My Ups and Downs in the First Month Following Lasik - Boise, ID

I had Lasik 5 weeks ago and wanted to share my experiences with anyone going through it like I am.
I'm not going to get into detail the actual procedure as plenty has been written on that but the after effects and remedy's I went through so far.
I had my custom Wavefront Lasik performed by the top surgeon here in Boise and he also does cataract and other eye procedures so I chose him based on his extensive experience. Cost was not a factor when it comes to my eyes and lets face it, Lasik can be a shot in the dark so I weighed all the good with the bad through extensive research and went for it. I was -6.00 in one eye and -5.25 in the other with astigmatism. One eye had it worse than the other and the Dr pointed out that it may get better in that eye (night vision) or stay the same.
Day of surgery, a few hours later: Crazy watering and bad light sensitivity. I could see but had to lay down in complete darkness to cope. They say to sleep it off but I had a hard time doing that with the watering and light so we hung a blanket up and darkened the room more. Relief! I did not sleep much until that night and it was off and on.
Day after: I could read 20/15 in both eye's! The drop regimen stated up this day and I was feeling much better. I took this day off from work and have 2 weekend days to recover before going back to work.
I started using the lubricant eye drops like I was told and I used them as often as I felt I needed to. I only use the sterile, single use vials and the caps on these can be put back on to use up the rest left in them within that day. The Dr suggested I use Refresh Advanced but I'll get to what happened in a few with those.
2 days after: Still using the drops but I noticed my left eye has become a little fuzzy/blurry. The artificial tears seem to be aggravating my eyes but I'm not sure of this as I think it is to soon and it could be from the trauma of the surgery or the Pred Forte drops. Still, I see very well with both eyes but have the tendancy to close one or the other to compare and see what is going on. Major halos and some star-bursting at night. Expected this so I have hubby doing the driving!
1 week out: Realized the artificial tear drops may be a problem so...Changed to Systane Ultra and kicked myself for not doing that sooner! I was under the impression I would need to use what they suggested but found out later you can use any of the non-preservative drops as long as they are the single use type in the vials! My eyes must be a little sensitive as it took some trial and error but I found Systane for day use and GenTeal Lubricant eye gel at night worked for me.
One eye still slightly fuzzy and with both eyes open, I can read far away just fine. I'm 47 so my reading vision took the big hit. I expected it but the first week it was pretty bad but gradually it claered a little so I wear reading glasses (+1.00 power) now to read stuff.
1 month: The fluctuations daily continue but overall, still 20/20 in both eyes but my left has a little astigmatism according to the Dr. (.75 or something like that) I was struggling with dryness as it seemed to kick in more so at the month mark but I do computer work all day so I attribute a lot to that and we have a fan on at night. I finally bought a sleep mask to wear at night as I think one eye is open a little when I sleep and the GenTeal fixed this. A good nights sleep took me a month to finally get it right!
So far I'm healing fine, no issues other than the astigmatism but I'll update as time goes on and see where I'm at in another month! Trial and error with the gels and drops is sometimes needed and perfect results may not be achieved fast but overall, I'm pleased so far! Yes, I have had depressed moments and the dryness comes and goes making me think I may have it forever but I'm going to be optimistic since is is only slight dryness and I think I'll be ok!

5 weeks: Still fuzzy in my left eye. Had my check up at the Dr and still some astigmatism in that eye. Probably stuck with it but I can see up close a little better in that eye so it is a trade off I guess. Had them put in plugs in my lowers to help with the dryness and still had some issues so I thought to myself...Maybe I have slight inflammation which is causing me issues? Not sure but I still have the Pred Forte drops so I put some in and ....my vision was a little better and the dryness seemed to subside so I answered my own question. I have inflammation still even though they did not say I did at the Dr. but since it is not good to take these drops often, I'm not using them but at least now I know. I'll give it some time to heal more but looks like the astigmatism may remain in that eye. Bummer! The last week, I have been having issues with bright light and light sensitivity which is also an indicator of inflammation and dryness issues so I hope that subsides. Ordered my some of those Wiley X sunglasses (Cabela's has them if you want to see them but you can save $50 on line.) They seal out the air and sun and look great so i can't wait to get them. I think spending time outside is triggering the inflammation so I'll see if these glasses help. All in all, the jury is still out on whether I did the right thing or not but time will tell!

Ok, So the dryness is easing up a bit! Not quite back to pre-lasik standards but better and it could be attributed to the temp plugs I had put in but I don't think so. I'm also wondering if dryness is the overall factor in the fluctuations I have in vision quality as well. I can sit at the TV and put drops in and this pesky left eye can see better due to the liquid making the cornea smoother on the surface or so I assume. Still have the halo's and glare at night. If they have diminished any I'm not aware of it as it may be so small of a change as to not be readily noted. The night driving is the hardest but not to bad as to warrant hubby driving me to work. Mostly it is the blurry left eye causing the most glare issues although both have the halo vision. The traffic lights at about the 3 week post op started looking double from a far distance and as you get up on them, they get solid and normal looking. That has not changed and there again, mostly the left eye causing this phenomenon. My next Dr. Appt is May and I see the surgeon this time and not an associate so I'll address the issue with the left eye at that time. I had no idea I could request my follow up appts with him and thought I had to see the associate but that is not the case. Just have to ask to see him. The associate is ok but he is not forthcoming with suggestions or questions. He waits for you to voice all concerns and then does not offer much hope or suggestions even though he has seen scads of Lasik patients. Not even a " give it time, it may resolve" but maybe that would be false so he stays silent so as to not implicate himself or the head surgeon will get a bad rap from his comments...So, I'll see what the main man has to say in a couple of months. Still using Systane Ultra drops daily but not as much as I was and the GenTeal Lubricant eye gel at night (this one I believe is making it so I can sleep all night long!) . I still stare at a computer all day Mon-Friday so I believe I'm causing inflammation which leads to the poor vision but I'm not sure as the associate has never said a thing about it. Just that my flaps are healing well and no cloudiness. I'm going to request a copy of my records while I'm there next and see what they wrote down. Just wondering if more info is there or not.
All in all, 20/20 and 20/15 sometimes in my right eye so it is doing all the work for distance vision these days! Still on the fence as to whether this was a good choice but with the dryness getting better, at least that is a plus!