The Lasik Post
My appointment was at 11:00 Tuesday, August 10. I got there about fifteen minutes early for good measure. I had to fill out a few forms and they administered my valium and some eye drops. Dr. S got there and did a few measurements. He made marks on my eyes to also correct the slight astigmatism I’d developed in the last few years.
From there, I went into the laser room. The part you lie on resembles a dental chair – something very familiar to me. It’s inclined such that your head is a little lower than your feet. They handed me a stuffed dog to hold onto.
Dr. S applied the suction to my right eye, then swung me to the left so the laser could cut the flap in my lens. He then did the same with my right eye. The suction was probably the most uncomfortable part of the whole experience, and it wasn’t too bad. It’s mostly a feeling of pressure and I’m pretty sure I could feel my brain move (not really, but that’s what I equated it to). After the flaps were cut, you can see a sort of white veil over your eyes. These are bubbles and fluid trapped under the flap.
Then, Dr. S applied a speculum (not at all like the kind at the other Dr’s office) to keep my eyes opened. He had to tape my lashes back and commented that I was great at following directions. I told him I was a little Type A. Haha. After rigging my right open, he swung me under the actual laser. Aside from friends and relatives having a great experience with this particular Dr., I chose the eye center I used because their Lasik laser is so smart. It knows if your eye is where it needs to be or not and if it gets out of range, the whole machine shuts down to avoid risking damage to the eye.
The right eye was harder for me to keep focused than the left. You’re supposed to stare at a blinking red light, which was obviously hard to see because of my already poor vision, but also because of the white veil. Add to that, my left eye kept looking towards the Dr and techs who were talking, and of course my right wanted to follow. About 45 seconds in, my eye was out of range and the machine stopped. The tech realized my left eye was part of the problem, so she covered it with gauze and we finished without an issue. They rigged my left, and put me under the laser again. We made it through the full minute of lasering without an issue.
Within about 10 minutes of completing the left eye, they had removed all the rigging, applied all my drops and I was walking out the door. Everything was fuzzy, but visible. Dr. S double checked the flappage called it good and gave me all my post-op instructions.
While my eyes were still anesthetized, my mom and I headed to one of my favorite local spots for lunch, The Potpourri House. This place has an incredible salad bar and some of the best French Onion Soup I’ve ever had. I know that doesn’t sound too unique – but their salad bar isn’t salad fixings (that’s only a small portion), it’s a bar filled with already made salads. Greatness! And quite a tangent…
(her name badge reads Dr. Feelgood – which is oogy b/c it’s my mom and b/c it came in the doctor play set we got the kiddos)
I fell asleep on the drive home (the valium finally kicked in). At the house, my mom administered more drops (I was a little nervous that first 24 hours), I took some ibuprofen PM and went back to sleep for as long as I could. My Dr. said that would really help ease the swelling faster. I think that resulted in me experiencing no pain or discomfort. I never felt like I had an eyelash in my eye or any of the other negatives they warned me against. When I went to bed that night, my mom taped the shields on (to prevent me from accidentally rubbing/tearing the flap) and I took more PM meds.
Wednesday morning, I got up, scrubbed the tape adhesive off as best as I could and we headed in for my follow-up. They had me read the testing sign, I measured 20/25 in each eye, 20/20 combined. I had missed two letters, so I’m not sure how that worked, but that’s what he Dr. said. He gave me a few follow-up instructions regarding my drops and told my mom to back off the tape. You could almost hear my cheeks peel away from the microscope!
We ran some errands, then came home and I took another nap for good measure. Thursday night, I engineered the shields with a sleeping mask (I was not going to be so sticky at work!).
I still have a little peripheral blurriness and I seem to get tired of the computer a little faster. All of that is pretty normal and should be temporary. I have my next appointment on Thursday and then another in a month. The whole thing has been pretty amazing. If I ever win the lottery, I’d totally pay for my family and friends to have Lasik. Life changing doesn’t even begin to cover it.
