Thursday, October 25, 2012

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LASIK: Eye Did It! (A Mom's Guide to LASIK)


3 weeks ago I did it.  I received perfect eyesight, better than perfect actually, I am seeing with 20/15 vision right now.  And it's pretty amazing.  And guess what?  It's the best thing I have ever done for myself.

I hemmed and hawed for 2 years and finally made the decision. Then I took my time choosing the optometrist & surgeon I felt most comfortable with.  Next, came the actual procedure and I was ready for it.

I have heard from many of you that you would be "too scared" to have LASIK done.  There is no reason to be - honestly - especially if you want to be glasses free.  Let me walk you through what I experienced.

The Night Before - I was nervous, no lie.  But mainly because I didn't know what it would feel like to consciously know my eyeball was being cut open.  They encourage you to stay up a bit late so that you are tired the next day to sleep.  But as a busy mom of 3, I can't keep my eyes open past 10 (no pun intended).

The Morning Of - Anxious. Still nervous but with a "Let's Do It!" attitude.  My appointment wasn't until 11am, but I was up and ready to go by 7.  

One Hour Before - We arrived at our appointment at Eye LASIK Austin.  My friend drove me, as I was soon to receive a valium and that would not make for a safe trip home alone.  I donned my stylish surgical cap and watched the minutes tick by very slowly on the clock.
30 Minutes Before - I met with both Dr. Walters and Dr. Zamora for any last questions (none- let's go!!) and took my valium. At this point, nerves were set in fully, so I was very happy to take something that would relax me.  

The Procedure - Straight up 11am, we walk into the surgery room.  I lay down on a table and we begin.  Both Dr. Walters and the Center Director explained step by step everything they were doing. It allowed for no surprises when someone was telling me, "You will hear this noise" or "Your vision will blur slightly, this is normal." I found it extremely comforting and really made it a good experience.

Your eyes are numbed for the entire procedure, so there is really no pain.  There is a bit of pressure when your eye is being held open with a speculum, but that is about the most uncomfortable I felt.  It was unnerving knowing when the flap of my corneas were being made but before you can ponder that too long, you are moved under the laser for the actual surgery.


Just look at an orange light.  That is all I had to do.  The light was hazy, then all went black (which they said it would), then came back and gradually became sharper and sharper.  Then I was done.  I think the hardest part of the procedure came when Dr. Walters smoothed my cornea flap across my eye, but even that lasted less than 10 seconds.

One eye down, one to go - y'all it was that quick.  I was in the car and we were pulling out of the parking lot by 11:18 am. I was told to rest my eyes the whole way home and crawl into bed.  But I couldn't resist it.  I peeked.  My heart leapt as I could read the Mopac sign...without glasses on.

I had no problems sleeping the recommended 6 hours.....and then some. The valium knocked me out, which was the best thing for my eyes.  I had a cute sleeping mask to keep me from rubbing my eyes in my sleep.  I woke up occasionally, put in my eye drops and drifted back to sleep.

I was perfectly capable to drive myself to my appointment with Dr. Zamora the next morning.  I let out a big yell when he said I was reading at 20/15.  I needed to continue with an easy eye drop regimen and not rub my eyes for a few weeks - that about summed up my "recovery".  Crazy momma that I was scheduled my son's 10th birthday and had 3 games that weekend.  Back to the swing of things...only this time with my "new eyes".

The last few weeks I have had occasionally bouts of dryness in my eyes which makes my vision a bit hazy.  Dr. Zamora assured me this is completely normal, as the swelling in my eyes are still going down. In the meantime, I don't leave the house with out my artificial tears, which really feel great.

LASIK was a decision for me and I am so very happy I had it done.  I love being able to see the clock in the morning, excited to see the TV across the room, and thrilled to not go for a run wearing my glasses anymore.  I love to throw on my sunglasses and hop in the car - perfect vision. 

But most of all, I feel confident - I can't say that LASIK boosted my self-esteem, or that I feel like I look that different.  But doing something special for myself has made me feel good.  I am proud that I had the courage to do it.  

This article is the last of a three-part series on my LASIK experience.  Read here to find out about my decision to have it done and here to hear about how I chose my provider.

This is a series of sponsored posts by Advanced Eye Care and Surgery and Eye LASIK Austin.  All opinions are my own.

2 comments:

Amanda said...

I was totally on board till the part where you said "eye being held open with a speculum". I am a wimp. A blind wimp...:)

Congratulations! I really am jealous!

Macey said...

Yep, 20/15 is what my dad ended up with too! It's amazing isn't it!!
And also, if I couldn't rub my eyes for any reason I'd start feeling like my eyes were itchy and would want to rub em.