The Eyes Have It!

So, it finally came to fruition - laser eye surgery! Biting that bullet almost broke my teeth but I summoned up my courage and am almost at 20/20 vision.

About a year ago I was given bi-focals. After one month of flapping about, suffering dizziness, nausea, running into walls, falling down stairs...yes, that's what I said...I walked into Lasik Md to find out if there was any way that I could avoid the misery of "getting used" to wearing bi-focals.

After a two hour examination and a quote to the tune of $3290 I shuffled out feeling deflated and defeated. The cost was clearly over my budget. My mind reeled at the very thought of having to wear bi-focals and feeling like I did...how was I going to manage for any length of time? How was I going to drive? Would I ever get used to wearing these things and functioning without continually injuring myself and feeling like I had the stomach flu every day?

About six months ago I started seeing little floaters in front of my eyes and sometimes I would even have little stars. As a result of seeing my optometrist, it seemed that I was showing the beginning signs of a detached retina. According to my doctor there was nothing to be done except to keep watch every few months. This wasn't a situation of "if", it was a situation of "when" and I was not about to sit around and wait for the "when". After reviewing how a detachment was corrected and learning about the amount of time that I would have to be off work, I quickly made off with a plan of attack.

I have never been one to just receive information at face value. Almost every time I make a decision it is as a result of timely research, pulling as much data that I can together to make an informed decision. Many situations in life can be avoided with a little planning. Proactive as opposed to Reactive...it's a motto that I stick by.

It seems that with laser surgery, the eye can be reshaped - voila...we have PROACTIVE! This is not to say that it will work but there is a great chance that the reshaping closes any opportunity or reduces the opportunity for the retina to detach. What the heck...I haven't lost anything by trying, infact, I gain sight!

So, I marched back into Lasik Md and this time it was $4000 - ouch! I was not a candidate for the regular lasik treatment as my cornea was too thin so I had to undergo the PRK with the new fandangled Zyoptix laser. It was this new laser that increased the price but given my set of circumstances, this was the best way to go. Hey...I only want the best for my eyes - they're the only set that I have!

The surgery itself, although psychologically freaky, didn't hurt. The procedure begins by taping your eyelashes back and then they have a little instrument to keep your eyes open and to stop you from blinking. Then they freeze your eyes with drops and with PRK, they take, what looks like a Braun Spinbrush, and scrub your eyes. Oh ya baby!! Then they laser them and you can smell the scent of burning eyeball. The eyes are flushed with cold water and this is such a great relief.

You are sent home with numbing eye drops and told that you may experience some discomfort. That's like telling me, when I was in labour, that I might have a few cramps!!!

About 2 hours after I got home, it felt like a had spilled acid on my eyeballs. The numbing drops would only hold me for a few hours and I was only allowed to use them every 6 hours. The Tylenol 3's were like peeing in the wind...USELESS!

I have had natural childbirth and a hysterectomy and I can say, with certainty, that this eye surgery was WORSE! I suffered for 3 days with this searing hot pain and I was unable to see. I "white-caned" it for most of last week and although my sight is still somewhat blurred, the pain is gone and the possibility of the detachment is gone.

In the end, if I knew what I know now, AND I didn't have the detachment to consider, I don't think I would have done this. That said, each client is different and each person has a different pain threshold but even with the piles of literature nothing really prepares you for the kind of pain that is associated with this type of surgery.

The staff and doctors were amazing and very sensitive to everyone's varying degrees of pain management.

So, there you have it. Cheers to my sight and seeing the world through my eyes!