Introduction

While I was going through the process of researching Lasik, many of my friends and clients had a lot of questions for me. It turns out that many people are considering the surgery, so I want to post my story online to make it easier to share. There are quite a few people whose decision rides on my results. I am, in effect, the guinea pig for my group of near-sighted friends and acquaintances.

The Desire, the Research, the Decision…

I work as a consultant, and many of my projects and assignments would be easier for me if I didn't have to worry about contacts and glasses. For example, I will be working with two photographers (Richard Pecjak and Nathan Petty, who have both heard all of the details of my Lasik!) to shoot a wedding documentary in Fiji this spring. Who wants to worry about contact lenses when you are on a tropical island?!?

I have worn glasses since I was 12, then contacts in high school, and a combination of contacts/glasses through college and beyond.

I was a -4.75 in my right eye and -5.25 in my left eye before Lasik. Without contacts or glasses, I could barely function. Everything appeared as a blurry mess of colors. No detail unless the object was inches from my face.

My friend Brian had PRK done when it was just approved by the FDA; he was one of the first patients in the US to have it done and footage of his procedure was used in training videos and appeared on the news. I remember that the whole idea made me so queasy; I could not even stand to listen to the details of his surgery. He had great results, and I remember thinking that if I ever acquired the courage, I would look into it.

I have had an eye phobia since I can remember. Learning how to insert contacts was a huge challenge for me. The idea of someone cutting into my eyeball made me physically cringe.

But as the years passed, the idea of “fixing” my eyes became more and more appealing. I started to do research and to prepare myself for the mental ordeal of submitting my eyes to a doctor and a machine.

I narrowed it down to a few doctors, and made appointments for consultations.

The Consultation

The consultation process is similar from office to office. I will describe my consultation at the office that I finally selected, the Assil & Flowers Vision Institute in San Diego, CA. Their technician Richard was a gem from the beginning; he is the main reason that I chose this office. He has a great personality and does his job so well.

Richard took measurements of my eyes by having me look into different machines, which calculate things like astigmatism and give him a rough estimate of my prescription. The next part is a standard eye exam, where you read the numbers and letters off of a chart.

Lasik is not for everyone; your eye structure, prescription, and eye health need to fall within certain parameters. It turned out I was a good candidate for Lasik, so I was given the rest of my options. For example, the initial flap can now be made by laser instead of a surgical blade, and Wavefront technology is available for those whose eyes need a custom procedure (Wavefront technology can fix unusual variations in the eye structure called “higher order aberrations”)

The one part of the consultation that is difficult for people with “eye phobias” is when they test your corneal thickness by ultrasound… numbing drops are used on your eyes, then a small instrument touches your cornea to test the thickness. After Richard performed this test, I stood up and started to follow him into the next exam room. I must have been holding my breath for that test, and that fact combined with the fact that I had skipped breakfast contributed to what happened next: I passed out in the office hallway. Thankfully my mom and Richard were next to me so that I did not fall on my face. That showed me just how much anxiety I have about my eyes being probed and prodded!

Richard’s understanding and caring response was great; his “bedside manner” is what convinced me that this was the office where I would have my Lasik done.

My surgery would be performed by Dr. Charles Flowers, with Richard as the Laser Tech. I felt so comfortable with the office, staff, and the doctor’s impeccable qualifications that I cancelled the rest of my consultations and booked surgery for the following week. I decided against the Intralase (my flap would be cut with a microkeratome blade) and my prescription did not warrant using the Wavefront technique because I had very few higher order aberrations.

Pre-Op Appointment (day before surgery)

The day before the surgery, I went in for the pre-op exam. Very similar to the first consultation, but the eye exam was more comprehensive this time. They also dilated my pupils with drops, so that Dr. Flowers could view my retina. I was given instructions to drink lots of fluids, wash off all makeup from my face, and to make sure I had a driver for the next day. My mom was with me every step of the way, and there is no way I could have done it without her. She went to all of my appointments, and was going to take the day off of work to be there for the day of surgery.

The Day of Surgery

Jittery and nervous. I had been feeling sick all week in anticipation. If it wasn’t for the great staff, I’m not sure if I could have gotten through it. I have never dreaded and desired something so much at the same time. It is a strange combination. Maybe this is what it feels like when you go into labor for the first time; fear and anticipation… apprehension mixed with joy. You have to get through something in order to achieve your prize.

They gave me the same eye exam as the day before to make sure that the numbers were the same. I was led to a comfortable room and given Valium and a cap to hold my hair out of the way. I asked for a double dose of Valium, and they gave me 10mg. There was another woman in the waiting area, and we chatted about how nervous we felt. She was first, and when they came to escort her to the surgery room, I started to feel the onset of mild panic.

"Smile for the camera!" in the waiting room, pre-surgery

When it was finally my turn, I told them that I couldn’t feel the Valium, and that I was still too nervous to go in. Since I had never taken Valium, I had somehow hoped that it would make me completely relaxed… so I was unprepared to go in feeling as edgy as I did. But Richard helped me through it, and I was able to go in and lie down on the table. They put numbing drops in my eyes.

I felt panic when I knew they were about to insert the eyelid speculum, and they didn’t seem to mind my nervous chanting of “this is so gross, so gross, so gross, so gross…” while they inserted it. Somehow that became the mantra that got me through that part of it, because to me that had seemed like the worst part (the movie Clockwork Orange has an eyelid-opening scene that made me physically ill to watch). Once it was in, though, I was shocked at how comfortable it was… maybe because I was expecting the worst. But it didn’t feel bad once it was in.

After that it becomes a little surreal. I saw the red light above me, and I remember the suction taking away my vision while they cut the flap. I could hear the machine that makes the cut, and while it was cut I could *sense* but not see little tiny red flashes, like fireflies. Then the suction was removed and I could see the red light, but now it was blurry. The laser part was easy; I just had to concentrate on looking at the red light. There was some liquid used at some point to wash the eye, I believe, and there was some sort of little tool that Dr. Flowers brushed across my eye. To me it seemed like a little white paintbrush. I believe he was using it to place the flap back in position.

They worked on my right eye first, then my left eye. Everything was the same for both eyes, but I had a harder time concentrating on the red light with my second eye for some reason. After the second eye, they had me blink slowly and look at the clock in the room. Although it was blurry, I could read it. And it was not blurry the way that my vision was before Lasik, but rather the way my vision was blurry if I had slept in my contacts by accident and woke up the next day with a little haze in my vision.

They took me next door to look into my eyes with a light to examine the flap, and everything looked great. Some eye drops were applied. Bug-eye goggles with little holes (like a strainer) were taped onto my face and I was free to go home! I could already see! My mom and I stopped for a quick bite and I could read the menu above the counter, all of the street signs, everything. You can see surprisingly well through those weird goggles. We went home and I watched some TV. My instructions were: No reading, no computers, no eye touching, and to “BLINK AND DRINK.” I drank lots of Gatorade and blinked often all evening. I could see the television as well as I could before with contacts, even through the weird goggles. I could read the pop-up programming menu on the screen without a problem. I had no pain at all, but had taken some Tylenol as a precaution so I’ll never really know if there was pain or not.

Bug-eye goggles; we stopped to eat right after surgery.
(I could read the over-the-counter menu!)
I was "drinking and blinking"; I went through about 2 gallons of Gatorade that night.

Post-Op (Next Day)

I woke up and opened my eyes. Even through the goggles I could tell I had great vision. As I started to peel the tape off my forehead and cheeks, I experienced the first actual pain of this whole process. That tape did not want to come off my face! Peeling it off was anguish. To this day, that is the only painful part of Lasik!

When I took off the goggles, I was amazed. Everything looked perfectly sharp and beautiful. I was overwhelmed. My mom helped me start my regimen of eye drops (one antibiotic, one anti-inflammatory, and a lubricating drop 4 times a day for 4 days). For some reason, I had imagined I would be able to see a faint incision line on my cornea, but I could not see any mark at all. My corneas looked as shiny and whole as ever. The only mark on my eye was a red spot from a blood vessel that broke when suction had been applied. This did not alarm me because I was expecting it.

Small red dot next to my cornea; normal effect

I put on the huge shades they had given me, and off we went to my post-op. Still zero pain (no pain killers now) and everything looked great. They measured my eyes and I was seeing 20/20 in my left and 20/30 in my right. I was surprised because it felt like 20/20 in both! They informed me that my vision will fluctuate for a while before we know what the final results are. I was also told that the red spot would go away in about a week. We made an appointment for 2 weeks later and that’s it!

Posing by the Assil Vision sign in the lobby with my huge sunglasses on

2 Weeks After

I went to my 2-week post-op appointment yesterday. Again, the staff was great. Dr. Flowers looked at my eyes; no wrinkling of the flap, no infection, nothing wrong. Richard gave me an eye exam, and I could read the 20/15 line. One eye is at 20/15 and the other eye is at 20/20. For some reason I can’t remember which was which, but in a way it doesn’t matter because my vision can still fluctuate for a few months until the healing is complete.

Before I had Lasik, I took some time to really notice lights at night. I knew that some people experienced halo problems, so I wanted to get a good measure of what I saw BEFORE Lasik. After Lasik, my night vision is a little bit better than before Lasik. Yes, I see a small halo around lights, but nowhere near as bad as when I wore glasses. I know some people complain about night halos; either their Lasik results were different than mine, or they always saw halos but didn’t really notice them until after they had Lasik.

I have no pain, very little dryness, and could not be happier. My favorite thing is to look out of the window when I wake up and to see the far away trees… I can see the individual leaves. I feel like I have eagle-vision.

Results

I never experienced pain or discomfort; I had been prepared to feel SOME pain, because I have heard that some people feel annoying sensations like they have grit in their eye, or burning, or tearing up. But I guess I’m lucky, because my eyes felt better while I was healing from Lasik than when I used to wear contacts! Everyone heals differently. I was prepared for the worst-case scenario that I had read about in other people’s online journals, so I am ecstatic that my experience has been so good.

I had one moment of panic when I had severe pain in my right eye while I was driving on the freeway on the third day after surgery, and I exited and pulled over to see what was wrong. After examining my eye in a mirror, I noticed a small fiber lying between my lashes and dragging onto the surface of my eye. Once I removed it, the pain was gone and I was relieved that it had not been pain from the Lasik itself. I was very good about wearing my goggles at night and not touching my eye. I wore no makeup, stayed away from dusty environments, and was generally very cautious. I was what my aunt calls a “compliant patient” who actually follows a doctor’s directions and doesn’t skip any steps.

Final thoughts

I am lucky that I had no discomfort at all, not at any point in the process. I know not everyone’s Lasik is as smooth and easy as mine was. I’m also very thankful that I picked a great office. Dr. Flowers, Richard, Dewayne, and the rest of the staff were phenomenal. I am planning to send their office a raving testimonial letter. My experience had no negatives; I hope most people have the same type of experience that I had. I feel that I have been given such an important gift; I can see perfectly… all the time… it’s truly a miracle. It amazes me that we have created a technology that can do this; medical science is amazing and I am so happy that I went through with this!

If you are considering Lasik, I recommend you do a lot of research. Go to some consultations at reputable offices (never “bargain shop” when it comes to eye surgery). And I highly recommend the Assil & Flowers Vision Institute! Their website is www.assilvision.com.

Good luck!

More Final thoughts...

Well, this journal originally ended above, and this has been posted for over two years now. Earlier today, a friend from school told me that he had his step-mom read my journal because she was going to go in for her surgery. To be honest, I had kind of forgotten about this journal, so when I heard she had read it and that it helped her, I opened up this webpage to offer a quick update.

My lasik was done about 2.5 years ago. I had it done right before starting law school, and I am now graduating in April.

I just reread my journal above, and it is amazing how much of that experience I have kind of blocked out. It felt like reading someone else's journal. This is good, because it means the memory of the ordeal does not really stay with you.

Since then, the Assil Vision center has changed to the Flowers & Suder office. That's fine with me, because it was Dr. Flowers who did my eyes so I am comfortable still recommending the office.

After my initial results, I did experience a little more dryness as the months went by. However, the dryness has never felt any more uncomfortable than contacts had been for me, so I am fine with this sensation. My eyes are not actually dry; it is only a sensation or feeling. I don't know what causes it. Drops won't make it go away, but it only comes up when I am really tired or have been staring at my computer screen all day. Being a law student, that means it is all the time!

As far as my vision, I started to notice that my left eye was no longer as sharp as my right eye. Incidentally, my left eye had always been the weaker eye with the highest prescription before lasik. I went in to the office about 4 months ago, and they tested my vision. I now have a very slight bit of astigmatism in my left eye, and they were surprised I even noticed it. I am very detail-obsessed about most things, and that's probably why I noticed the slight change. They gave me the option of doing a touch-up to correct it. I would not need a new flap cut; they said the doctor could lift the old flap (weird!).

I decided not to do it. Instead, I am going to go back in in a month or so to see if there is any further change or if my vision has stabilized from what it was 4 months ago. When I find out what the situation is, I will make a decision about whether to get the touch-up. Maybe I should do it to have super perfect vision for the California bar exam in July. But I don't relish the idea of those eye speculums.

So that's the latest! Good luck to those of you going under the machine! FYI, my friend's stepmom had it done today and is doing fine.

Disclaimer: This online journal is not intended as medical advice or a recommendation to have Lasik. This journal describes the experiences of an individual, and is not to be interpreted as a guarantee that others will have the same results. No compensation was obtained from the Assil & Flowers Vision Institute for posting this journal.