Laser Eye Surgery

[kelownagirl]

Not sure whether I should put this in cycling related or not. One of the reasons I'm doing it is so I don't have the hassle of glasses and I can wear sunglasses when I ride.

Anyway, after much deliberation, I am going 'under the laser' today, in about an hour and a half. I have a very high prescription (-12) so I was not a good candidate for LASIK. Instead I will be getting PRK which is just as effective but has a longer healing time (3-5 days). The only real difference is that with LASIK, they actually cut a flap in the epithelium layer, use the laser to reshape the cornea, and then put the flap back in place. With PRK, they must remove the entire layer completely to gain a greater surface area to use the laser. It then takes about 5 days for that layer to grow back, and during that time, I will wear a special contact lens to protect it. There will be some 'discomfort' (don't you just love that word) primarily on the 3rd and 4th day. Listen for my whining on Friday I guess. :rolleyes:

It will take several months for my vision to stabilize and at that time, they will be able to determine if I need a second 'enhancement' surgery to fine tune my vision acuity. I've decided to go for monovision which means they will slightly undercorrect my non-dominant eye so I can read and see long distances. That can take up to a month or more to get used to.

I am very confident about the procedure and I'm not worried about the pain or about any problems but, as I was writing on the OTA thread, I am experiencing all sorts of unexpected, weird emotional issues about the loss of my bad vision! Having bad vision is a big part of who I am - it's been a big part of my life for 40 years. I am feeling overwhelmed with the idea that I will be able to walk around and see clearly without glasses!! I was watching a Youtube video of a woman getting treatment the other day and really identified with her reaction to looking around the room immediately afterwards. It brought tears to my eyes to see her amazement and disbelief.

I realize lots of people go through this surgery all the time and I have no idea if they feel the same way I do, but maybe that aspect is more impactful because I'm older and have lived with these bad eyes for such a long time.

Who knows. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on how it goes, assuming I can handle looking at a computer screen later on today. If not, you may not hear from me again before the weekend. :)

Biggest downside - no swimming for two weeks, and probably no biking or running or workouts at the gym for the rest of the week....

[jusdooit]

Hope healing comes quickly. You are far braver than I. I figure by my luck I would be the one in a million who lost their sight. my correction is -7.5 with major astigmatism. I've worn corrective lenses since age seven (now 46). I wore those extended wear contacts for a short while, it was so cool to see in the morning.

Good luck.

[LBTC]

probably no biking or running or workouts at the gym for the rest of the week....

Good gravy, I should think not! You're having your eyes operated on!!! Let them heal first!

Sending loads of healing butterflies your way!

Hugs,
~T~

[maillotpois]

My riding partner had LASIK a few years back and was really happy with it. Good luck to you!

(I am too chicken to do it, and tolerate contacts just fine. Plus, my doctor said my corneas are too thin or something.)

[tulip]

Best wishes for a successful surgery! I'm not a candidate for any kind of laser surgery since I just have one good eye; it's just too much risk for me.

A good thing for the discomfort is a chocolate milkshake (or 3). Refocuses your attention away from your discomfort.

We'll look forward to hearing from you in a week or so.

[kat_h]

A good friend has lasik a few years ago. For weeks afterwards he said he was still amazed by little things like being able to see in the shower or when he first woke up.

I wish my husband would get it.

[tulip]

A good friend has lasik a few years ago. For weeks afterwards he said he was still amazed by little things like being able to see in the shower or when he first woke up.

I wish my husband would get it.

I don't want to see the little things in my shower :eek:! Oh, that's not what you meant...

[Zen]

Oh how nice it would be to wear regular sunglasses!

just find the home keys and you'll post here just fine.
If your post says "pj. jpe movr yp erst dimh;sddr" we'll know you didn't find the home keys :D

[Kano]

So, if a chocolate milkshake would be good to distract from discomfort, how about one of those ICEE things -- brain freeze would be a GREAT distraction from itchy eyes!

Karen in Boise

[IFjane]

I don't want to see the little things in my shower :eek:! Oh, that's not what you meant...

ROTFL Tulip!

I want to have LASIK so bad but have not gotten up the gumption to go see if I am a candidate. I HATE wearing glasses riding - I just want sunglasses and not the ones with the prescription inserts....they are a pain in the neck.

Best of luck, kelownagirl. Keep us posted - even if you can't find the home keys! (Hint: they have little raised lines on them...:D)

[tc1]

I had surgery in 2004, Lasik in one eye and PRK in the other. Best health decision I ever made. The eye that had PRK has a bit more trouble with dry eye, but nothing horrible. I do need reading glasses all the time, but I needed them before and my surgeon told me that wouldn't change.

And yeah, I was 43 and had been in glasses since I was 12. So when I need to think hard or concentrate I always put on a pair of reading glasses, because otherwise I am just not mentally ready.

Soon you will discover the joy of cheap sunglasses, and expensive sunglasses, and playing soccer without glasses, and skiing with normal goggles, and on and on. Have fun!:cool:

[Skierchickie]

I'm a little late here, but I hope everything went well! I think you'll be very happy.

Wow - your eyes were even worse than mine! I don't remember what my prescription was. -9 or 9.5 or something. I had Lasik several years ago - the best thing I ever did! I wore glasses from the first grade until I was 36 or so. No more glasses bouncing on my nose when running or skiing, no more excruciating pain when a piece of dust gets under my contact, no more swimming blind (Mom & Dad wouldn't let me swim with my contacts - hence, 2 broken pairs of glasses in high school from leaving them on the starting block during practice) .... I am sooo happy! You will be too. The PRK sounds more involved, but still, 3-5 days will seem like nothing, once its over.

Congratulations!

[Zen]

even if you can't find the home keys! (Hint: they have little raised lines on them...:D)

I never knew that! Yes, they DO!

[Skierchickie]

I'm a little late here, but I hope everything went well! I think you'll be very happy.

Wow - your eyes were even worse than mine! I don't remember what my prescription was. -9 or 9.5 or something. I had Lasik several years ago - the best thing I ever did! I wore glasses from the first grade until I was 36 or so. No more glasses bouncing on my nose when running or skiing, no more excruciating pain when a piece of dust gets under my contact, no more swimming blind (Mom & Dad wouldn't let me swim with my contacts - hence, 2 broken pairs of glasses in high school from leaving them on the starting block during practice) .... I am sooo happy! You will be too. The PRK sounds more involved, but still, 3-5 days will seem like nothing, once its over.

Congratulations!

[VeloVT]

KG, let us know how it goes. I would LOVE to get surgery. I wear extended-wear soft contacts so it's not too much hassle, but it would be SO much nicer not to need them. I asked my doc several years ago and he told me I wasn't a great candidate... I thought it was because of my relatively high prescription (-4.5 and -7.5), but maybe they're changing thinking on that??? Or then again maybe it was my tendency towards dry eyes???

You've inspired me to ask about it again at my next appt.

Good luck!!!

[kelownagirl]

Well here I am in my blurry, stoned out world. I don't know how well I'm supposed to see at this point, but honestly it's not much. I can see better than without my old glasses but still at least a -4 think. But it's only been a few hours. We shall see over the next 3-4 days. I am drugged up on ativan and feeling very sleepy. I just put all 4 of my drops in my eyes andit's starting to feel a little uncomfortable like I can feel the contact or something. A bit burny. I go to see the dr at 9 tomorrow. Hope I have a good sleep tonight...

[KnottedYet]

Use your drops. Don't rub your eyes. Did they give you goggles to wear while you sleep?

[jesvetmed]

KG: I know you won't be reading for a day or two, but when you do, know you were in everyone's thoughts today! We hope to hear good news from you soon.
Jes

[kelownagirl]

Didn't give me any goggles.

I am masochistic. I'll be online I'm sure.


Thank you for all your well wishes!

[shootingstar]

Best of luck..may this correction last long.
I've heard mixed results..in terms of longevity.

Take an easy for awhile.

[kelownagirl]

I'm back....

Venturing back in from no man's land. Yesterday was a bad day. Haven't been able to tolerate a screen until now. Feeling better today - the swelling has gone down and the pain is much less. I am looking forward to getting the contact out tomorrow. I am pretty sure I'll need some temporary glasses though because my vision still sucks. Looks like I'll miss Monday school too. Oh well.

If you want to hear the sordid details about PRK, you can read my blog. If you have a weak stomach, don't bother.. :)

I'll weigh in on the pros and cons when things stabilize in another month....

[Skierchickie]

If you want to hear the sordid details about PRK, you can read my blog. If you have a weak stomach, don't bother..

Ha ha. When I had my Lasik done, they asked me if my husband would like to watch. There were windows along one side of the room. I said sure - I bet he would! So they went and got him. He wished I'd said no - apparently they set him up in front of a tv screen, where the whole thing was blown up larger than life :eek:. Kinda icky, apparently.

Give it time - the healing goes on for a long time. Your vision will keep getting better & better. Sounds like you're over the hardest part.

[kelownagirl]

Ha ha. When I had my Lasik done, they asked me if my husband would like to watch. There were windows along one side of the room. I said sure - I bet he would! So they went and got him. He wished I'd said no - apparently they set him up in front of a tv screen, where the whole thing was blown up larger than life :eek:. Kinda icky, apparently.

Give it time - the healing goes on for a long time. Your vision will keep getting better & better. Sounds like you're over the hardest part.

Well, I actually like watching stuff like that that so I thought it was awesome that there was a big window between the waiting room and the procedure room where we could watch the people get done before us, with a close up video screen showing in the waiting room. Then we were presented with a DVD of our own procedure. I'm trying to find some software to convert it to .mov so I can post it on my blog... :)

[kelownagirl]

Well it's day 5 and I still see can't worth beans. I absolutely have to go back to work on Tuesday so I'm going in for an eye test tomorrow morning and hopefully they can whip me up a pair of glasses by tomorrow afternoon so I can go to work. Argh. I am frustrated and disappointed but still optimistic.

I know it can take 6-8 weeks for my vision to stabilize but I was hopeful that I'd see some improvement once they took out the contacts yesterday. I'll keep you posted for those of you who are considering the procedure.

And for for anyone who is interested, here's a link to a video of my procedure. Don't go there if you are squeamish, but if you're 'scientifically-minded' like me and you're considering PRK, you might find it very interesting.

KG's Laser Eye Surgery (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqjl2ob92C0)

[mkidd]

Good luck on your recovery. I would love to not have to deal w/ contacts and glasses too. I hope you get to enjoy the fruits of your proceedure soon!

[PinkBike]

{{{kelownagirl}}},
i hope you get some answers from the dr tomorrow. i had PRK may 2006, i think my vision stabilized within a few days, but it is a process - i noticed my vision was just a little better every single day. at this point, i wish i'd done it years ago (i'm 52 and wore glasses from age 8). please keep us posted on your progress.

[HillSlugger]

Awesome choice of music! You obviously have a sense of humor about this.

It looks like this is fairly traumatic to the outer surface of the eye and that you won't really know what your vision will be until after those outer layers can regenerate. Hopefully the doctor will be able to do tests that will give an early indication. Unfortunately, you're probably going to have to be patient. It's hard, especially when it's your eyes!

[run it, ride it]

kelowna girl, how goes it? I am sorry to hear that the surgery did not make a big immediate change. Do you have a warranty such that if your vision is not 20/20 with the first surgery, subsequent surgeries are covered?

Do take it very, very easy. I know you know this, but any increase in occular pressure could cause a lot of damage. It's not perfect, but you only get one set of eyes. Bear with them!

I had custom Lasik in 2005. I had been cut off contacts as they were suffocating my eyes and I had the neovascularization of a 40-year-old contact wearer (I was 20 at the time). The torics for my astigmatism scarcely worked anyway, but I absolutely could not tolerate glasses. Further proof I wasn't meant to be four-eyed: I actually caused a motor vehicle collision in the month I had to wear glasses before surgery (no one was injured--the other vehicle was parked). Couldn't see a damn thing out of them. Again, the astigmatism--could never get them to sit such that I could focus my eyes TOGETHER!

I was so lucky to get out of surgery and see immediately much better. The initial slight overcorrection (to compensate for healing regression) made me a little far-sighted. I was concerned that I might need a second surgery within the first few months, but after two years I've settled into 25/20 in the left and 15/20 in the right.

I know this is a long way down the road yet for you, but to warn: though your vision should get better as your eyes heal, NIGHT DRIVING will get worse. I need to wear polarized lenses, and even then... I had been so concerned that my night vision, as in, ability to see in extreme low light, would be compromised. It's not! I can still go running and cycling in the pitch darkness. It's only when it's dark with bright lights that I get the haloes.

If you are riding your bike on the road at night, this is something to be aware of!

Good luck, and do keep us updated!

[kelownagirl]

kelowna girl, how goes it? I am sorry to hear that the surgery did not make a big immediate change. Do you have a warranty such that if your vision is not 20/20 with the first surgery, subsequent surgeries are covered?

Do take it very, very easy. I know you know this, but any increase in occular pressure could cause a lot of damage. It's not perfect, but you only get one set of eyes. Bear with them!

I had custom Lasik in 2005. I had been cut off contacts as they were suffocating my eyes and I had the neovascularization of a 40-year-old contact wearer (I was 20 at the time). The torics for my astigmatism scarcely worked anyway, but I absolutely could not tolerate glasses. Further proof I wasn't meant to be four-eyed: I actually caused a motor vehicle collision in the month I had to wear glasses before surgery (no one was injured--the other vehicle was parked). Couldn't see a damn thing out of them. Again, the astigmatism--could never get them to sit such that I could focus my eyes TOGETHER!

I was so lucky to get out of surgery and see immediately much better. The initial slight overcorrection (to compensate for healing regression) made me a little far-sighted. I was concerned that I might need a second surgery within the first few months, but after two years I've settled into 25/20 in the left and 15/20 in the right.

I know this is a long way down the road yet for you, but to warn: though your vision should get better as your eyes heal, NIGHT DRIVING will get worse. I need to wear polarized lenses, and even then... I had been so concerned that my night vision, as in, ability to see in extreme low light, would be compromised. It's not! I can still go running and cycling in the pitch darkness. It's only when it's dark with bright lights that I get the haloes.

If you are riding your bike on the road at night, this is something to be aware of!

Good luck, and do keep us updated!

Thanks for the good thoughts! Well it's been one month and it's going slowly I guess. MY visual acuity is pretty good actually - my right eye is +44 and my left is -1.5 (for reading).

BUT (and it's a BIG but) I am still seeing LOTS of double vision / ghosting. It's driving me crazy. I understand that it's very common for PRK patients to have this for 6-8 weeks (or longer) while the epithelium ayer heals over the cornea smoothly. it comes in and out and my vision changes constantly.

At my last appointment, my doctor stopped the Flarex steriod drops which slow down the healing process so my eyes would heal faster. He said some people see results in 2-3 days. Unfortunately, that was a week ago and they are actually worse, not better. I do believe that it is temporary because my vision clears sometimes if I use artificial tears and/or blink the right way.

Technically, I can drive but I don't need to so I haven't yet. :eek: I feel weird all the time, not being able to see clearly. I have trouble reading people's expressions or recognizing people from a distance etc. And I feel like I can't DO anything. I have been running though, and swimming, and my biking is OK but it freaks me out going fast downhill so I hit the brakes a lot. Obviously I can see cars etc but my depth perception is a bit wonky and it's hard to distinguish small rocks and holes in pavement.

Anyway, that is probably more than you wanted to hear. :o:rolleyes:I'll give you another update in a couple of weeks.

[jesvetmed]

KG: I was also wondering how it had been going?
Run It: Do you mind me asking how old you were when you had surgery done? It sounds like 20's?

Did either of you (or anyone else with experience) have dry eyes PRIOR to surgery? I know it can be a real problem afterward, and it is already a problem for me now. I've been really thinking hard about having this done, but am unsure if it will be right for me. Any more experiences out there would be very helpful to hear!

[jesvetmed]

Thanks KG...looks like we posted at the same time! I hope things continue to improve for you and make it worthwhile in the long run.
Jes

[kelownagirl]

KG: I was also wondering how it had been going?
Run It: Do you mind me asking how old you were when you had surgery done? It sounds like 20's?

Did either of you (or anyone else with experience) have dry eyes PRIOR to surgery? I know it can be a real problem afterward, and it is already a problem for me now. I've been really thinking hard about having this done, but am unsure if it will be right for me. Any more experiences out there would be very helpful to hear!


No dry eyes before, very dry eyes now.

[run it, ride it]

jesvetmed, I was 20 when I had the surgery done.

kelownagirl, never too much info! I am fascinated by your recovery process. It is a complicated work of art and you are handling it beautifully.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

KG- sounds like things are improving slowly....good! Yeah don't go hurtling down any screaming hills on your bike if you can't see every pebble yet! :eek: Be cautious and don't get hurt. :)

Hey Run it ride it- How has your collarbone been healing? Wasn't it your collarbone that got hurt? How are you??

[spokewench]

Kelowna Girl

Get your doctor to give you a prescription for Restasis. It is for dry eye. It is supposed to help your eye produce tears - rather than just the dry eye drops that put moisture in your eye. It helped me immensly

I've been using it ever since my lasix surgery. THe only drawback is that it is a very expensive drug in the US - don't know about how that goes in Canada.

In order to make it go further, it comes in little tiny vials - which if I did not use the whole thing, I put in a jigger (liquor container) on my bathroom counter for the evening use. My doctor recommended this! Anyway, it is recommended to use twice a day at first - and now that I'm pretty far away from the surgery in time, I use it once a day in the morning. It really does help, but you will also need to use dry eye drops as needed.

spoke.

[Sheesh]

Ooh, I know I'm really late to the party, but I had PRK two years ago and I'm so glad I finally did it! I had dry eyes (only while wearing contacts) prior to getting the surgery and don't seem to have that problem anymore. I love just getting up and going now, rather than having to spend the time putting in my contacts.

Kelownagirl - I hope your vision clears up soon! My eyes healed pretty quickly, but when DH had LASKIK one eye took longer than the other to heal and that was REALLY frustrating for him. For me, the worst part was the pain that a simple breeze caused for weeks, until my eyes completely healed. Good luck!

[kelownagirl]

Kelowna Girl

Get your doctor to give you a prescription for Restasis. It is for dry eye. It is supposed to help your eye produce tears - rather than just the dry eye drops that put moisture in your eye. It helped me immensly

I've been using it ever since my lasix surgery. THe only drawback is that it is a very expensive drug in the US - don't know about how that goes in Canada.

In order to make it go further, it comes in little tiny vials - which if I did not use the whole thing, I put in a jigger (liquor container) on my bathroom counter for the evening use. My doctor recommended this! Anyway, it is recommended to use twice a day at first - and now that I'm pretty far away from the surgery in time, I use it once a day in the morning. It really does help, but you will also need to use dry eye drops as needed.

spoke.

A teacher at school was just telling me about something like this. She has it in tiny vials. They don't sell it in the pharmacy (maybe it's only from the US) but she gets it because she's in a 'study'. She didn't tell me what it was called but it sounds the same. She said it works better because it doesn't have preservatives in it. She's going to bring me some to try.

[spokewench]

A teacher at school was just telling me about something like this. She has it in tiny vials. They don't sell it in the pharmacy (maybe it's only from the US) but she gets it because she's in a 'study'. She didn't tell me what it was called but it sounds the same. She said it works better because it doesn't have preservatives in it. She's going to bring me some to try.


This is not over the counter here in the US either. It is a prescription by the doctor drug here in us

spoke