Eagle Eye

Yesterday I had Lasik done!

I had wanted to get it last year and had even set up the appointment with Dr. Scott Hyver and then I got laid off and couldn't really justify the expense knowing I wouldn't be having a steady income.

Now that I have a job, and espcially since I am doing the triathlon in June, I wanted to get it done asap so I could get serious with my training and not have to worry about doig it all with glasses. Maybe some of you are asking, jeeze, I talk to Hez almost everyday and she never mentioned it. I decided not to tell people for a few reasons. When I was thinking of it last year and talked about it, a lot of the reactions were not exactly what I wanted to hear. Some decided it was an opportunity to tell me of their own fears and reservations about Lasik and honestly, I was already pretty freaked out about it and didn't want to hear this stuff. So, that's why I kept it under wraps.

Anyways, here is what happened. On Friday I worked a half day and came home and cleaned my house, got some dinner ready, set up my Bose docking station and ipod in my bedroom prompted to Howard Stern's second Sirius show (thanks Mario!) and waited for Misty to come and pick me up. I felt like I was preparing to be completely incapacitated for the whole weekend, but honestly I didn't know what would happen. I am so thankful that Misty cleared her schedule for me and could go with me to the doctors. It really helped with my nerves having her there. (and as she said, it was like, we were just hanging out having a good time relaxing on a cozy couch and then you got your eyes fixed in the middle of it!)

Misty and Hez in the waiting room

We arrived at the doctor's office at 3:30pm, I had to go through a series of tests to make sure that my eyes had no last minute changes. Then I sat on the couch with Misty and we chatted and laughed and had a really great time. Close to 5pm my name was called and I went in for my procedure. After putting booties on my shoes and a hair cap thingy on my head, I was told to lay down on this swivel table and numbing drops were put in my right eye while my left I was covered. As I was being swiveled under the laser I thought two things: 1) this won't be so bad -- I'll just keep my eyes closed...ohhh shit. and 2) I don't want to do this.

Dr. Hyver came in and talked through everything that he was doing to me. First, he tells you to always look at the light and to follow it when it moves. Then he taped my upper and lower eyelashes out of the way, then he put a speculum in to open my eye wider, I had more numbing drops, which is a weird feeling when you can't blink the eye drops out of the way, then I think he did some marking on my eye which was strange. You can tell something is probably touching your eye where you've never touched before but you can't feel anything. Then he placed something on my eye which isolates the eyeball so it doesn't move around and I felt pressure but it wasn't unbearable, my vision blacked out and came back. Then he says that the light will get brighter, and blurrier and then clear again. Then he says its time for the laser and I just have to keep looking at the light and follow it where ever it moves. I heard clicking, for maybe 5 seconds and then it was done! He removed the isolator thing (I think! I can't remember when that came off) He put in more drops, and then his assistant removed the patch on my left eye and put numbing drops in that eye, then the speculum came out and my eye air dried for a little bit. More drops, some suction and sponging to remove excess drops/tearing and then they pulled the tape off my eyelids (not as bad as it sounds) and covered the right eye and moved on to the left.

The left side was better and worse. Better because I knew what to expect and worse because the pressure feeling was more pronounced and because I realized the part where the light gets brighter and blurrier is where he is cutting and removing the flap! Eeeew! But then that side was over in seconds and I was sitting up and being led to the outer room where the opthamologist checked my eyes out. I could see but it was a bit blurry, I was lightheaded from laying slightly inverted and my eyes were tearing like crazy. The assistant was telling me what drops to do when for when I get home and I honestly have no idea what he told me. I was too discombobulated to focus. He then gave me some sunglasses and ushered me out to the lobby where Misty was standing ready to go with my bag and coat. I wanted to tell her all about it and was trying to but the funniest thing happened. My body was totally shutting down or something, and I started to involuntarily shiver and I couldn't focus on what I was saying.

On the drive home I couldn't really look straight ahead because if I needed to move my eyes it felt like something was in them. So I looked at my knees and was getting kinda car sick. Luckily its a short drive home and she dropped me off and I said, I can't hug you... I need to go. Hahaha. I got inside and tried to read the instruction paper (I couldn't read it in the car because the light reflecting off the white paper was almost unbearable), and inside it was much easier. I put antibiotic drops in my eyes and then an anti-inflammatory. Got my pj's on, put water by my bed and a Tylenol PM, turned on my ipod and put on my protective sleep goggles (so I don't rub my eyes while I sleep). I listened to two hours of Stern and at about 8pm I could feel some discomfort in my right eye and put in some lubricating drops, popped that Tylenol PM and passed out until 7am this morning.

When I woke up this morning, I could totally see! Its weird. Its like I never wore glasses. And hey! That tree in my backyard has flowers on it! And OMG! Look at all those cobwebs in my house! I have a feeling the first thing I am going to do is clean now that I can see everything so clearly.

My eyes are a little fatigued feeling and a little sore around the edges and feel like they are strainingand I have a slight "behind the eye" headache, but imagine this is mostly from that isolator suction thing and having something pressed down on my eyeball. I can see perfect in the distance but when I need to focus up close on something my vision is a little wonky. I also have a little haze in my periphery...kinda like my own personal soft focus. My eyes definitely dry out but I just put drops in. Now, typing for the last few minutes is making that happen faster.

Honestly, this is the best thing I ever did. When I went in for my check up this morning they told me I have 20/15 vision right now. It was not painful at all at any time, just weird. The dentist is ten times worse. Really.

I went to Doctor Hyver because 1) Willo and Mai went to him -- props to the 'lo for my referral discount, 2) he was the nicest doctor with the nicest staff/office out of the three I researched and 3) he was the cheapest. Although money should be no object when getting your eyes burned out with lasers, all three doctors used the same technique so I felt ok making this decision. You should also know that the price of this procedure is effected geographically. Meaning, we will pay top price for this in SF whereas my cousin is looking at the procedure in Buffalo and the cost is practically half of what I paid. Interesting, huh?