LASIK Experience

I ended my 30 year relationship with glasses and contacts last week when I had my eyes lasered to perfection with LASIK surgery. I have wanted to have the procedure done for years, but wasn’t a candidate until recent years when the technology changed. I relied solely on reviews on yelp, facebook, and google to find a place because I wasn’t familiar with anyone in the area who has had it. I went for my consultation at TLC Laser Center and very impressed with the facility, the staff, and the hour and a half consultation. I was scheduled for the following week for surgery!

Surgery Day

I had stayed up later than usual, woke up a bit earlier, and skipped my coffee to give myself a better chance of sleeping after my surgery. I scheduled for the surgery to be the last of the day because I had read that it was important to go home and sleep for 4-6 hours. They prescribed a mild sedative to take once you arrive at the center so keep you calm during the procedure. After checking in and taking my medication, I was brought into an exam room to do a final check of my vision and make sure the prescription was correct and get numbing eye drops. They asked me to text my ride to wait outside the doors (covid protocols) to assist me out once my procedure was complete. Then we walked into the surgery room. I hadn’t met the surgeon prior, so we chatted quickly about what I should expect, I specifically asked to not have detailed information because the less I know the better when it comes to making a flap on my eyeball with a laser.

Surgery

The actual surgery was done within 10 minutes and was something out of a Sci-Fi movie, you stare at bright lights while your eyes are numbed and cut with lasers giving you perfect vision. I laid on a on a large table which looked similar to an MRI machine, placed a pillow under my knees and got comfy. Skip this part if you don’t like details, but I think its important for those who are interested in the surgery. In hindsight I wish I would have let the doctor give me a bit more information than I did, because I was a bit taken aback by the sounds and smells. First step was the suction; you stare at a colored light the entire time and your eye lids are held back to not get in the way (calm down, your numb and don’t feel this). The machine applies a suction to your eye and you hear it (imagine the most annoying soup slurping suction multiplied by 100 and its on your eyeball) and feel immense pressure. This was the worst part for me. We had to do it a few times because the sound was just a bit too much for me to handle and I couldn’t relax enough and kept squirming. Just when I was about to say I couldn’t handle the feeling of the pressure on my eye, the surgeon said, “great job, moving on”. You feel no pain, but the pressure was intense and uncomfortable. Next was the laser, I continued to stare at a light in the machine, and then started to smell something burning. It smelled similar to when I fry my hair with my straightener. I definitely did not expect to have all my senses awakened during the procedure, so I was startled when I started smelling something. Before I could ask any questions, the smell stopped and we were moving onto the next eye. Once finished, the surgeon moved the machines and asked if I was ready to see the world differently. He assisted me sitting up, and I looked across the room at the clock on the wall and saw the time! 3:47! I could see across the room for the first time in almost 30 years without glasses! It was still quite blurry and hazy but, I could certainly see better than without glasses 10 minutes prior. They gave me a pair of black out glasses and walked me to the door to meet Jamari.

Recovery

On my way home I took 800mg of Motrin and a Unisom knowing it would kick in by the time I got home. They warned if I didn’t sleep for 4-6 hours after the surgery I could expect quite a bit of pain and burning, and I wanted to avoid that. Immediately the lights in the hallway and sunshine blinded me and I had to rely on help getting into the car and home. I set up my bedroom before going to the procedure so I wouldn’t need to do anything but climb into bed. I used a humidifier in the bedroom to put moisture in the air since dry eye is one of the worst side effects of the surgery. I had my sleep mask ready to be sure I wouldn’t touch my eyes while sleeping. They do give you goggles to wear but they were clear and I needed a blackout mask to sleep. My headphone headband helped to block out noise and came in handy for listening to podcasts and audiobooks the next few days, and Jamari kept me closely on a timer schedule to come in with medicine and prescribed drops. The next few days, I wore sunglasses around the house and outside, avoided all screens, and took a nap whenever my eyes started to feel fatigued or strained. Each time I woke up, my vision was crisper. I underestimated the length of recovery time, and assumed from things I read that I would feel fine in 24 hours, but it was more like 5 days before I had no grainy, pain, or light sensitivity indoors. My vision at 6 days post op is still fluctuating slightly but that is normal and expected for the next month. Sometimes I can see the time on the oven clock across the room, other times it is quite blurry. I have kept my phone and iPad on a dimmer setting because, I do notice that my eyes are sensitive to screens and feel more comfortable at a lower light setting. I had minor bruising in both eyes, but my right eye has maintained the bruise a bit longer. Eye bruising looks like the eye is a bit blood shot. I rely heavily on the artificial tears, applying them at least hourly, or whenever my eyes get remotely uncomfortable and the prescribed steroid drops 4 times a day. No eye makeup for 10 days, no hot tubs or swimming for 2 weeks, and absolutely do not rub your eye for at least a month to not disrupt the flap created by the surgery; but other than that business as usual. They said I could legally drive the next day if I felt up to it.

I told my mom the morning after surgery, if I had to get it again I absolutely wouldn’t because I was still a bit traumatized from the eyeball pressure and smell of the laser, but 6 days out I have changed my mind, and think I would do it again in a heartbeat. The feeling of being able to see without any lenses is amazing. For the first time I am able to go from hot to cold without fogged glasses, clean my shower without missing a spot because I couldn’t see it, and wake up and look around the room. It’s an amazing surgery that changes your eyesight in a matter of minutes. I am all the way team LASIK!