LASIK

I've been wanting to get LASIK eye surgery for years. (Feels like eons, but my 12-year-old brother informs me that "an indeterminate amount of time cannot be plural," so...) When I was 14 and started high school, I started having trouble reading the chalkboards. To be fair, the contrast on "gray boards" is ridiculous, even with glasses. By then end of high school, I needed glasses or contacts daily, and so it has been since.

Glasses get foggy, steamy, or frozen, and most don't help if it's sunny out. Contacts get dry and expensive, and you have to carry around all kinds of junk with you *just in case*. So, I dreamt of fixing my vision, and no longer needing to deal with any of it.

This summer, in Ohio, seemed like a great opportunity to do it. I made an appointment on Monday with the LASIK Vision Institute for a free consultation. I went in, and first saw a counselor about finances and treatment options. I was approved for financing, so will have no interest for 24 months. Woohoo! Next, I saw a nurse, who tested my sight in several ways. Third, I saw an on-site optometrist, who confirmed which method would work best for my unique vision issues. Last, I was back with the counselor to discuss discount options. She was hilarious, and I deeply appreciated the creativity she showed to get me some extra discounts. I got a teacher's discount (Yippee!), and, by scheduling my surgery for the same week (the end of the month), she saved me an extra $200. Not too shabby. Actually, I was beyond thrilled. My total savings were $1500. :D :D

The following Friday (only four days later), I went in for my procedure. I saw the nurse again for more day-of  tests to check that my prescription was stable, which it was. I saw a pre-op nurse to discuss aftercare and what to expect in the operating room, then I met the ophthalmologist. He looked at my chart and eyes, and walked me through what would happen. He told me that he would explain everything he was doing as he was doing it.

And, boy did he.

They numbed my eyes several times with eye drops to ensure that they were numb. (He made a dot on my cornea with a marker after they were. That was strange.) Then, I went under the laser. *WARNING: The rest is not for the faint of heart.* He taped open my top eyelashes, and stuck the spreader-thing in to keep my eyes open. He placed the "suction ring" on top of my cornea, holding my eyeballs in place. The pressure was intense, like someone was pressing a gold ball into my eye. Not painful, but most definitely uncomfortable!

Next, he informed me that he was about to cut open my cornea, and I began to wish he'd stop explaining so much.  Although there was no pain, I could feel the cutting a little, and cut see it, which was disconcerting. He warned me that my eyesight would start to "dull out a little," and when he was about to "flip over my cornea, so my sight would be blurry." I'm not sure if the warning made it better or worse.

The problem I had during the surgery was that I could -- had to -- see everything that was happening. I couldn't just go back into my head and be on a beach or somewhere; I had to focus on a blinking red light, so the laser would accurately do its thing.

The laser didn't hurt at all, but I could smell it. Not a "burning flesh" smell, just a "hot laser" kind-of smell. The assistant counted down from 16, and then it was over. The doc flipped back over my "flap", and used a white brush the flatten it, removing any air bubbles. That was one of the worst parts, to know that a brush was on my eyeball and that I couldn't feel it. Oy. Then, the same for the other eye. Then done.

They taped some *beautiful* hard plastic eye patches over my eyes, and I was ready to be picked up. I was told to sleep for 3-4 hours, to avoid the irritating and burning feelings that happened after surgery, and to relax as much as possible for a few days after. Not easy for me, given my "charge forward" pace that has consumed my summer, but I did it for the long Fourth of July weekend. I had to use antibiotic and steroid eye drops four times a day, and preservative-free "natural tears" eye drops whenever I felt my eyes were dry.

After surgery, I can see better than I ever could before. It's quite amazing. I can best explain it by saying that I feel like I can "see in HD" now. If you are considering it, do it. It's unbelievable, and I wish I had done it waaaay sooner.