Friday, June 1, 2012

Laser Eye Surgery - A Sharp Eye On That!


Dear readers,

it's true, this is the first time I am able to write to you without being literally glued to the screen... I was short-sighted since I am 17 years old as I have an astigmatism inherited from my mum that came into play in my teenage years. Unfortunately, my eyes have some more peculiar features. I could not get used to wearing glasses no matter how long I would try to wear them. I always saw the rim of the glass and got spacy when I tried to move. So basically, I could only watch TV with them... contact lenses weren't a whole lot better, either. I tried EVERY kind of contacts that you can imagine: regular, toric, soft and hard kinds, small-sized ones, super oxygen-permeable ones and ALL sorts of cleaning fluids. My eyes would reject them in any case, I could always feel them in my eyes and I could always see the rim, especially when I blinked. Also, the lenses would drain the natural fluids in my eyes and I was prone to eye infections if I wore them regularly.
For months and months, I would just take my faith and lived my life without any eye-wear at all. My eyes felt great but I had to cross the street to read the sign, I never singled out cute guys, etc... not too great either. So, my doctor finally recommended eye surgery for me as being my last option. I had the best preconditions: My eye-sight stayed consistent for years and my eyes were otherwise healthy with a thick protection layer and I am still relatively young (28 years) which gives me at least 15 years before to think of glasses again (presbyopia hits between 40-45 years of age).

To cut a long story short: I did it!! I chose the newest institute in my country with the most advanced equipment and had the surgery done by the head of department himself - it is a major intervention and not as harmless as they tell you! In fact, you need to be very brave and help the docs to make it right! You need to be motionless in a specific head position and focus on specific points and so on... if you were fully unconscious it wouldn't work! You realize everything that's going from fasten your eyelids to the burning of your eye by the laser (the sizzling noise and smell!). To be able to cope with all of this you get sedatives in advance. I am totally against medication of any kind but I told to myself that if I give my life in the hands of the medical paradigm I need to stick with it and I really think that was a wise decision!! I also took and still continue to take the prescribed eye drops every few hours which contain antibiotics and cortisone (both of which I actually hate to feed my body with!). Again, my stand is that if you do it, better do it all the way.
The first few hours after the surgery were hell. I wanted to scratch my eyes out and I needed to sleep with my sunglasses on to prevent rubbing them at night. I couldn't see anything and had a hard time to even open a door, let alone trying to call someone - impossible. I cramped in bed in pain and so forth... no fun! Beware, they tell you that you feel "uncomfortable" after the surgery but this is a vast understatement! When I got up the next day, surprisingly though, I felt almost like any other day. I was calm and didn't feel exhausted at all. My eyes were sensitive in the sense that they couldn't take direct sunlight and my vision was still a little blurry but other than that I felt just fine. I went to see my regular doctor a day after the regular check-up in the clinic and she congratulated me for the excellent work these folks had done. No kidding, this was the best treatment out there!

                                                    As seen by me... all equally sharp!

Things I have to follow from now on:

- NEVER rubbing my eyes - this habit must die, it's not good for the eyes in the first place
- taking eye drops regularly for 4 weeks in total
- no make-up for 4 weeks
- no exercise for 4 weeks besides walking
- no washing my hair for a few days (thank god for dry shampoo)
- wearing sun glasses outside and in bed, mainly to prevent anything touching my eyes

This is really a serious intervention but I feel like a new person being able to see in the distance all day every day! This is the justification for me to push my body through so much stress. It was not an easy decision at all, believe me!


What do you guys think of laser surgery for eye-sight correction? Have you done it also or do you know anybody who had good or bad experiences with it? I'd like to know, as always!

Take care, until next time!
Best,
ur Blk-Gypsy xx

2 comments:

  1. I'm probably going to get lasik in the next few years, if all goes as planned. Glasses and contacts especially can really become a burden!!!
    Thanx for sharing your experience dear!

    xx

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  2. Hi Tina, now that I am walking around with my "new eyes" for a bit I tend to forget the hazzles I experienced during and after the surgery. I feel like a new person, it's awesome!! I am so happy I could help, hon - thanks for letting me know :-)

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