Yesterday was a pretty big day for me! After 35 years of glasses and contacts, I FINALLY took the plunge and had the LASIK eye surgery done!!
Right around the age of 10, I noticed I couldn't see the blackboard well at all in class. I tried moving seats, I tried squinting harder...nothing worked. My mom made an appointment with an eye doctor and turned out I was nearsighted. As the years progressed my vision got worse and worse. If I am not wearing contacts, I have to wear glasses, otherwise everything is a big blurry blob. I literally cannot see anything. I have been wearing contacts for 30 of those 35 years, and it has gotten to a point where I have developed almost an intolerance to them. No matter what brand, no matter what type of solution, it always felt like I had grit or sand in my eyes and they always itched and burned. I could wear them for an hour or two and then it was misery!
So the past year I started wearing glasses 90% of the time, and that was a frustration in and of itself. Since moving to Idaho we have started doing more hiking and being more outdoor active. It was difficult to wear glasses during physical activity, and not have sunglasses to combat the bright sky! Then with the whole COVID face mask stuff, they were constantly fogging up, and wearing them all day every day the arms would kind of push against the backs of my ears causing headaches. I was just done.
I had done a lasik consultation about 10 years ago, but at that time it was just too cost prohibitive. My prescription and astigmatism was such that it would have been almost 5000$ to have it done. All those postcards that say "Lasik from 299 per eye" was for people who barely needed it, and from a laser cart in a parking lot. No thank you.
so I waited. Patiently. (Or not so patiently)
A few months ago when we first moved here my sister in law had it done, and I decided to look into it again. So at the end of August I called the place here in Boise that had good reviews and was offering a special. I made my consultation appointment and found out that my total cost for both eyes would be what it used to cost for just one eye! It was a no brainer. So I said yes, and they set up my appointment. I had to completely quit wearing contacts (even if it was just for a few hours) , and I had to go in for a pre-surgical consult a few days ahead of time. They dilated my eyes, did all the measurements, reverified my prescription and set everything up. They called in the required prescription eye drops to the local pharmacy and I picked them up 2 days ahead of time. I was ready.
Monday morning my check in time was 845. I was nervous and didnt sleep well the night before. But I had a small snack and something to drink and had my husband take me over. Once there they numbed my eyes and cleaned around them with an antiseptic, and gave me a valium. They let me sit for about 30 minutes to let the sedative kick in. I was watching an old Perry Mason on their TV, and I started to feel calm, my hands and feet felt very heavy. I am not one to take any medications etc, so when I do it hits hard.
They brought me into the laser suite gave me a cap to cover my hair, gloves for my hands and taped absorbent pads over my ears, so when they rinsed my eyes the water wouldn't fall into the ear canal. I laid back on the table and they started. They gave me a stuffed moose to hold onto, to give my hands something to do. More numbing drops were added and then we got started. They opened my eyes and placed shields in them to keep them open. They then placed a small ring that suctions to the eye and then they attached it to another piece . It was about 30 seconds of pressure as the suction pulled and shaped my eye where they wanted it. It didn't hurt, but it was weird, not comfortable, but not necessarily uncomfortable. My vision went dark then bright, then fuzzy then they guided me under the first laser and cut the corneal flap. That took 13 seconds. You couldn't see the laser, but felt your vision go really hazy as the flap was cut. There was no pain or discomfort, and it was easy to sit still and keep focused on the light they tell you to keep your eye on. They then went back to the other laser, lined me up, told me to look at the green light as they etched the prescription onto my eye. That part took 6 seconds and it smelled like burning hair. there was zero pain. The doctor then rinsed the eye and placed the corneal flap back down and set it with the medicated eye drops. After the first eye was done we repeated the process on the other eye. After the first one was done the second was a piece of cake since I knew what was coming.
When we were all done my vision was better than it was when I came to the office, but was not great. I could see, but it was only a little better than what I was used to. The doctor told me that over the next few hours my vision would steadily improve as the swelling decreased and the healing started. Before I left the office they gave me my kit of lubricating eye drops, night time eye shield to sleep in so I didnt rub my eyes in my sleep, a pair of super dark sunglasses that looked straight out of The Matrix and all my instructions. He also made me take a sleeping pill so when I got home I could go straight to bed and sleep a few hours through the worst part of recovery. (Once the numbing drops wear off the first 2 or 3 hours are the worst with the burning and stinging. But after 3 hours everything goes back to normal, almost like clockwork).
I got home, used some more lubricating drops and went straight to bed. I fell asleep but woke up after an hour or so and my eyes were itching and burning like crazy. I used more drops and went back to sleep (Thank goodness for the valium and the sleeping pill!). I slept for 2 more hours. When I woke up the itching and burning was gone, and my vision had improved by a ton!! I used my Rx eye drops (4 times a day!!), put my Neo/Trinity sunglasses on and went about my day.
I have to use the RX eye drops 4 times a day, and the lubricating eye drops every hour for the first few days. I had to keep my eyes closed as much as possible and keep those stupid sunglasses on.
I woke up this morning and my vision was just about perfect. A little hazy around light sources, but everything else is amazing. I can see, I don't have to wear glasses and no contacts!! My eyes seem to be healing up nicely. I have a 24 hour follow up this afternoon, then a 1 week, and then a 1 month follow up. I can tell this was the best decision I have made, and wish I had been able to do it sooner. But like anything technology advances and costs come down. It is like the big flat screen TV's that used to cost an arm and a leg, but now you can get one for next to nothing. Same with Lasik. If it wasn't cost effective for you before, it might be now!
Many eye doctors offer free Lasik consultations, to see what procedure is right for you. Many now are offering great discounts and many vision insurance companies offer incentives as well! If you struggle with your glasses and contacts, or want to make a great change, this may be something you can do!
who shouldnt have Lasik? (from WebMD)
- Your cornea is too thin or uneven
- You have cataracts or glaucoma
- You have uncontrolled diabetes or an autoimmune disease such as Sjögren's syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis
- You're pregnant
- You're under 18
One key to a successful outcome is finding an experienced doctor. You can ask friends and family who've had LASIK for a recommendation, or check with the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Manche suggests getting a second opinion. "That way, you'll feel more confident if two doctors say the same thing."
The doctor should take their time and explain the procedure very clearly, being upfront about the possible risks. "You don't want the doctor who says, 'This is absolutely guaranteed to work. You're going to love it,'" Ling says. "That's a big red flag." Going to a university medical center may be a safer bet than a private practice, she says.
You also need to have realistic expectations going into LASIK. About 90% of people will achieve 20/20 uncorrected vision or better, but 10% of people won't, and up to 40% will have side effects. "Generally, the higher your prescription was, the higher your risk of side effects," Ling says.
"I think a lot of people believe that LASIK is 100% guaranteed. For the vast majority of people, it is a highly successful surgery. But nothing in medicine is a 100% guarantee," she says. "If somebody goes into LASIK thinking they are guaranteed 20/20 vision without any risks, they have been improperly counseled, and they may be disappointed."
Hope this helps anyone considering having the procedure done, or are on the fence, or who are wondering what the procedure and after care looks like.
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