Thoughts From an Experienced Lasik Patient

I have noticed that more people I work with are talking about, or undergoing, the Lasik vision correction procedure.  I don’t know really know why Lasik has suddenly become more popular in my corporation, but I do know that there are a number of rumors about Lasik that I am not sure are true.  Let me just talk about my long term experience with Lasik.

It has been more than eight years since I had the Lasik method, so I was one of the early and brave pioneers!  Perhaps I wasn’t that brave when considering Lasik, for my vision in each eye was worse than -9.  Even now, Lasik physicians consider that a very strong case and do caution prospective clients that the Lasik process will likely improve their vision, but may not eliminate the total need for glasses.

The Lasik operation itself had mild pressure and some unusual feelings, but no real discomfort or pain.  This is still true in modern Lasik methods, and hopefully they are even better at keeping the client comfortable.  I do notice that now Lasik physicians also give a mild sedative mainly for psychological reasons, which I think I would have appreciated back then.

Two or three days after the Lasik operation I was astounded to find I had VERY clear vision in each eye, at least 20/20.  Considering my previous prescription, you can imagine how fervently I thanked my Lasik physician.  However, I did also have temporary symptoms of considerable dryness in each eye (which was helped by eye drops), and also halos around lights at night.

A few months after the Lasik method I noticed my vision changing a bit, though very slightly.  The best way I can describe it is that the crisp edges no longer looked exceedingly crisp, but each object still seemed to be in focus.  At my one year Lasik correction anniversary my physician said that one eye was still at 20/20, but the other had changed slightly to 20/40.  However, I was still a great statistic for the Lasik correction procedure, and we were both still happy with the results.

In the years between the original Lasik method and now, my vision is still 20/20 in one eye and 20/40 in the other.  I do have a pair of glasses and one contact lens for that eye, but rarely bother with them unless I am doing something like watching a movie.  My long track record after the Lasik method has given hope to a number of other people in my office.  I do want to say though that I was over 35 when I had the operation, and my Lasik physician said that the stability of my eyes and my age were good indicators that the Lasik results would be long term.

I hope this encourages people with bad vision to talk to a local Lasik physician about scheduling a Lasik method.  Find a physician that has a good track record, and one that you trust, and I hope that your long term Lasik results will be as good as mine!

My Day for Lasik Surgery

This story is for my family and friends who wonder what it is like to go through a Lasik vision correction procedure.  I’ve shared my experiences with one or two colleagues at work that have also had Lasik done, and there are enough variations to give insight to those who are trying to choose between different Lasik physicians or different Lasik centers.
First, my Lasik method was scheduled for 4 PM in the afternoon, which was fine with me.  One of the directions for patient that has just had a Lasik method was to go to sleep as soon as possible, in order for the healing process to begin as quickly as possible.  And usually by the end of the afternoon I am too tired after working all day to be very nervous.  Well, usually anyway.
I had only been there a few minutes when I was called into a room to prepare me for the Lasik method, and to get instructions (again!) on how to care for my eyes once the Lasik vision correction has been done.  They offered me some Ativan, which is a mild sedative just to keep me calm during the Lasik process.  The lasers themselves monitor any head or eye movement and turn themselves off when it occurs, so it isn’t that the sedative is for anything other than psychological reasons.  I took it anyway.  All of my colleagues at work also took it, though none of us really felt any different than we did before.  Apparently it is a VERY mild sedative.
My eyes were prepared for the Lasik method by being dosed with eye numbing drops and some kind of medication.  I cannot be sure of the other pre-operative steps, as I think I was trying very hard not to think about either Lasik or my eyes.  Perhaps the sedative was a bit stronger than I imagined it was.
At this point I was escorted into another room for some time, where I sat back, listened to the piped-in music, and awaited my turn in the Lasik operating room.  There were two other people waiting with me in this room, so apparently my doctor different setup for his Lasik patients than my colleagues.  Both were alone in their pre-op rooms until they were escorted into the room where the Lasik method was actually performed.
As to the Lasik method itself, all of us have similar memories from this procedure.  Each of us felt some pressure when the various Lasik implements were used on our eyes, though there wasn’t any real discomfort or pain.  There was a blurring of vision for the eye being worked on, but the real sensation was mainly audio – the whirring and clicks of the machine.  One of my colleagues also remembers a distinct smell, somewhat reminiscent of hair burning.  There may have been a slight smell during my Lasik method, but it wasn’t significant enough for my attention to be focused on it.

After a short amount of time, my Lasik physician said he was done and that I had been a good patient.  In all of our Lasik experiences, the operation itself was much easier than all of our worries about it beforehand.  I hope this helps those of you considering having a Lasik method done.