From 20/425 to 20/15 in 10 seconds

A week ago today, my vision was about 20/425 in my right eye, with a substantial astigmatism, and 20/400 in my left eye, with minimal astigmatism.  Basically, I was blind as a bat without corrective lenses.  

For the past few years, I’ve struggled with my beloved soft contact lenses.  I’ve worn soft contacts every day of my life since the summer of 1973 with great success.  I even went about 20 years without a pair of glasses for backup.  A few years ago, I decided I needed to start wearing a toric lens in my right eye to correct my astigmatism, which had gotten bad enough that it needed correction.  I had worn a toric lens several years ago quite successfully, but they were substantially more expensive, so when that one needed replacing, I went back to a normal lens.  Toric lenses are still more expensive, but nearly as much so as they once were.  Unfortunately, I could not find a lens that didn’t rotate once I put it in my eye.  It would seem to be fine, but about an hour after inserting it, it would rotate about 5 degrees, making everything blurry and defeating the purpose of wearing it.  I struggled through 5 different brands and at least two or three different lenses in each brand, to no avail.  I finally gave up and got my first pair of glasses in 20 years.  I was quickly reminded why I hated glasses.  I longed for perfect vision.  My sister had had Lasik surgery several years ago and couldn’t say enough good things about it, but it had cost her $4,000.  Everyone I knew who’d had it, had spent over $2,000.  I just couldn’t justify spending that much money on something that wasn’t a necessity, not with a kid in college.

The newspaper always has an ad or two about Lasik, especially Sunday’s paper.  I’ve seen ads for Lasik for just $295 per eye, but there is always fine print.  I figured those ads were loss leaders, and that the majority of people wouldn’t qualify for the advertised price.  Then, my son-in-law’s sister had Lasik – for $295 per eye.  She said she wasn’t pressured into a higher priced option either.  So, I made the call and went in for a consultation.  While my astigmatism did mean I didn’t qualify for the $295 per eye surgery, I did qualify for the $495 per eye surgery.  That was still a great price.  Last Monday, I went in for my surgery.  

During the meeting with the surgeon, we discussed the fact that I’d likely need reading glasses after the surgery.  Given the fact that I needed them now when I had my contacts in, I expected that.  What I wasn’t sure about was whether I would need them to see my computer or not. If I did, that almost defeated the purpose of getting Lasik, since I spend all day in front of the computer and would pretty much need to wear glasses all day long.  We decided to try correcting just my right eye – my worst, and dominant, eye – and leave my left eye uncorrected.  That would allow me to read without glasses, but still have clear distance vision.  It would take my brain about two to four weeks to adapt, but once I adapted, I would have the best of both worlds – near and distance vision without correction.

They have you take this pain medication – Lyrica – 3 hours before surgery, then another dose when you arrive at the office.  Now, I’m one of those people who never takes pain meds besides ibuprofen or aspirin.  I have a very high pain threshold and a very low tolerance for drugs of any kind, including alcohol, but I did as I was instructed.  By the time I arrived at the office, I was feeling pretty loopy.  I took my second dose neverthless.  During the meeting with the surgeon just before surgery, he gave me a Valium.  They want you to be relaxed.  Within half an hour, I was really feeling wobbly, but surgery was imminent, and they want you to sleep afterward if you can.

I was taken into the surgery room, feet and hair covered in those booties and hair coverings doctors wear.  I laid down on a table where they put a shield over my left eye (the one not being corrected), put anesthetizing drops in my right eye, and then put something on my eye to keep it open.  Within seconds they had cut the flap.  Now, for those who don’t know how it works, they cut a very thin flap in your cornea with, in this case, a laser.  Then, they use a different laser that works off the scan they took of my eye during my consultation/exam a few days earlier, and blast away corneal tissue to create the reshaped cornea that will provide perfect vision.  The flap is then folded back into place, and you’re done!  So, they cut the flap, stood me up – everything is a very hazy gray blur of shapes at this point – walked me to a different table, upon which I laid, had me look at this green dot of light, and then started doing the correction.  There is a smell that kept my eye open, and I was finished!  They put drops in right away, so everything is foggy, but I can tell immediately that my vision is better.  That was it.  I was finished!

I sat in the waiting area for my daughter to pick me up, chatting with a fellow who was in for a consultation and marveling at my vision.  I was starting to feel really woozy though, and really just wanted to nap.  My eye felt like I had a hair in it – annoying but not painful.  My daughter arrived in a few minutes.  I donned the provided sunglasses, wobbled to her car, got in, and started feeling kind of queasy.  I realized I hadn’t eaten all day, and it was after 3PM.  We stopped at a McDonald’s, where I grabbed a Coke and a burger, and then we headed for home.  I really did just want to sleep, so tried to doze on the way home.  I was battling waves of nausea, which I attributed to both the drugs and the uneven vision that my brain was struggling to understand.  At last, I did fall asleep.  90 minutes later, we arrived at my house.  As I walked in, I was overwhelmed with nausea.  I went straight to the bathroom and vomited, then crawled to my bed.  I got in bed, fully clothed, and passed out.  I did not awaken until 4 hours later.  Even then, I awoke only briefly, put in the antibiotic drops they had given me, and fell back to sleep.  As I said, I am a lightweight when it comes to drugs, and I was definitely not handling the combination of the Lyrica and Valium well at all.  

The next morning, I awoke to clear vision.  Even with just one eye corrected, I could see like I’d never seen before.  I got up to make lunch for the Spouse, and could see as well as I did with my glasses on.  I could see crumbs on the counter, yet I could read the calendar on my refrigerator and the newspaper.  I had a follow-up appointment that morning, so I had to leave pretty early.  The one down side – you can’t wear any makeup at all the day of, or three days after, surgery, and you can’t wear eye makeup for a week.  That has been rough.  

My follow-up appointment went great.  My vision in my right eye is now 20/15!  After a few days of work, I realized that my corrected eye is the one that is in use when I am at my computer as it is about 3 feet away.  Not only that, I can actually read with my right eye in most situations.  If the light is dim, like lamplight in my living room, I need reading glasses, but at work, and most everywhere else, I can read without glasses.  So, I am going to have the left eye corrected Friday.  Eventually, I will need reading glasses for everything I read, but I shouldn’t need them for the computer for some time.  I can live with that.  This time around, I am not taking any pain meds beforehand, and only half a Valium.  I should be in a much better state after this go around.  

My daughter is having her surgery on Saturday.  She is even more nearsighted than I am, but has no astigmatism.  She can look forward to 20 years of correction free vision.  Lucky kid!