Bye bye glasses!

Since the age of 10 I've been wearing glasses and since the age of 12 contact lenses and I've always hated it. So when years ago I first heard about the option of having your eyes lasered I was immediately interested and started following the technological advances in this area as well as the experiences people had with lasering. Just over 2 years ago I decided that the time was ready to take the plunge myself. After hearing very good things from various people and consumer organizations about the Eyescan clinic in Utrecht I contacted the optometrist from Hofstede Optiek in The Hague for the preliminary tests.

I have been really impressed by the way Norbert Hofstede handled the preliminary track. He always took his time to explain things and discuss various options. He also told me that because of my very bad astigmatism my eyes would normally not be suitable for lasering. But recently the Eyescan clinic had acquired a new machine that might be able to do it. Another complication was the fact that I had regular Scleritis eye infections, an infection of the eye ball itself that can cause further astigmatism. So he sent me to the military hospital in Utrecht to be examined there by Dr. Rouwen, one of the surgeons of the Eyescan clinic who is also experienced in the scleritis infection. Dr. Rouwen told me that while my eyes could now be treated with the advanced technique, the lasik intralease, he advised me against it until my eyes had been infection-free for at least 6 months. Well that took almost 2 years, but with my last scleritis infection in October 2009 I contacted Hofstede again in May 2010.

When you get tested for lasik or any other kind of lasering you have to make sure that you stop wearing your contact lenses before entering the test track, especially when you - like me - wear hard contact lenses. The optometrist performs checks at several intervals to make sure that your eyes are stable and that there are no changes in eye sight or astigmatism. After it appeared that my eyes were stable, the lasik was planned for the 20th of July 2010. We had chosen for the lasik intralease superior technique, because it was the most advanced technique and also pretty much painless. With the superior plan I was also given a lifetime guarantee. After the date was set, the Eyescan Clinic sent me a lot of additional information, with detailed explanations of each step of the proces.

About a week before the surgery I had to stop using eye make-up and clean my eyes twice a day with sterile tissues. For me, wearing mascara is pretty much essential, even if I wear no other make-up, so I felt very naked and strange without it! But it was for a good cause, so oh well... When the day of the surgery approached I was starting to get a little nervous. After all, these are my eyes, which I treasure!

On the day itself, my boyfriend drove us to the clinic. And on the way I thought to myself "what if this is the last thing I see?". Pretty dramatic, but it shows that I was indeed quite scared for the procedure! When we arrived at the clinic they first did a last check-up and based on those results the lasik machine would be pre-programmed. They also started to apply the eyedrops that would make sure I would feel no pain during the lasik surgery. The eye drops would normally feel a bit stingy, but I didn't feel any discomfort at all. Next, I was taken to a room where they prepared me for the surgery by making me wear a robe, sterile shoe protection and a hair net, before taking me into the sterile surgery environment.

First part of the surgery was lasering the eye to create a 'flap'. In order to do this, my eyes were forced open with a little tool which then created a vacuum on the eye. This doesn't hurt at all, you just feel some pressure on your eye. The laser then lands on top of it, which adds to the pressure. When the flap is created, you notice your eye sight getting really blurry. The procedure was then repeated for the other eye. After the laser was removed the assistant (who by the way continuously keeps you up-to-date about what's going on in a very friendly way) took my hand and led me to the other operating room for the real lasik surgery.

Again, the eye was forced open, the eyelashes taped back and the laser moved over the eye. During the actual lasering, which only takes about 45 seconds per eye (!) I heard ticking sounds from the laser and I actual smelled a slight burning. But other than that, no pain at all! After the lasering, the surgeon moved back the flap and the eye was cleansed with water. You don't really 'see' anything during the procedure, as the eye sight is fuzzy. All you see is a little red dot, which also gets blurry. After the procedure, when I got out of the chair, I could immediately see better. It was just as if I was looking through a fog, but the sight itself was quite clear. The assistant gave me some further instructions on the frequency of the eye drops I now have to apply for several weeks, and the protective glasses I have to wear at night to avoid touching my eyes in my sleep. She also gave me a painkiller as the anasthetic eye drops would soon stop working.

The 2 to 3 hours after the lasik surgery were probably the most uncomfortable part of the entire procedure. My eyes felt as if they were burning for a while! But the painkillers worked, and I took the advise of the optometrist to sleep it off. When I woke up (and yes, it takes time to get used to wearing protective glasses while sleeping!), the burning sensation had passed and I could already watch TV. Reading a book or email on the computer were still difficult and extremely tiring though.

Now, as I write this, it's the morning after, and not even 24 hours have passed since the lasik surgery. I can see really well, even on the computer. Reading is still a bit tiring, so I won't overdo it, but I'm confident that soon life will be back to normal, with one exception: I won't need my glasses anymore!

That doesn't mean I'll never have a need for glasses in the future. The optometrist has told me clearly that my eyes will age normally, and like pretty much every person I will one day have the need for reading glasses. I will have my first check up later today, when I will find out whether my eye sight is at 100% now, or whether there is still a slight correction needed.

I'm still not allowed to wear eye make-up and will have to wear the protective glasses while sleeping for a few weeks and sunglasses when outdoors for the next few days. But as of tomorrow I'm allowed to drive again, which means that I can then do pretty much anything without the discomfort of glasses or contacts!

Last but not least, some questions I've been asked, with the answers:

Does it hurt? No, the lasik surgery doesn't hurt. The only discomfort I felt was the pressure when the flap was made, and the burning sensation for the first few hours after the surgery.

How long does it take before you can see? In my case, I could watch TV after 4 hours, and read after 18 hours.

Is it expensive and does the insurance cover it?? It's certainly not cheap, but in my opinion it's absolutely worth it, especially with the lifetime guarantee and highly qualified guidance I've received! My health insurance covered about 10% of the cost, but that differs between insurance companies. Just remember that buying glasses and/or contact lenses year after year costs a lot of money too!

If you have any other questions, please ask, and I will answer them in follow-up posts!