SEEING sights unseen: Lasik update 1
I'm typing without glasses/contacts or any other sight enhancer and I.CAN.SEE!
Dumbfounded, overwhelmed, shocked are more my reactions than excited or ecstatic.
Partly because it's so weird, partly because it's not perfect yet.
Here's the skinny on the last week...
Surgery day: Arrived eager and not really nervous. The guy who was ahead of me came out of his procedure a little Valium-tipsy and said it was the "easiest thing he's ever done".
Sounds good.
Due to a reaction I've had with sedatives I wasn't given my Valium until the doctor was sure I wouldn't cross-react.
Once I got the go-ahead I was given the Valium, paid for the procedure and given the rundown on what to expect, what to do in the week to follow, etc.
Ten minutes later the doctor was ready for me.
My Valium was not.
BUT I wasn't nervous and just thought, "eh, it'll be fine. Easiest thing I've ever done."
Fast forward just a couple minutes after being warned of the smell of burning flesh, now I'm laying down ready for the procedure.
It wasn't really painful but it was EXTREMELY uncomfortable.
My guess is if the Valium had been on board earlier I would've been fine.
The ten minute process went fast enough but felt like getting a tattoo on my eye.
I recited every Scripture verse I knew in my head as a mental exercise/distraction.
We were done quickly (52 minutes from arrival to departure) and as I was leaving I felt that maybe I was starting to feel the effects of the meds...finally.
I got home, crawled in bed and slept a couple hours.
My eyes burned and watered...all normal and all explained pre-op.
Felt really good to keep them closed so much of that evening I just laid low with them closed.
I could see despite a decent haze and it was so bizarre.
DAY ONE POST-OP
I slept with my shields on as commanded to ensure I didn't rub my eyes in my sleep.
The one benefit of wearing gas-permeable lenses for so many years is that I NEVER want to rub my eyes.
If you've ever worn hard contacts you know why: either you're scratching your eye or popping the contact out if you do any rubbing.
I could see some when I woke up that morning which was dumbfounding but felt much like I had slept with contacts in.
Light sensitivity and some soreness for the day.
Antibiotics and Vaseline-like eye drop in eyes 4 times a day plus regular eye drops 4 times a day.
DAY TWO:
Still hazy, especially left.
Sore.
Can see 180ish degrees which is weird!
Noticed I have decreased up close vision...used to be able to see when nose-to-nose with kiddos but now that's blurry.
Found out that's normal!
Feel like my eyes are warring with each other.
DAY THREE THROUGH SEVEN:
Improved soreness.
Still fluctuations in vision especially in left eye.
Very dry, still doing eye drops about 20 times a day between all of them.
Can see to drive, work, read, work on the computer...WITHOUT.GLASSES.
Seems I kinda miss my glasses, they were a part of me. :)
Still noticeable that my eyes don't work well together.
DAY EIGHT:
One week follow up eye appointment.
Everything is right on track.
With a correction as big as mine I could expect changes for many months still.
Most likely I'll need an enhancement of my left eye (a correction for -9 and +2 astigmatism) because the tolerance in the Lasik procedure is 5%.
Someone who has a lesser correction likely wouldn't notice a 5% difference in their prescription.
It's quite noticeable in a higher prescription.
DAY TEN:
I have visual disturbances in my right eye that afternoon.
I immediately think it's a complication of LASIK and call.
They were very prompt and thorough and after chatting with me decide I need to be seen the next day at 10am.
Perhaps the corneal flap has moved.
Within the hour due to the onset of other symptoms I discover I'm getting a migraine.
I've never been so relieved to get a migraine in my life!
Vision returns to baseline.
DAY ELEVEN:
I still followup with the dr. to be sure my corneal flap is fine and it is.
He felt the migraine wasn't related to my vision changes.
I'm not so sure as it's been 2 1/2 years since I'd had one.
All in all I'm cautiously excited and am getting more excited with each day.
It's is true I can see when I wake up in the morning.
I don't have to reach for my glasses first thing (instead I'm reaching for eye drops).
I can wear cute sunglasses.
I can see in the shower.
It's crazy, really.
I keep telling people to talk to me in 6 months when the shock of seeing without glasses wears off because right now it just feels like I slept with contacts in (which I hadn't worn in 12 years!).
Crazy.AWESOME.Unreal.
Until next time...I'll be SEEING you!
Dumbfounded, overwhelmed, shocked are more my reactions than excited or ecstatic.
Partly because it's so weird, partly because it's not perfect yet.
Here's the skinny on the last week...
Surgery day: Arrived eager and not really nervous. The guy who was ahead of me came out of his procedure a little Valium-tipsy and said it was the "easiest thing he's ever done".
Sounds good.
Due to a reaction I've had with sedatives I wasn't given my Valium until the doctor was sure I wouldn't cross-react.
Once I got the go-ahead I was given the Valium, paid for the procedure and given the rundown on what to expect, what to do in the week to follow, etc.
Ten minutes later the doctor was ready for me.
My Valium was not.
BUT I wasn't nervous and just thought, "eh, it'll be fine. Easiest thing I've ever done."
Fast forward just a couple minutes after being warned of the smell of burning flesh, now I'm laying down ready for the procedure.
It wasn't really painful but it was EXTREMELY uncomfortable.
My guess is if the Valium had been on board earlier I would've been fine.
The ten minute process went fast enough but felt like getting a tattoo on my eye.
I recited every Scripture verse I knew in my head as a mental exercise/distraction.
We were done quickly (52 minutes from arrival to departure) and as I was leaving I felt that maybe I was starting to feel the effects of the meds...finally.
I got home, crawled in bed and slept a couple hours.
My eyes burned and watered...all normal and all explained pre-op.
Felt really good to keep them closed so much of that evening I just laid low with them closed.
I could see despite a decent haze and it was so bizarre.
DAY ONE POST-OP
I slept with my shields on as commanded to ensure I didn't rub my eyes in my sleep.
The one benefit of wearing gas-permeable lenses for so many years is that I NEVER want to rub my eyes.
If you've ever worn hard contacts you know why: either you're scratching your eye or popping the contact out if you do any rubbing.
I could see some when I woke up that morning which was dumbfounding but felt much like I had slept with contacts in.
Light sensitivity and some soreness for the day.
Antibiotics and Vaseline-like eye drop in eyes 4 times a day plus regular eye drops 4 times a day.
DAY TWO:
Still hazy, especially left.
Sore.
Can see 180ish degrees which is weird!
Noticed I have decreased up close vision...used to be able to see when nose-to-nose with kiddos but now that's blurry.
Found out that's normal!
Feel like my eyes are warring with each other.
DAY THREE THROUGH SEVEN:
Improved soreness.
Still fluctuations in vision especially in left eye.
Very dry, still doing eye drops about 20 times a day between all of them.
Can see to drive, work, read, work on the computer...WITHOUT.GLASSES.
Seems I kinda miss my glasses, they were a part of me. :)
Still noticeable that my eyes don't work well together.
 |
| My glasses from the last 10 years...haven't thrown any away, ever! Never know when you might break a pair. |
DAY EIGHT:
One week follow up eye appointment.
Everything is right on track.
With a correction as big as mine I could expect changes for many months still.
Most likely I'll need an enhancement of my left eye (a correction for -9 and +2 astigmatism) because the tolerance in the Lasik procedure is 5%.
Someone who has a lesser correction likely wouldn't notice a 5% difference in their prescription.
It's quite noticeable in a higher prescription.
DAY TEN:
I have visual disturbances in my right eye that afternoon.
I immediately think it's a complication of LASIK and call.
They were very prompt and thorough and after chatting with me decide I need to be seen the next day at 10am.
Perhaps the corneal flap has moved.
Within the hour due to the onset of other symptoms I discover I'm getting a migraine.
I've never been so relieved to get a migraine in my life!
Vision returns to baseline.
DAY ELEVEN:
I still followup with the dr. to be sure my corneal flap is fine and it is.
He felt the migraine wasn't related to my vision changes.
I'm not so sure as it's been 2 1/2 years since I'd had one.
All in all I'm cautiously excited and am getting more excited with each day.
It's is true I can see when I wake up in the morning.
I don't have to reach for my glasses first thing (instead I'm reaching for eye drops).
I can wear cute sunglasses.
I can see in the shower.
It's crazy, really.
 |
| Notice the cute non-prescription sunglasses on my head?!? |
I keep telling people to talk to me in 6 months when the shock of seeing without glasses wears off because right now it just feels like I slept with contacts in (which I hadn't worn in 12 years!).
Crazy.AWESOME.Unreal.
Until next time...I'll be SEEING you!
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