Soldato
- Joined
- 17 Mar 2004
- Posts
- 8,259
I took the plunge yesterday after a consultation beginning of April last month.
On the consultation they performed the following tests
Having given the all clear my prescription was -5 in both eyes with Astigmatism. Now they lay out your options of surgery. The most popular being LASIK. LASEK one of the other options is a surgical procedure for cutting the flap and is painful for some days after. This is recommended if you do contact spots as the flap is a lot more secure after surgery.
I opted for Advanced CustomVue Wavefront LASIK & Intralase (an advanced process for cutting the flap for the laser to correct the vision) at Optical Express (High Street of Milton Keynes). Total cost was over £3k
I arrived at the opticians yesterday morning at 09:50 for my 10:00 appointment. I'm sat in the waiting area reading over the consent form that I've read hundreds of times as it contains so many disclaimers etc etc. Basically protecting their backsides.
Anyway, 10:10 I get taken for a couple of tests and then told to wait to be called. At this point you can see people coming in an out, walking into the 'backroom' with glasses and out with sunglasses kinda surreal.
Mr **** ******** was called '****' all of a sudden every ounce of my body is limp, questioning why the hell am I doing this your a mad man. I was expecting to be taken to a room and to have the local anesthetic drops administered, but no straight into the surgery room, Doctor fully kitted out with a camp Willem Dafoe in Platoon smile was grinning at me. I was expecting him to say 'Hiiiiiiiiiii' and wave!
I get placed on this bed and told to swing my legs up onto the bed and a hair net placed on my head. At this point I nearly blurted out I cannot do this and run as far as I possibly could. I was breathing quite heavy at this point and the nurse asked if I was okay? Err no not really, but I'm here lets rock.
Surgeon now walks over and without further ado is straight into his magic.
First step was to create the 'flap' with the Intralase IFS 150 laser. Starting with my left eye with a cap over my right I'm staring into a circular light that in seconds has cut the flap completely painless. At this point I was completely calm and felt completely comfortable. Next step was to switch laser to the actual correction laser Visx. I was told to stare as best I could at the red dot and with the count down of 40 seconds in 10 second intervals was correcting my vision, this made a loud ticking noise and vacuum was extracting the smoke. Nothing like the smell of your own eyeball wafting around your nose. Will never forget this smell.
The surgeon then replaced the flap over my eye and was placing precisely where it was cut. You can see the swabs etc while this is going on, but again all completely pain free.
Switch eye and the above done on my right eye.
All done and I was taken to a quiet room and instantly donned my sun glasses. A nurse was then telling me about all the drops I needed to be using. I felt I should have been left to recover prior to all these instructions as I was still pretty spaced out and pretty paranoid that I was pretty much blind.
I walk out into the waiting area and then with my g/f head home. The sunlight was a killer and was grateful to get back to the back but my hood up over my eyes, fold the seat back and get chauffeured back home.
I still cannot see at this point. Think nothing of it and head straight to bed. My right eye was streaming constantly and both eyes stinging somewhat. I had to administer the first lot of antibiotics. This stung like mad.
I then closed my eyes and tried to sleep. 4 hours later I get up and have a coffee. Weird sensation in my eyes, not much discomfort but the feeling that with every blink I could feel the outline of the incision that had been cut on my eye.
My eyesight was slowly improving and I could at least see writing on a page just to recheck the 24 hour expectation/24 post OP.
My vision was still pretty poor could not see anything in the distance and felt a bit uneasy (I cannot stress enough, that you do not walk in have it done and be able to see the clock in the waiting area as the adverts make you believe)!!!
Roll on this morning having spent the entire night wearing goggles to protect my eyes from knocks in the night. I woke up a few times as I was paranoid my eyelids would weld themselves to my eyeball!
I got up at 7am and looked outside the window **** me I can see. Instant relief from the feeling I had the night before.
My right eye is still a bit fuzzy, but the left is pretty focused. Still going to take time to completely stabilize so to be expected.
Watch this space
On the consultation they performed the following tests
Having given the all clear my prescription was -5 in both eyes with Astigmatism. Now they lay out your options of surgery. The most popular being LASIK. LASEK one of the other options is a surgical procedure for cutting the flap and is painful for some days after. This is recommended if you do contact spots as the flap is a lot more secure after surgery.
I opted for Advanced CustomVue Wavefront LASIK & Intralase (an advanced process for cutting the flap for the laser to correct the vision) at Optical Express (High Street of Milton Keynes). Total cost was over £3k
I arrived at the opticians yesterday morning at 09:50 for my 10:00 appointment. I'm sat in the waiting area reading over the consent form that I've read hundreds of times as it contains so many disclaimers etc etc. Basically protecting their backsides.
Anyway, 10:10 I get taken for a couple of tests and then told to wait to be called. At this point you can see people coming in an out, walking into the 'backroom' with glasses and out with sunglasses kinda surreal.
Mr **** ******** was called '****' all of a sudden every ounce of my body is limp, questioning why the hell am I doing this your a mad man. I was expecting to be taken to a room and to have the local anesthetic drops administered, but no straight into the surgery room, Doctor fully kitted out with a camp Willem Dafoe in Platoon smile was grinning at me. I was expecting him to say 'Hiiiiiiiiiii' and wave!
I get placed on this bed and told to swing my legs up onto the bed and a hair net placed on my head. At this point I nearly blurted out I cannot do this and run as far as I possibly could. I was breathing quite heavy at this point and the nurse asked if I was okay? Err no not really, but I'm here lets rock.
Surgeon now walks over and without further ado is straight into his magic.
First step was to create the 'flap' with the Intralase IFS 150 laser. Starting with my left eye with a cap over my right I'm staring into a circular light that in seconds has cut the flap completely painless. At this point I was completely calm and felt completely comfortable. Next step was to switch laser to the actual correction laser Visx. I was told to stare as best I could at the red dot and with the count down of 40 seconds in 10 second intervals was correcting my vision, this made a loud ticking noise and vacuum was extracting the smoke. Nothing like the smell of your own eyeball wafting around your nose. Will never forget this smell.
The surgeon then replaced the flap over my eye and was placing precisely where it was cut. You can see the swabs etc while this is going on, but again all completely pain free.
Switch eye and the above done on my right eye.
All done and I was taken to a quiet room and instantly donned my sun glasses. A nurse was then telling me about all the drops I needed to be using. I felt I should have been left to recover prior to all these instructions as I was still pretty spaced out and pretty paranoid that I was pretty much blind.
I walk out into the waiting area and then with my g/f head home. The sunlight was a killer and was grateful to get back to the back but my hood up over my eyes, fold the seat back and get chauffeured back home.
I still cannot see at this point. Think nothing of it and head straight to bed. My right eye was streaming constantly and both eyes stinging somewhat. I had to administer the first lot of antibiotics. This stung like mad.
I then closed my eyes and tried to sleep. 4 hours later I get up and have a coffee. Weird sensation in my eyes, not much discomfort but the feeling that with every blink I could feel the outline of the incision that had been cut on my eye.
My eyesight was slowly improving and I could at least see writing on a page just to recheck the 24 hour expectation/24 post OP.
My vision was still pretty poor could not see anything in the distance and felt a bit uneasy (I cannot stress enough, that you do not walk in have it done and be able to see the clock in the waiting area as the adverts make you believe)!!!
Roll on this morning having spent the entire night wearing goggles to protect my eyes from knocks in the night. I woke up a few times as I was paranoid my eyelids would weld themselves to my eyeball!
I got up at 7am and looked outside the window **** me I can see. Instant relief from the feeling I had the night before.
My right eye is still a bit fuzzy, but the left is pretty focused. Still going to take time to completely stabilize so to be expected.
Watch this space
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