Details, before I forget
This won't be my last LASIK post, but it will be the longest (unless my eyes explode, in which case I'll write a really long complaint after buying a Braille keyboard). Here I describe my entire experience for posterity's sake.
Morning of the Procedure
I had a dental appointment at 10am, and it only takes one minute to walk to my dentist's office, but I woke up at 8am so I could have a nice, leisurely shower and breakfast. Got my teeth scraped and polished, received the usual compliments on how well I care for them. When I told my dentist I was having LASIK that day, he said he'd had it done two years ago, and SURPRISE! Same surgeon as mine. He had a great experience, so yay.
Pre-Op
My LASIK appointment was at 11:30. I arrived at 11:15 and immediately requested drugs. They gave me Valium. I sat down and looked at hot guy GAP ads in Vanity Fair for less than five minutes, then I was called into an exam room.
A man-nurse gave me a bunch of eye drops (antibiotic, anesthetic, etc.), then the staff optometrist (not the surgeon) conducted another eye test to compare the results with the test they performed two weeks ago. I'm "very consistent," and the tests indicated I had the potential to see better than 20/20, but not quite 20/15 (not everyone is physically capable). Several more tests, including a 3D scan with the Wavefront mapper, whose results are fed into the laser to tell it exactly where to shoot. The optometrist drew two dots in each eye with a marker, which the laser's tracker uses as reference points.
Step 1: Flap Creation
The Valium was in full effect at this point. I let them lead me into a lab, where I sat down in a chair, then reclined almost fully. Nurses put suction cups and some other things I couldn't identify (clamps, maybe) on my eyes to hold them open. The numbing drops prevented me from feeling the dryness. I heard the whirs of the IntraLase laser as it maneuvered into position, right on top of the suction cup. It zapped my eyes one at a time, probably thirty seconds each. No pain, but a little uncomfortable pressure. I saw some funky effects: everything was awash in a black-light-esque deep purple. I saw little dots appearing next to each other in rows. These may have been the oxygen bubbles that the laser was planting slightly below the surface of my cornea. I could still see, but everything was gray and blurry.
After that, I was led to a chair outside the lab and given water. I sat there for probably half an hour in blissful, drowsy comfort, waiting for the oxygen bubbles created by the IntraLase laser to expand, separating the superficial layer from the rest of the cornea, thus forming the flap. While this was occurring, a nurse gave me a metric shit ton of eye drops to dilate my pupils to the maximum.
Step 2: Blast, Baby, Blast
Once my pupils were dilated, I was led into another lab, where I lied flat on a table. My eyelids were taped open, and again (I think) clamps to hold the eyes in place. The excimer laser hovered over me, and the surgeon told me to stare at the red blinking light. She used something to pull down the flap (spatula, little tweezers, I don't know), then activated the laser. It had a computerized voice saying something unintelligible, then it fired. White lights revolved around me, leaving purple aftereffects. The surgeon kept repeating "look at the red light" over and over again, holding my chin to keep my head still (a little movement was okay because the laser can track eye movements). After the first eye was done, the surgeon replaced the flap and covered the eye. Then the same treatment was applied to the other eye. Probably took 2-3 minutes per eye, no pain whatsoever.
Post-Op
I was able to sit up as soon as my corneal flaps were repositioned. Everything looked very hazy, but I could discern enough detail to recognize people. I was led back into an exam room, where the man-nurse explained my eye drop regimen and other home care essentials. Then I was led out to the reception area, where I was picked up by a driver they'd hired to take me home and walk me into my apartment.
Recovery
Once I got home, I took a piss, set my alarm, and went straight to bed. The eyes must be kept shut for four hours in order to put the corneal flaps on the path to proper healing. I had eye shields taped to my face to keep me from rubbing my eyes in my sleep. I snuck a couple peeks but mostly complied with the four-hour rule. When I woke up, things were a bit clearer. I could get around easily, but my eyes were still dilated, so I couldn't focus on very much. Typing at my computer was uncomfortable (this iMac's lowest brightness setting is "white dwarf star," I fucking swear), so I put in my eye drops and hit the hay at 9:30pm. I think I fell asleep pretty quickly.
The Next Day
This morning was like being a kid on Christmas, meaning I woke up at 4am with nothing to do but lie in the dark and wait for the rest of the world to catch up with me. I tossed and turned, managed to sleep for a wee bit longer, then formally arose at 7am. I was eager to see the world, thrilled that I could easily make out the time on my alarm clock, but was a little bummed that everything was still so... hazy. I could discern detail, but it was like there was a film over everything... imagine waking up from a nap wherein you forgot to remove your contact lenses beforehand.
I showered, ate breakfast, and comforted myself by re-reading my post-op instructions, which said I would have hazy vision for several weeks while the flaps healed. When I left my apartment and walked down the street, I was immediately stunned by how much more detail I could see in the distance. I saw details in cars whizzing through an intersection two blocks away that I'd never noticed before. Signs above stores were clearer. To use photographer vernacular: my eyes' depth of field got hella deeper. It was awesome. Still hazy, but awesome.
At 9am I arrived for my first post-op exam. The optometrist confirmed that my flaps were aligned and healing, then he conducted a quick eye test. I was able to barely read half the letters in a very tiny row on the wall chart, which means that my eyesight is now better than 20/20, but not quite 20/15. It will probably fluctuate a little before it stabilizes completely in the coming months, but considering I'm seeing better than 20/20 less than 24 hours after the procedure, it's pretty clear that I got the best results possible.
I'm doing even better tonight. The haziness is a bit diminished, and I can work on my iMac for longer periods of time without taking a break. I shined a flashlight in my eyes to see if they look any different, and they don't. Not even a burst blood vessel, which happens to people like me who overwear their contact lenses.
I don't have that giddy "OMFG freedom from contacts and glasses!" feeling yet, mostly because my eye drops and sleep shields are higher maintenance than contacts and glasses, but once I'm fully healed and the haze goes away, my vision will be as close to perfect as possible.
Holy fucking shit, I'm so happy :)
Morning of the Procedure
I had a dental appointment at 10am, and it only takes one minute to walk to my dentist's office, but I woke up at 8am so I could have a nice, leisurely shower and breakfast. Got my teeth scraped and polished, received the usual compliments on how well I care for them. When I told my dentist I was having LASIK that day, he said he'd had it done two years ago, and SURPRISE! Same surgeon as mine. He had a great experience, so yay.
Pre-Op
My LASIK appointment was at 11:30. I arrived at 11:15 and immediately requested drugs. They gave me Valium. I sat down and looked at hot guy GAP ads in Vanity Fair for less than five minutes, then I was called into an exam room.
A man-nurse gave me a bunch of eye drops (antibiotic, anesthetic, etc.), then the staff optometrist (not the surgeon) conducted another eye test to compare the results with the test they performed two weeks ago. I'm "very consistent," and the tests indicated I had the potential to see better than 20/20, but not quite 20/15 (not everyone is physically capable). Several more tests, including a 3D scan with the Wavefront mapper, whose results are fed into the laser to tell it exactly where to shoot. The optometrist drew two dots in each eye with a marker, which the laser's tracker uses as reference points.
Step 1: Flap Creation
The Valium was in full effect at this point. I let them lead me into a lab, where I sat down in a chair, then reclined almost fully. Nurses put suction cups and some other things I couldn't identify (clamps, maybe) on my eyes to hold them open. The numbing drops prevented me from feeling the dryness. I heard the whirs of the IntraLase laser as it maneuvered into position, right on top of the suction cup. It zapped my eyes one at a time, probably thirty seconds each. No pain, but a little uncomfortable pressure. I saw some funky effects: everything was awash in a black-light-esque deep purple. I saw little dots appearing next to each other in rows. These may have been the oxygen bubbles that the laser was planting slightly below the surface of my cornea. I could still see, but everything was gray and blurry.
After that, I was led to a chair outside the lab and given water. I sat there for probably half an hour in blissful, drowsy comfort, waiting for the oxygen bubbles created by the IntraLase laser to expand, separating the superficial layer from the rest of the cornea, thus forming the flap. While this was occurring, a nurse gave me a metric shit ton of eye drops to dilate my pupils to the maximum.
Step 2: Blast, Baby, Blast
Once my pupils were dilated, I was led into another lab, where I lied flat on a table. My eyelids were taped open, and again (I think) clamps to hold the eyes in place. The excimer laser hovered over me, and the surgeon told me to stare at the red blinking light. She used something to pull down the flap (spatula, little tweezers, I don't know), then activated the laser. It had a computerized voice saying something unintelligible, then it fired. White lights revolved around me, leaving purple aftereffects. The surgeon kept repeating "look at the red light" over and over again, holding my chin to keep my head still (a little movement was okay because the laser can track eye movements). After the first eye was done, the surgeon replaced the flap and covered the eye. Then the same treatment was applied to the other eye. Probably took 2-3 minutes per eye, no pain whatsoever.
Post-Op
I was able to sit up as soon as my corneal flaps were repositioned. Everything looked very hazy, but I could discern enough detail to recognize people. I was led back into an exam room, where the man-nurse explained my eye drop regimen and other home care essentials. Then I was led out to the reception area, where I was picked up by a driver they'd hired to take me home and walk me into my apartment.
Recovery
Once I got home, I took a piss, set my alarm, and went straight to bed. The eyes must be kept shut for four hours in order to put the corneal flaps on the path to proper healing. I had eye shields taped to my face to keep me from rubbing my eyes in my sleep. I snuck a couple peeks but mostly complied with the four-hour rule. When I woke up, things were a bit clearer. I could get around easily, but my eyes were still dilated, so I couldn't focus on very much. Typing at my computer was uncomfortable (this iMac's lowest brightness setting is "white dwarf star," I fucking swear), so I put in my eye drops and hit the hay at 9:30pm. I think I fell asleep pretty quickly.
The Next Day
This morning was like being a kid on Christmas, meaning I woke up at 4am with nothing to do but lie in the dark and wait for the rest of the world to catch up with me. I tossed and turned, managed to sleep for a wee bit longer, then formally arose at 7am. I was eager to see the world, thrilled that I could easily make out the time on my alarm clock, but was a little bummed that everything was still so... hazy. I could discern detail, but it was like there was a film over everything... imagine waking up from a nap wherein you forgot to remove your contact lenses beforehand.
I showered, ate breakfast, and comforted myself by re-reading my post-op instructions, which said I would have hazy vision for several weeks while the flaps healed. When I left my apartment and walked down the street, I was immediately stunned by how much more detail I could see in the distance. I saw details in cars whizzing through an intersection two blocks away that I'd never noticed before. Signs above stores were clearer. To use photographer vernacular: my eyes' depth of field got hella deeper. It was awesome. Still hazy, but awesome.
At 9am I arrived for my first post-op exam. The optometrist confirmed that my flaps were aligned and healing, then he conducted a quick eye test. I was able to barely read half the letters in a very tiny row on the wall chart, which means that my eyesight is now better than 20/20, but not quite 20/15. It will probably fluctuate a little before it stabilizes completely in the coming months, but considering I'm seeing better than 20/20 less than 24 hours after the procedure, it's pretty clear that I got the best results possible.
I'm doing even better tonight. The haziness is a bit diminished, and I can work on my iMac for longer periods of time without taking a break. I shined a flashlight in my eyes to see if they look any different, and they don't. Not even a burst blood vessel, which happens to people like me who overwear their contact lenses.
I don't have that giddy "OMFG freedom from contacts and glasses!" feeling yet, mostly because my eye drops and sleep shields are higher maintenance than contacts and glasses, but once I'm fully healed and the haze goes away, my vision will be as close to perfect as possible.
Holy fucking shit, I'm so happy :)