort of a grid over in front of my eyes. It?s not the laser I see, because it?s infrared. What I?m seeing are gasses illuminating from the process. It?s a great light show. I smell a little smoke. How interesting: it?s me. Without enough time to really react, it?s over. Then he comes back, takes all the stuff off of my eyes, and leads me away. Maybe ten, fifteen minutes tops, mostly setup. No pain. I?m told to keep my eyes closed.
Of course, I take a quick peek. Murky green, like looking through a dirty aquarium. A few minutes later, another quick, fearful peek, and everything looks normal this time. Whew!
They don?t really want you to open your eyes for about two hours, but they only keep you for 45 minutes or so longer. They give you sunglasses for the glare. The sunglasses fit over the modified ski goggles you?re supposed to wear until the next morning, and again for the next two nights.
I keep my eyes shut for the whole ride home (OK, I peeked a little now and again). Once home, I go upstairs to try to keep my eyes closed some more.
At night, there is a Valium waiting for me. But my eyes aren?t that irritated, and I?m not very afraid I will rub them. I take the 30mg diazepam (generic Valium), and it completely wakes me up. Story of my life.
The next night, I get a call from work at 3:00 am. I spend a frantic ten minutes searching for my glasses on the nightstand. I glance to see what time it is and suddenly realize: I am reading the clock from across the room. I can?t do that. Yes, I can. I don?t have glasses anymore.
There is some minor irritation on and off during the day, like dryness or eyestrain, but nothing that calls for Motrin or tempts me to unthinkingly rub. The drops do well keeping the eyes wet.
The sharpness of focus comes and goes in each eye independently. I?m told it will be this way for a few more weeks. In the morning, my left eye was perfect, my right somewhat blurred. The right sharpened up a few times during the day, then blurred again. Then they were both on, full tilt. Then my right eye vision was incredibly crisp, and I suddenly noticed the left seemed a little blurred. The brain doesn?t seem to care. It favors whichever lamp is brightest at the moment.
Even with that, I feel that I can see at least as well as I did with my glasses. Two days after the Lasik, I had driven at night. I felt fully confident in my vision, and had no haloes or star effects from the lights. Less effects than my glasses had given.
I?m a week out, and there?s no discomfort of any kind. I go back on February 4th, for a thorough reexamination. Then we?ll see how things went from the pros.
Lasik is not for everyone, and I wouldn?t have done it if I didn?t feel I was at the end of my rope. I have also heard some not-so-great stories from some other people at work who knew people who had had it done, as well as some good stories from others.
Not everyone gets perfect results. I don?t really know what my final results will be yet - there is some indication I may still have a very slight astigmatism, but it may also go away. Not everyone has a smooth recovery, as I have had so far. And my eyes may still change over the years, requiring a "tune-up" or "adjustment" (a.k.a. "redo') years from now. This isn't an adertisement for Lasik surgery.
I note that there is at least one site on the web by and for people who did not have good results. Fortunately, no one mentions my Lasik surgeon there. But no one is 100%.
Anyway, I thought I?d try to share what it?s been like so far.
Best wishes,
I am glad everthing went well for you.
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