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My Laser Surgery Adventure

 
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Shaliza



Joined: 17 Oct 2004
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Mon Oct 18, 2004 6:58 pm    Post subject: My Laser Surgery Adventure Reply with quote

My Laser Surgery Adventure


By Elizabeth H., Journalist


Laser surgery has been around for years. Initially used in the Soviet Union, laser surgery is now commonplace around the world. Currently, the most common corrective laser eye surgery is LASIK (Laser-Assisted-In-Situ Keratomileusis). A microkeratome (an automated microsurgical instrument) is used to create a corneal flap, and then the laser is used to precisely and gently reshape the cornea. The flap is replaced and within minutes natural forces hold the flap down on the cornea.

I become interested in laser surgery as 20 years of contact lens wearing had resulted in dry painful eyes that sent me back to regular glasses. I started investigating laser corrective surgery as an answer to my eye problems. What follows are my experiences in the world of laser surgery.

I live in Germany though I was born and raised in Canada. I planned all along to get the procedure in Canada, since many Canadian laser centres have many years experience with laser corrective surgery and the various types of procedures. Experience is key to successful eye correction with laser surgery. Some estimates put the figure at about 600 procedures before true competence in the surgery is attained. With this in mind, I planned at trip back home to Toronto in the fall of 2004 to see if I was a candidate. What I thought would be a routine experience turned out to be a bit more complicated than I originally planned, requiring me to use the latest technology in LASIK surgery, so that I would be free of glasses for the rest of my life.


Before Surgery

The two main factors in determining if a person is a candidate for the surgery is mainly based on your pupil size and cornea thickness. During my prescreening at the laser centre, I found out that my pupil size was normal. However, my corneas turned out to be thinner than normal and also quite steep. These two factors increased my risk of complications during the healing process. Honestly, I was very surprised to hear that I have thin corneas. I naively thought that thin corneas were normally found in people with high eye prescriptions. My prescription was -3.50 in my right eye and -4.0 in my left eye, with slight astigmatism in both eyes - it never occurred to me that I would have thin corneas! I automatically thought that my hopes for a laser procedure were over. However, I was then informed that there is a new laser procedure - IntraLASIK. The cornea flap is created with a laser instead of the normal microkeratome blade. This results in created a thinner flap with more accuracy, and therefore reducing the risk of healing complications. However, this new LASIK procedure is fairly new, and as a result, the long term effects are still to be seen. I felt like a guinea pig.

However, after doing some more research and consulting with my eye doctor I decided to go through with the IntraLASIK procedure. IntraLASIK is more expensive than the normal LASIK procedure, but when it comes to getting the best for my eyes, money is not an issue. Although the IntraLASIK is expensive, when compared to getting a “normal” LASIK procedure done in Germany, it is almost the same price (and IntraLASIK in not yet available in Germany).

On the day of the surgery, I was feeling nervous, but also excited that the day had finally arrived where I may no longer need glasses or contact lenses. After a getting an explanation of the drops we would be using after the surgery, I had a short meeting with my surgeon who answered all my last minute questions. Afterwards, they put various drops in my eye and offered me a sedative which I gratefully accepted.

The surgery took about 10 - 15 minutes in total. My mother, who accompanied me, was able to watch my procedure on a large TV screen, and found it extremely interesting. Right after the surgery, my vision was a bit blurry, but I could still see everything around me - it was like looking through contact lenses that haven’t been clean for awhile. After resting for awhile in the clinic, I was giving special oversized sunglasses which had to be used at all times for the next 4 days. I was also giving night shields that had to be taped onto your face before going to bed, in order to prevent any rubbing of the eye while sleeping. I spent the rest of the day sleeping and putting drops in my eyes.


Just After Surgery With Sleeping Goggles On!


At my first check-up, one day after the surgery, I was already seeing 20/20. However, my eye doctor told me that my vision will fluctuate over the next 3 weeks and normal vision will stabilize over the next 1 - 3 months. During my first 2 weeks after my surgery, I experience some strange sensations in my eyes, but after talking to my eye doctor and other friends who already had lasik, they all informed that it was normal. I was also worried about my night vision. Before my surgery, I did note that when driving at night I saw slight halos around lights. The first week after my surgery, I noticed that the halos were brighter than normal, but now, 2 weeks later, the halos are almost the same as before my surgery.


With Daytime Sunglasses Goggles!

So that is how it stands now, I see without glasses! The only reminders that I had surgery are a couple of small red spots on the white part of my eyes which should go away in the next few weeks. In the end it was worth it. I never realized how dependent I was on my contacts, until I had laser surgery. If you are tired of wearing your glasses or contacts, check out the options and don’t hesitate to take advantage of the various opportunities in laser surgery.


Today And Wearing Sunglasses
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