Second day after surgery

goggledshields
Originally uploaded by aafromaa

This morning I woke up to dry eyes and my eyesight was not as good as it was yesterday. I started the morning with the regiment of eye drops. I am down to 3 different types of drops--antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and lubricant.

A few minutes later, I felt much better. And, I could see much better. According to the information sheet from the doctor, vision fluctuation is normal.

The sun is brighter today so I really need sunglasses. I am still using the cheap plastic pair the doctor provided. They are not very stylish, but they cover even the corner of my eyes. It is beginning to sink in that I am not ever going to have poor eye sight again. I have been wearing glasses or corrective lens for 36 years. It's just taking me time to get used to the fact that these are my eyes and not something foreign in them.

Late yesterday, I looked over the sheet of instructions again and I thought I would share those:

• Securely tape shields over eyes before going to bed.
• Wear the protective shields at night for the 1st week.
• Do not rub your eyes for the 1st month.
• Do not wear eye makeup for at least 1 week.
• Avoid gardening or any outdoor activity that could introduce dirt or pollen particles into the eyes for 1 week. (I guess I cannot help clean up the broken tree limbs.)
• Avoid swimming, hot tubs, saunas or any other contact with possibly contaminated water for 2 weeks. (That's not a problem for me.)
• Avoid contact or racquet sports for 2 weeks. After this time, it is strongly suggested that you wear protective eyewear while playing contact sports. (This is not a problem, although I would like to learn to play racquetball and tennis.)
• You may resume jogging, weightlifting and aerobics 1 week following surgery. Again, wear protective eyeglasses when necessary.

I can use lubricant eye drops as often as I need. I think I will try using them more today and hopefully reduce dry eye feelings in the morning.

The warning at the bottom of the information sheet said ."..if you experience progressive increase in redness, a decrease in vision or increase in pain, call the eye corneal surgeon..."

Thankfully, that is not a problem for me.

The day after Lasik

I can see. I can see. I can see!

I see almost 20/20. Though I am told not everyone can see this good this fast, the surgery has definitely worked well for me.

The only drawback at the moment is that my vision is still a little cloudy, particularly in my right eye. If I were wearing my contacts I would take the right one out and clean it.

It hasn't sunk into my head or my routine that this vision is my eyes...no contacts, no glasses.

As part of the complete package of the surgery, 1 day, 1 week, and other checkups are included. Fortunately, I am able to see Dr. Fields for the checkups. Dr. Steve Fields has been my eye doctor for years and years. He has solved some problems with my contacts that other doctors could not solve. I trust his professional knowledge and expertise. He was the one who recommended Dr. John Swann with Montgomery Eye Physicians.

The advantages seeing Dr Fields, instead of Dr. Swann, for the checkups are:
1. his office is nearby--only minutes from my house.
2. seeing him is like having a built in second opinion.

Today was my 1st day check up after the surgery.

All went well. He explained that the cloudiness would eventually go away and that my vision was very good for being only one day after the surgery. He told me to follow regiment of eye drops given to me. (I was going to that anyway.)

Dr. Fields also told me was that for the next year or so, I will not need reading glasses, though I had been wearing them with my contacts. I knew the surgery did not correct my near vision, so I am really excited about prolonging the use of reading glasses.

He also told me no jarring, lifting heavy objects, and sweating for 1 week. In other words, no running, no weight lifting.

All is well with my surgery and I am looking forward to more improvements.

Lasik surgery: 6 hours later, several hours later

We left the house at 9 o'clock. I hated that my husband had to drive me today because he is sick. He drove. We talked little. I tried to doze but couldn't.

15 miles from the doctor's office, I toke my very first ever Valium. It did ease my nerves. Going into the office, there was a sign clearly stated no cell phones turned on because of surgeries scheduled. I made sure I left my phone in the car.

The receptionist said I did not have to sign in. Soon, I was called to make my payment for the surgery and within a few minutes I was called to come to a room.

A technician asked me some questions, gave me a few eye drops, and 600 mg Ibuprofen. She went over my care when I got home. I was then evaluated by the doctor who also put a few drops in my eyes. I was then directed to the operating room.

The room was substantially colder. I shoved my hands in my jacket pockets because of the cold. I consciously kept my hands open and not clinched, but in my pockets.

The doctor told me to watch the red light. It will move but sometimes it will not be visible. He covered my left eye, then he put a suction on my right eye. The suction was the only part of the procedure that was slightly uncomfortable. I think because the pressure around the eye felt weird--not that it was really uncomfortable.

The doctor said I would hear a click. I heard it, but it was meaningless to me. This part of the procedure eventually led to my sight going dark. I must admit this was at least a little disconcerting. I could hear a woman say 15 seconds left. I started counting with 1, 2, 3, etc. I was trying to keep myself calm and my hands unclenched. Then, the same was done to the left eye was done.

The second part of the procedure took a little longer. The suctions were removed from my eye and my bottom and top of my eyelids was taped so I could not close them. Again I looked at the red light. The machine engine started and I heard a clicking. I found this noise somewhat irritating. But, it reminded me that the machine with its programmed technology was making the procedure. I was doing what I could to make myself take my mind off of the situation. I thought that if the machine had made the noise like a dentist drill, I would have freaked. :)

The clicking and the motor were not so bad, just unexpected.Again I heard a woman give us the time left. 45 seconds, 35 seconds, 15 seconds. I again counted starting with 1, 2, etc. Amazing how accurate my counting was. When I reached 44 the machine was at zero.

Between concentrating on the red light and keeping my mind occupied, I forgot that I was cold and the procedure was amazing fast. The left eye was then done.

After the procedure, another doctor evaluated me. He noticed a small bubble on the right eye, but said that was normal and would go away. The left eye was just fine.

Walking out into the lobby I could see much better than I had without my glasses. My eyesight then was a long way from what it needed to be, but was much improved. I was really surprised how good my eyes felt and how well I could see.

I think the drive home made my husband tired. His sickness and the drive were taking a toll on him. I wore the sunglasses gave me. At first, light did not bother me. Thankfully, today was mostly cloudy, but as we drove, the sensitivity to light worsened and my right eye itched. The feeling was if I had scratched my eye.

I was really glad to get home because by then (about 1 hour after we left the doctor’s office), both eyes itched and the sensitivity to light was almost unbearable. I put the eye drops in my eye, taped the funny hole-filled goggles over my eyes, took my second ever Valium, and went to bed. It took me a few minutes to go to sleep, but when I did slept deep. (That Valium is some good stuff.) I slept almost four hours.

When I awoke the sensitivity to light was very mild. I could see even better than before-amazingly better. My vision seemed and still seems cloudy. It has been 12 hours since the surgery and I call see really well. Though my vision is not perfect it is certainly good enough to function. The street and car lights are definitely halos. Hopefully, this will go away...we'll see.

My eyes have a slight itchy feeling and are cloudy. If I were wearing contacts I would take them out clean them and possibly wear my glasses because my eyes . I am now getting ready for bed. I will go through regiment of eyes drops and taping the holey goggles on and going to sleep. I expect to be able to take the kids to school and go to my local eye doctor for a checkup just fine. AND I expect my vision to be better. We’ll see.

Lasik Today

In a bit, I will go to my Lasik surgery. I am a little nervous. I slept better last night than I thought I would. Once I fell asleep, I thankfully slept the night through.

In preparing for surgery, I put 4 different types of eye drops in my eyes four times a day for two days. The drops were mostly antibiotics and moistening drops.

The weird thing is that every time I put the series of drops in my eyes, a few minutes later I had a metal taste in my mouth. I did not understand that.

Fifteen minutes prior to my arrival, I will take a Valium. Though on the surface I look calm, I can feel my nerves kicking in. So the Valium (I have never taken Valium before) will probably relax me a little (hopefully).

Before I leave I am going to wipe my eyes with a moistening cloth. I am wearing no makeup, a couple of loose-fitting tops so I can take them off without rubbing my eyes (when I get home). The technician told me that the room is set for 67 degrees and because I will be a little nervous that I will fell very cool so dress accordingly.

I used no moisturizers or lotions this morning.

I will not take my cell phone into the building because cell phones can be problematic with the equipment.

Tuesday, I told the doctor that I feared not being able to stay still. He explained how the machine maps the eye and some movement is accounted for. (This is my layman's interpretation.), I cannot possibly explain the surgery, but it is absolutely amazing technology.

We'll see how it goes. At the moment I wish I could go back to sleep.

Lasik surgery

I have been wearing hard and gas permeable lens for more than 30 years.

My contacts are expensive and I replace them about every 3 years. Of course, I am of the age that when I am wearing my contacts, I need reading glasses. A few years ago, I started wearing bifocal contact lens which were great in the beginning. Replacing those with the 2nd pair of bifocal lens did not go so well. So I have been wearing eye glasses with my contact lens.

Adjusting to reading glasses along while wearing contacts has been cumbersome.

After losing my left contact in a rainstorm more than a month ago, I decided to investigate lasik surgery more seriously. Replacing my left contact would probably costing me more than $200 for the lens and the appointment.

My process I describe is just that--my process and my decision. What you decide about lasik is your own decision.

Lasik surgery is not about efficiency and comparing costs to benefit in monetary terms. Though, the cost of lasik compared to the cost of current expenditure for contacts and glasses still plays a role in the decision.

So here is my comparison as I know it today.

• Contacts $300 replaced every 3 years.
• Glasses $250 replaced every 6 years
• $8 per month on cleaning and soaking solutions, equaling $72 per year or $200 every 3 years.

Cost of Lasik $3800

With the assumption that the costs of contacts, glasses, and cleaning and soaking solutions do not increase, Lasik surgery will pay for itself in 18 years. I will be older than 60 years old.

So what is the benefit of lasik surgery for me? Convenience! I have started wearing glasses when I was 8 years old and hard lenses when I was 13. Not juggle both eye glasses--reading and far vision.

• See clearly and not fumble around when I wake up.
• Not have to remember to take glasses and solutions with me on trips. Frankly, I think the lasik surgery will give me a convenience that I have not had in more than 35 years.
• I take my contacts out every night and put them in every morning. That is one less thing I had to do in the morning.
• I get up very early-generally 2 hours before anyone else. I will spend less time getting ready to exercise.
• I can swim and jog without my eyes being irritated.

Another part of the decision is where and who does the surgery. A place in town that does lasik surgery has been here a few years. I know very little about them. They advertise a low price for the surgery. I have heard 3rd and 4th hand a few opinions, but I am not so sure about the accuracy of both the positive and less than positive statements.

I asked my optometrist who has solved problems with my contacts years ago when two ophthalmologists could not. I respect and trust the opinion of my optometrist. He recommended a doctor in a town about an hour away. This particular doctor has been doing corrective eye surgery for 20 years.

I could save money and time by having the surgery locally. It's not that I don't believe both facilities could do the surgery. But, I keep thinking that if something is a surprise and the surgery produces less than satisfactory results, then I would rather be in the hands of the experienced doctors.