Lasik

I've worn eye glasses since I was in sixth grade. In eighth grade, I got contact lenses and have worn them happily for many years. I even experimented with green, blue, and purple contact lenses. 

Last year when I was pregnant, I somehow contracted pink eye. The doctor gave me a prescription for eye drops. I used the eye drops, and at first it got better. But a few days later, I started having the symptoms again. I realized I might have re-contracted it from myself, by using the same make-up. So I threw all my eye make-up away. I also threw away my contact lenses, and put in a new pair.

I got a refill of eye drops from the doctor. Again, it got a little better, and then came back. I realized that I should have also thrown away my contact case, so I did that. It didnt' help. It didn't matter that I had brand new contacts, a new contact lense case, or new make-up.

Whenever I wore my contacts, the next day I would wake up with pink-eye. Consequently I had pink-eye while I was in the hospital delivering Sunshine. I think maybe I developed an allergic reaction to my contacts, so I stopped wearing them. I wore my glasses every day instead, unless I was onstage for Channel Z.

Since I could no longer wear contacts, and was having to wear my glasses every day anyway, I decided it was time to get Lasik. Then I got a piece of mail at work saying I could get an employee discount AND I could get automatic withdrawal out of my check. I was sold!

After my consultation I found out I WAS a good candidate. They asked if I would participate in a study they were conducting regarding the different numbing eye drops. If I participated, I could get my Lasik at 50% off. I agreed.

I didn't sleep at all the night before the surgery, but I was calm that morning as I waited for my turn. I asked if they were going to give me a Valium, but they said that it makes you a little TOO relaxed, and they needed me alert enough to track the light during the surgery.

Prior to the surgery, they put one kind of numbing drops in one eye, and a second kind of numbing drop in my other eye. The surgery would have two parts. First, they would put a giant suction cup on my eye to hold it still while they docked it to the laser machine. Then lasers would cut a flap in the corneal tissue. This part of the procedure is said to be the most uncomfortable, because of the pressure of the suction cup on the eye. However, it lasts only about 30 seconds or so.

Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LASIK

They "docked" my right eye, and began the procedure. When the laser began cutting the flap, I could actually FEEL it! It felt like pins and needles in my eye! I have never had laser eye surgery before, so I didn't know how much pain was to be expected, but it hurt! I started crying after they did the first eye, but I was trying to be brave. They thought I was crying because it was "scary".

When they tried docking my left eye, the suction cup kept losing suction. They had to re-dock my eye four different times! You can stand all the pressure on your eye when it's only for 30 seconds, but when they keep doing it 4 times, it's terrible!!! It probably lost suction, because I was inadvertently fighting it. I didn't mean to, but I was already thinking about the pain from the lasers. The laser pain was just as bad on the left side.

This is called a subconjunctival hemorrhage,
 which is the technical term for "bleeding underneath the surface of the eye".
Apparently, it's pretty common, harmless, and resolves in several weeks.

I cried after the flap procedure, and while I waited for the second procedure. I told them I needed more numbing drops, so the second procedure wasn't as bad. They put in a claw thing *not the technical term to hold my eyes open, and peeled back the corneal flap. Then I was positioned under the second laser for the actual cutting of the cornea. Luckily, this didn't hurt, on either eye. They then sort of squeegeed the flap back in place. I was still crying, even though the second procedure didn't hurt, probably from the trauma of actually feeling the first laser.

After the procedure, they wanted me to open my eyes so they could look at them through their magnifying machine *no, that's not the technical term. I could barely even open my eyes. My eyes were burning so bad! I kept them closed as much as I could. I kept right on crying.

Now, I thought I was one of those people who had a high tolerance for pain. Maybe I do, just not when it comes to lasers in my eyes. I also thought I was one of those people who rarely cries in front of other people. But a friend from nursing school tells me I cried A LOT. (It's all the pressure! Nursing school is HARD!) How embarrassing.

I was told to go home and rest my eyes, keeping them closed most of the day. My eyes would be sensitive to light, so I got to wear these glamorous granny glasses.

Leaving the eye center

All I wanted to do was sleep, but I wasn't allowed to. My eyes would dry out if I slept for longer than 30 minutes. I was instructed that I could sleep as long as I set my alarm for 30 minutes, and woke-up to put in eye drops. So for the next 5 hours, I tried to sleep in 30 minute intervals. I also had to wear eye shields for the first 24 hours. I still "get" to wear them when I sleep, for a week after the surgery.

Eye shields will be on this summer's fashion DO list.

So maybe my surgery didn't go exactly according to plan. Still I had 20/15 vision the very next day. I could see my alarm clock when I woke up, and the numbers on the scale. It has been almost a week since my Lasik surgery, and my left eye is still red, but getting better. My eyes feel almost back to normal. I can't WAIT to throw those blasted eye shields away. The tape is itchy, and it leaves adhesive all over my face, that is difficult to get off.

Don't let my story scare you into not getting Lasik done if that's what you want to do. Usually, people who don't participate in the study get BOTH kinds of numbing drops in BOTH eyes. I think perhaps I hadn't had enough of the drops, or enough chance to let them start working. Nobody else that participated in the study experienced the laser pain. And I really can't complain, I can see perfectly and I got a 50% discount. Can't wait to start wearing eye make-up again!