(no subject)
So, all the information I'd had about what would happen on the day of treatment suggested I would be there anywhere from 2-3 hours to half a day. Neil & I got there for five to two where we went and sat in the waiting area. One of the women I'd seen at the consultation said hello and asked how I was feeling. I guess I was feeling a little nervous, not really sure what would happen.
We sat for maybe five/ten minutes before I was called in to repeat two of the tests they'd done at the consultation & then we were taken upstairs to the waiting area there. Waited a little while there and I then went in to see the surgeon. He did a quick check of my eyes and told me I was suitable, did I have any questions etc. When I say quick, I mean quick. His attitude seemed to be that he wanted me in and out as quick as possible. He told me then that I'd be in very soon & out after ten minutes. It wasn't even half 2 yet.
Went back outside whilst the woman who was going after me went in to see him. I was taken into the laser room, given an attractive hairnet and lay down on the seat. The two nurses in there gave me the anaesthetic eye drops and we waited for the surgeon to come in.
There were two machines, the one on the right which did the correction and I think also served as a viewer for the surgeon and the one on the left which created the corneal flap. The chair was swung to the right and the surgeon put a suction ring around my right eye. This created some pressure on my eye and then I was swung round to the left where the machine was brought right down onto the suction cup. It had a ring of white lights which I could see with my left eye. This machine put even more pressure on my right eye and when it came up my right eye was a complete blur. They then swung me back and did the same with the left eye.
They put a cover over my left eye, some forceps to keep my right eye open and I could see the surgeon move the flap from my eye. Well, I couldn't see the flap but I saw his instruments and then my vision went hazy. I was put under the first machine were there was a red light surrounded by a sort of orange haze. Every so often it would change slightly the way a camera tries to autofocus. I was frozen in place and the surgeon just repeated keep very still now keep very still. This was a bit disconcerting because I didn't know if he was saying it to reming me or because I was moving my eye. I don't have a clue. In the last five seconds you could smell gases and then a smell like burning hair and then I could see the red light perfectly. Out came some more instruments to move the flap back and the eye was brushed with what looked like a white feather on a stick.
Then the cover was slapped over my right eye and they did the same to my left eye. Except when it came to smoothing the flap back over it appeared that the surgeon was annoyed. He kept brushing at it and I could feel it jabbing at the side of my eye which was quite uncomfortable. Obviously this eye was being difficult so he put in a contact lens for extra protection. That was it. I got up and I could read the clock on the wall.
It was extremely unpleasant. I came out and the first thing I said to Neil was that it had been horrible. His response was that he knew. He didn't want to tell me what it was actually like because he knew I wouldn't do it. I went into a darkened room where I was given my drops and told how often to take them. Every two hours from when I got in until when I went to bed & then four times a day for the first 7 days. I have three different drops I have to use, one of which gives me a horrible taste in the back of my throat. I waited whilst the surgeon did the surgery on the woman after me, it didn't seem as long as I'd been in for though I'm sure it was. Then we went in to his little room and he looked at my eyes again and shook my hand and said I could go home.
We walked out just after 3pm so Neil rang Mum to see where she was as she was picking us up. I was pretty miserable as by this stage my vision had gone hazy and I was walking with my eyes half closed. Mum drove us home and I attempted to put my eye drops in. I wasn't very good at it, kept missing and putting the drops on my cheek but once I'd done them I went to bed, put on the sexy goggles I have to wear to bed for a week and kept my eyes closed.
I don't think I dozed off but I remember looking at the time around half four and being in so much agony. If I opened my eyes big drops of tears fell onto the sheets. My eyes seemed to be going slightly crusty, grity and painful. The paid spread all the way across my head so it was more a painful headache than eye ache. I was practically crying into Neil's arms although it didn't feel like I had anything left to cry out. It was horrible. I remember saying that I was so scared that I'd heal with a prescription because there was no way I could do this again. I couldn't open my eyes barely which made it very difficult as Neil was offering to put in some artificial tears which is one of the three drops I have and can use as often as required. Eventually he managed to get some in and then I had some ibuprofen and paracetamol and tried to have a nap.
It worked, I woke up two hours later and the headache was dulled to a throb. So much better. I took more drops and went back to bed for a bit. Neil made me something to eat and I was amazed at how much I could see. Still a bit hazy round the edges but I can read things and so on. Took more drops at ten and had some pizza and then went to bed.
Woke up around 3am and half 5, both times my eyes felt gritty, my left more so than my right so I out more artificial tears in and went back to sleep. I awoke again at half 7 and stayed awake listening to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets until it was time to go for my check up. I could see so much better than I could last night. I can read the signs on the station platform outside the flat window which I couldn't read last night. Long distance vision seemed much better than short distance and my right was much better than my left.
Arrived and had my prescription taken on the machine where you look at a balloon at the end of a road and then waited to see the ophthalmologist. She got me to cover my left eye and read the chart. She told me I was reading at better than 20/20 already. It was slightly blurry and when I covered my right eye everything was a blur but when she looked at my eyes and realised that the surgeon had put a contact lens in she took it out and I could see better than 20/20 in the left eye and could see so much better without the contact in.
I'm absolutely amazed. I went in for 2pm, was home by 4pm and by half 6 I was, for the most part, quite content. By half 8 I was back to my old self, although a bit hazy round the edges and this morning it was mostly irritation from having a contact lens in my left eye. Since that's been taken out I feel fine & now it can only get better.
However yesterday in the two hours after getting home I experienced so much pain that I was dreading the thought of healing with a prescription and needing to go through it all again. Now I'm thinking that actually I'd still recommend it because I was half expecting the pain to last all night making it impossible to sleep when now I know that once I got some eye drops in and took some painkillers it made it bearable and after that hurdle it's been amazing.
We sat for maybe five/ten minutes before I was called in to repeat two of the tests they'd done at the consultation & then we were taken upstairs to the waiting area there. Waited a little while there and I then went in to see the surgeon. He did a quick check of my eyes and told me I was suitable, did I have any questions etc. When I say quick, I mean quick. His attitude seemed to be that he wanted me in and out as quick as possible. He told me then that I'd be in very soon & out after ten minutes. It wasn't even half 2 yet.
Went back outside whilst the woman who was going after me went in to see him. I was taken into the laser room, given an attractive hairnet and lay down on the seat. The two nurses in there gave me the anaesthetic eye drops and we waited for the surgeon to come in.
There were two machines, the one on the right which did the correction and I think also served as a viewer for the surgeon and the one on the left which created the corneal flap. The chair was swung to the right and the surgeon put a suction ring around my right eye. This created some pressure on my eye and then I was swung round to the left where the machine was brought right down onto the suction cup. It had a ring of white lights which I could see with my left eye. This machine put even more pressure on my right eye and when it came up my right eye was a complete blur. They then swung me back and did the same with the left eye.
They put a cover over my left eye, some forceps to keep my right eye open and I could see the surgeon move the flap from my eye. Well, I couldn't see the flap but I saw his instruments and then my vision went hazy. I was put under the first machine were there was a red light surrounded by a sort of orange haze. Every so often it would change slightly the way a camera tries to autofocus. I was frozen in place and the surgeon just repeated keep very still now keep very still. This was a bit disconcerting because I didn't know if he was saying it to reming me or because I was moving my eye. I don't have a clue. In the last five seconds you could smell gases and then a smell like burning hair and then I could see the red light perfectly. Out came some more instruments to move the flap back and the eye was brushed with what looked like a white feather on a stick.
Then the cover was slapped over my right eye and they did the same to my left eye. Except when it came to smoothing the flap back over it appeared that the surgeon was annoyed. He kept brushing at it and I could feel it jabbing at the side of my eye which was quite uncomfortable. Obviously this eye was being difficult so he put in a contact lens for extra protection. That was it. I got up and I could read the clock on the wall.
It was extremely unpleasant. I came out and the first thing I said to Neil was that it had been horrible. His response was that he knew. He didn't want to tell me what it was actually like because he knew I wouldn't do it. I went into a darkened room where I was given my drops and told how often to take them. Every two hours from when I got in until when I went to bed & then four times a day for the first 7 days. I have three different drops I have to use, one of which gives me a horrible taste in the back of my throat. I waited whilst the surgeon did the surgery on the woman after me, it didn't seem as long as I'd been in for though I'm sure it was. Then we went in to his little room and he looked at my eyes again and shook my hand and said I could go home.
We walked out just after 3pm so Neil rang Mum to see where she was as she was picking us up. I was pretty miserable as by this stage my vision had gone hazy and I was walking with my eyes half closed. Mum drove us home and I attempted to put my eye drops in. I wasn't very good at it, kept missing and putting the drops on my cheek but once I'd done them I went to bed, put on the sexy goggles I have to wear to bed for a week and kept my eyes closed.
I don't think I dozed off but I remember looking at the time around half four and being in so much agony. If I opened my eyes big drops of tears fell onto the sheets. My eyes seemed to be going slightly crusty, grity and painful. The paid spread all the way across my head so it was more a painful headache than eye ache. I was practically crying into Neil's arms although it didn't feel like I had anything left to cry out. It was horrible. I remember saying that I was so scared that I'd heal with a prescription because there was no way I could do this again. I couldn't open my eyes barely which made it very difficult as Neil was offering to put in some artificial tears which is one of the three drops I have and can use as often as required. Eventually he managed to get some in and then I had some ibuprofen and paracetamol and tried to have a nap.
It worked, I woke up two hours later and the headache was dulled to a throb. So much better. I took more drops and went back to bed for a bit. Neil made me something to eat and I was amazed at how much I could see. Still a bit hazy round the edges but I can read things and so on. Took more drops at ten and had some pizza and then went to bed.
Woke up around 3am and half 5, both times my eyes felt gritty, my left more so than my right so I out more artificial tears in and went back to sleep. I awoke again at half 7 and stayed awake listening to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets until it was time to go for my check up. I could see so much better than I could last night. I can read the signs on the station platform outside the flat window which I couldn't read last night. Long distance vision seemed much better than short distance and my right was much better than my left.
Arrived and had my prescription taken on the machine where you look at a balloon at the end of a road and then waited to see the ophthalmologist. She got me to cover my left eye and read the chart. She told me I was reading at better than 20/20 already. It was slightly blurry and when I covered my right eye everything was a blur but when she looked at my eyes and realised that the surgeon had put a contact lens in she took it out and I could see better than 20/20 in the left eye and could see so much better without the contact in.
I'm absolutely amazed. I went in for 2pm, was home by 4pm and by half 6 I was, for the most part, quite content. By half 8 I was back to my old self, although a bit hazy round the edges and this morning it was mostly irritation from having a contact lens in my left eye. Since that's been taken out I feel fine & now it can only get better.
However yesterday in the two hours after getting home I experienced so much pain that I was dreading the thought of healing with a prescription and needing to go through it all again. Now I'm thinking that actually I'd still recommend it because I was half expecting the pain to last all night making it impossible to sleep when now I know that once I got some eye drops in and took some painkillers it made it bearable and after that hurdle it's been amazing.