Laser Vision (LASIK)

As many of you know, I had LASIK yesterday. My surgery was at 2:15. I spend the majority of Friday morning wishing that the surgery had already passed. I tend to be very nervous and worry, but I simply tried not to think a lot about the risks. I had read extensively about the procedure and knew what I was getting into.

We showed up at WFUBMC at 2:15. The nurse gave me a "mild sedative". We were then taken back to the room where they would perform the surgery. I sat on the table and put my hair up in a net. I was not allowed to wear any makeup for the 2 days before surgery and the day of surgery. I also washed my face 2 times a day with antibacterial soap. No make up was tough!

I sat on the table and Mike held my hand. I laid down and I saw a machine with some flashing red and green lights above me. The doctor talked throughout the procedure. First, he put drops in to numb my eye. Then he put numbing medicine around my eyelids. He then taped my eyelid up so that my eye was taped open. He then took something to "mark" on my eye. I did not feel anything. He then put a device over my eye and told me I would feel some suction and that I should stare at the lights above me. The instrument was a microkeratome,a nd it was used to create thin, circular flap in my cornea. I felt some pressure, but no pain. My vision gradually went black. When he took the suction off, they put water in my eye. At that point, I could sort of see the red and green lights above me but they looked hazy, as if I was looking through vaseline. He told me that all was going well. The surgeon then folded the flap back (mike said it looked like a thin filmy substance) and he told me to stare at the lights. I stared into the laser and they had to pulse for about 30 seconds. He said the laser would track my pupil. I smelled a slight smell like burning hair. The laser stopped and he washed my eye. He then folded the flap back and smoothed it out. He did the procedure on the right eye first then the left.

The entire procedure took very little time. When I walked out, my vision was very blurry. I sat in the car with my eyes closed, and each time I opened my eyes, my vision had improved some. My vision was still hazy but for the first time since fourth grade I could read some road signs. When I got home, I went to bed. Mike woke me up at 8 pm to take my medicine and for the first time ever I could see the alarm clock! I was so excited.

Saturday I went back in for a check up. I found out my vision was 10/25 and it may continue to get better. Before the surgery, I could not see the eye chart - I could only see a white blob on the wall. My eyes are still a little dry, but so far so good!