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My new eyes
Pros:
Beautiful crisp vision.
No glasses, contacts or the resulting dry eyes.
Not having to remove and clean contacts before falling asleep.
Being able to see as soon as I open my eyes.
Seeing better than I ever did before.
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Cons:
None, really.
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Cost:
$5000
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Healing time:
6 months
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Pain-o-meter: 2
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I started wearing glasses when I was 11 years old. At 15 I was thrilled to get contacts but by 22 I'd realized I'd be happiest with perfect eyesight. I had started to hear a lot about LASIK-- I read quite a bit about it and had a couple of friends who had it done. It sounded like a dream to me so I started researching and decided to have it done in March of 2000 by a doctor in New York, who works with a group that helps people find doctors nationwide. I'd considered several doctors but he seemed to have the most experience and for me that was really important.
When you decide to have the procedure done there is a lot of scary paperwork to sign that talks about the unpleasant (but very small) risks and, of course, I wanted to go to a doctor who had done many problem-free procedures.
Once I had been examined and was found to be a good candidate for the surgery, I had to wear my glasses for a couple of weeks to allow my eyes to return to their natural shape. I took my friend with me on the day of the operation so she could help me get home. About 15 minutes before the procedure I was given a sedative to help me relax. Then I went into the room where they had the laser and lay down on a table. My friend stood outside watching the whole thing through a glass door.
My eye was held open so I couldn't blink or move it, and I had to stare into a little red light. When the incision was made in my cornea, I felt an uncomfortable pressure on my eye that lasted 1 or 2 seconds. This was the extent of my discomfort during the surgery--it wasn't bad at all. Then I could see the cornea being peeled away like a piece of clear film, and was told to look right into the red light while they used the laser on my eye. My cornea was then replaced, I had to keep the eye closed and they moved on to the next eye.
In all it took about 10 minutes, maybe even less. When I sat up, even though my eyes were a little milky from the pain drops they had given me, I could see my friend looking in the window, and I was so excited.
I had to sit down with my eyes closed for 10 minutes and then they allowed me to go home. At this point all I wanted to do was take a nap because I was sleepy from the sedative and my eyes were stinging, kind of like when you get soap in them or there is something on your contact bothering you. I was glad to have my friend there to help me get a cab because with the stinging and being tired it was hard to keep my eyes open. So I went home and slept for a few hours. When I woke up my eyes did not hurt at all, they were just a little bleary.
The next day I got to take off the eye shields and start to really use my new eyes. They kept going from clear to fuzzy and back again for the next few days and I was a little dizzy for about 3 days because I wasn't used to seeing with both my eyes. My vision was basically stable after a couple of weeks, with occasional fuzziness here and there that always cleared up eventually and was just a result of the eyes continuing to heal.
I had the surgery less than a year ago and I love it. I see better than I ever could have imagined. My vision is 20/10 and the whole world looks different and more colorful. I still have moments where I just stare at things not believing how well I can see. The convenience of not having to use contacts is amazing too. I love that I can just fall right to sleep without having to go through a whole routine of cleaning my contacts so my eyes don't hurt the next day. I would recommend LASIK to anyone who is able to get it.
Here are more details:
How results differed from what I expected:
I see even better than I had expected.
Biggest fears pre-procedure:
That I wouldn't have 20/20 vision afterwards.
Healing aids used:
I was given a sedative 15 minutes before surgery
Number of doctors consulted:
1
Number of years I thought about having the procedure:
1
Had an elective procedure before:
No
Complications or follow-up procedures:
Not Specified
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This information is not to substitute for professional medical advice. You
should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or
disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please
consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have
regarding your condition.
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Gender:
Female
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Age:
23
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Ethnic group:
Not specified
Education:
Community college or university
Country:
United States
State/Province:
New York
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About 52 percent of American women consider themselves to be overweight and 40 percent are currently trying to lose weight.
(Source: The Role of Weight Management in the Health of Women" by Sachiko T. St. Jeor, professor and director of Nutrition Education and Research at the University of Nevada, School of Medicine)
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