Lasik 1 year later
I have struggled with poor vision since I was in fifth grade. Finally, after 29 years of not being able to see I decided it was time to permanently fix the issue. I had worn contacts for nearly 10 years and although the correction they provided was very effective it fell short in many regards. First, I had to maintain the contacts, I have a hard time getting into a habit and typically after a few months of wear found my contacts to be too cloudy to be effective. Next because of the correction I needed I was unable to use extended wear contacts and so I was forced to remove them on a nightly basis. So at night I was rendered nearly blind and often found myself pushing the alarm clock onto the floor while reaching for my glasses on the nightstand. Finally, my prescription was nearly a year old, and facing the prospect of suffering for another year I decided to attempt Lasik as a final solution to my vision correction needs.
Seeing as I am like every other human and I am nearly 100% dependant on my vision for my income I felt I had to make a correct and informed decision when chosing a doctor to perform this operation. I looked at every clinic within a 100 mile radius of my home, spoke to nearly 40 people I know who have had the operation and consistently they recommended Discover Vision Center here in Kansas City. I went in the for the evaluation, and after a very thorough exam the doctors there suggested I receive a procedure called PRK. Because of the structure of my eye this surgery would provide the best results. I started wearing my glasses for 10 days prior to my exam. These 10 days were extremely painful for me because of the poor quality of my glasses however 2 days following my exam I was laying under the laser. I have a video of the surgery but it is somewhat gruesome. The operation itself was fairly brief about 5-10 minutes per eye. I was given Valium prior to surgery and by the time I was walking into the operating room I had no fear of my eye being touched. During the operation itself a local anesthetic is used, and at most you feel a slight amount of pressure but nothing more. Immediately post operation I could see and my vision was amazing. This lasted about 3 hours, when the drugs wore off the main was nearly unbearable. I believe it is imperative that you receive pain killers to help you during the short 3 day recovery period. My surgery was on a Friday, and the following Monday I was back to work. My vision took about 2 months to fully return to the great level I saw immediately following my operation. Looking back 1 year later this was the best money I have ever spent. I work on computers on a daily basis and thus far I have had not a single complaint about the quality of my vision or the behavior of my eyes since. Often people ask me about the cost, and yes it is not a cheap procedure and the cost can range any where from $500 an eye up to several thousand per-eye. However, because of the importance of my vision in my life I did not want to go out to find a bargain for this procedure. Most doctors who perform this procedure offer financing plans that a person on most any budget can afford. This procedure will alter your life completely. I believe that not having to wear glasses and being able to see has given me a new more positive outlook on life that I did not have prior to my operation. I would recommend this to any one that is evaluated as a good candidate for the procedure.
2 comments November 13th, 2006
