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don’t do it. lasik ruined my eyes.
This is long but I’m laying it all out. 4 months after my LASIK, I still can’t see well enough to drive safely, and can’t read captions on the 72” tv right across from me.
I could see perfectly with my glasses but I was sick of wearing them. I’d had them 20 years but I hated being in the “seniors with glasses” club. Everybody hears about the quick miracle and long lasting results of LASIK, right? Well, that is not guaranteed.
I was farsighted with astigmatisms. I needed correction with both my reading and my distance, so we decided on monovision: one eye for reading, and one eye for distance. (I’d worn mono-vision contacts for 4 years at one time, so I understood the concept and knew it worked great for me.) At the initial exam, my surgeon told me that only 1-2% will need an enhancement, meaning a second procedure to improve your results. He said the improvement is generally very quick (days), but my vision could fluctuate for 8 weeks before my final result is known. For that reason, an enhancement would not be considered before 8 weeks.
I scheduled the procedure. I was given prescriptions for eye drops and was told to bring those with me. And, the consent form states that you might experience dry eyes afterward, so buy preservative-free OTC eye drops ideal for LASIK patients, such as Refresh Tears. They offered Valium before the procedure, and I accepted. I traveled out of town for my surgery, and stayed at a nearby hotel that night. A clear contact lens is put in place at the end of the procedure, to seal the flap in place. You go back the next morning to have the lens removed. I was told I didn’t need anyone with me, as there was not general anesthesia, but I couldn’t drive after Valium, so I took Uber. It sounded so simple, right?
The procedure is stressful. One Valium didn’t help a bit. Both eyes are clamped wide open, and I mean really peeled far open with a clamp that holds them in place like that. Numbing drops work well on your eyeball but the sensation of having your eyelids clamped is freaky. There were two pieces of big equipment: one cuts the flap, and one performs the laser. I lay on a table and was gently rolled from side to side as each eye was done. I found it very stressful, personally. The equipment is very close to your face, you are instructed to stare directly up at the red light, your eyelids can’t blink. It doesn’t take long. I was at the facility less than 2 hours. They told me to get rest, to try to rest my eyes, and also told me to expect my eyes to water a lot right after.
I took Uber to the hotel. My eyes didn’t just water: they flooded. Tears streamed down my face for 2 full hours without letting up. My eyes were ugly, red, and squinty. They send you out with the big black glasses like you might see after having pupils dilated. I hid behind the glasses and checked in. I was a wreck. A mild anxiety, my eyes looking very traumatized, the water pouring down my face. I was in no condition to go out for food. I ordered a delivery, which isn’t a normal thing for me but no way I could go out.
The next morning, I Ubered back, and got the clear contacts removed. They checked my vision, and it was very blurry, especially the left eye. They said don’t worry, it will improve, fluctuations are normal. Then the story changed. The doc said that being farsighted , it’s different: 3-5% will need an “enhancement” (not the 1-2% I had been told), and my vision would fluctuate for 12 weeks, not 8. So for me, an enhancement would not be considered before 12 weeks. Still, they expected my vision to improve. They thought they were done with me, that I would experience the miracle everyone expects. They said call them right away if I had any problem, or after 12 weeks, if I wasn’t happy with the results. The Rx eye drops were to be used 4 times a day until they ran out. (One is an antibacterial, the other is a steroid.) one lasted over 2 weeks, the other lasted over a month. I was free to use the OTC drops as much as I wanted to relieve dryness or discomfort. And then, I was sent home.
My vision never cleared. I could read right away, to text and type and read larger print on a Kindle, but paperbacks or prescription labels were harder. I had no idea it would be that bad for so long. I had a trip booked, where I was flying and then picking up a rental car. I couldn’t see to drive. I couldn’t read the green street signs. The speed limit sign was blurry. I could see the car in front of me, but not well enough to read the license plate or even what state it was from. (I was traveling alone, so I didn’t have someone else who could drive. Thankfully I had gone to a familiar town and knew my way around.) At a casual restaurant where the menu is on the wall behind the counter (such as Subway), I couldn’t read the big board. My eyes were dry and irritated, the left one in particular. It never felt okay. It felt like I had a dirty contact lens in it. When I got home from my trip, I called them. It had only been 3 weeks but I didn’t feel safe on the road, I should not have been behind the wheel! I asked, “Are my eyes supposed to be this bad after 3 weeks?” They checked to see how my vision had tested, on the morning after the surgery. They said I was legal to drive. I don’t know how, honestly. I’d be terrified to get on the road if I thought other drivers had vision this bad. They told me to give it the full 12 weeks. I waited. Bad eyes, afraid to drive, couldn’t enjoy television. My distance was so blurry! Anything across the room was blurred. You don’t realize how much reading there is on a tv show. Captions, labels, subtitles, people writing text messages that are part of the storyline. I couldn’t ((and still can’t) read them.
I was quarantined when the 12 weeks were up, so it was 14 weeks when I went back for another vision exam. Unfortunately, I was right. My vision was as bad as I thought it was, and both near and distance needed enhancement. But then the story changed again. I was asked to give it 2 more MONTHS - after having bad blurry eyes for 14 weeks, I should wait 8 more?!
I am now scheduled for the enhancement, (let’s be honest, it’s a do-over) in November 2020. I am much more anxious about it this time. I’m not going in with the trusting optimism I had last time. I’ll be starting from scratch - hotel stay, Uber, a month of eye drops 4 times a day, and then waiting weeks or months to learn my outcome. (And you better believe I’m adding an extra Valium of my own next time.) If my sight isn’t better after that, I’ll be out $4000 and back to glasses, with vision that is much worse than what I had before, and one eye that is just constantly irritated. Even if I get great results from my second surgery, it would not have been worth all this. I’m now 4 months of this, with another month to wait before the enhancement. And waiting months to know if it worked.
Don’t do this to yourself. There are no guarantees. By the way, I read all the reviews and checke made sure I went to a corneal specialist. I had absolute confidence in the Lasik provider I chose. Read all the fine print in the consent form you sign. ASK MORE QUESTIONS. The dry eye? I’m now hearing that it could last forever. With blurry vision and stronger glasses, to boot. Just don’t do it.
I could see perfectly with my glasses but I was sick of wearing them. I’d had them 20 years but I hated being in the “seniors with glasses” club. Everybody hears about the quick miracle and long lasting results of LASIK, right? Well, that is not guaranteed.
I was farsighted with astigmatisms. I needed correction with both my reading and my distance, so we decided on monovision: one eye for reading, and one eye for distance. (I’d worn mono-vision contacts for 4 years at one time, so I understood the concept and knew it worked great for me.) At the initial exam, my surgeon told me that only 1-2% will need an enhancement, meaning a second procedure to improve your results. He said the improvement is generally very quick (days), but my vision could fluctuate for 8 weeks before my final result is known. For that reason, an enhancement would not be considered before 8 weeks.
I scheduled the procedure. I was given prescriptions for eye drops and was told to bring those with me. And, the consent form states that you might experience dry eyes afterward, so buy preservative-free OTC eye drops ideal for LASIK patients, such as Refresh Tears. They offered Valium before the procedure, and I accepted. I traveled out of town for my surgery, and stayed at a nearby hotel that night. A clear contact lens is put in place at the end of the procedure, to seal the flap in place. You go back the next morning to have the lens removed. I was told I didn’t need anyone with me, as there was not general anesthesia, but I couldn’t drive after Valium, so I took Uber. It sounded so simple, right?
The procedure is stressful. One Valium didn’t help a bit. Both eyes are clamped wide open, and I mean really peeled far open with a clamp that holds them in place like that. Numbing drops work well on your eyeball but the sensation of having your eyelids clamped is freaky. There were two pieces of big equipment: one cuts the flap, and one performs the laser. I lay on a table and was gently rolled from side to side as each eye was done. I found it very stressful, personally. The equipment is very close to your face, you are instructed to stare directly up at the red light, your eyelids can’t blink. It doesn’t take long. I was at the facility less than 2 hours. They told me to get rest, to try to rest my eyes, and also told me to expect my eyes to water a lot right after.
I took Uber to the hotel. My eyes didn’t just water: they flooded. Tears streamed down my face for 2 full hours without letting up. My eyes were ugly, red, and squinty. They send you out with the big black glasses like you might see after having pupils dilated. I hid behind the glasses and checked in. I was a wreck. A mild anxiety, my eyes looking very traumatized, the water pouring down my face. I was in no condition to go out for food. I ordered a delivery, which isn’t a normal thing for me but no way I could go out.
The next morning, I Ubered back, and got the clear contacts removed. They checked my vision, and it was very blurry, especially the left eye. They said don’t worry, it will improve, fluctuations are normal. Then the story changed. The doc said that being farsighted , it’s different: 3-5% will need an “enhancement” (not the 1-2% I had been told), and my vision would fluctuate for 12 weeks, not 8. So for me, an enhancement would not be considered before 12 weeks. Still, they expected my vision to improve. They thought they were done with me, that I would experience the miracle everyone expects. They said call them right away if I had any problem, or after 12 weeks, if I wasn’t happy with the results. The Rx eye drops were to be used 4 times a day until they ran out. (One is an antibacterial, the other is a steroid.) one lasted over 2 weeks, the other lasted over a month. I was free to use the OTC drops as much as I wanted to relieve dryness or discomfort. And then, I was sent home.
My vision never cleared. I could read right away, to text and type and read larger print on a Kindle, but paperbacks or prescription labels were harder. I had no idea it would be that bad for so long. I had a trip booked, where I was flying and then picking up a rental car. I couldn’t see to drive. I couldn’t read the green street signs. The speed limit sign was blurry. I could see the car in front of me, but not well enough to read the license plate or even what state it was from. (I was traveling alone, so I didn’t have someone else who could drive. Thankfully I had gone to a familiar town and knew my way around.) At a casual restaurant where the menu is on the wall behind the counter (such as Subway), I couldn’t read the big board. My eyes were dry and irritated, the left one in particular. It never felt okay. It felt like I had a dirty contact lens in it. When I got home from my trip, I called them. It had only been 3 weeks but I didn’t feel safe on the road, I should not have been behind the wheel! I asked, “Are my eyes supposed to be this bad after 3 weeks?” They checked to see how my vision had tested, on the morning after the surgery. They said I was legal to drive. I don’t know how, honestly. I’d be terrified to get on the road if I thought other drivers had vision this bad. They told me to give it the full 12 weeks. I waited. Bad eyes, afraid to drive, couldn’t enjoy television. My distance was so blurry! Anything across the room was blurred. You don’t realize how much reading there is on a tv show. Captions, labels, subtitles, people writing text messages that are part of the storyline. I couldn’t ((and still can’t) read them.
I was quarantined when the 12 weeks were up, so it was 14 weeks when I went back for another vision exam. Unfortunately, I was right. My vision was as bad as I thought it was, and both near and distance needed enhancement. But then the story changed again. I was asked to give it 2 more MONTHS - after having bad blurry eyes for 14 weeks, I should wait 8 more?!
I am now scheduled for the enhancement, (let’s be honest, it’s a do-over) in November 2020. I am much more anxious about it this time. I’m not going in with the trusting optimism I had last time. I’ll be starting from scratch - hotel stay, Uber, a month of eye drops 4 times a day, and then waiting weeks or months to learn my outcome. (And you better believe I’m adding an extra Valium of my own next time.) If my sight isn’t better after that, I’ll be out $4000 and back to glasses, with vision that is much worse than what I had before, and one eye that is just constantly irritated. Even if I get great results from my second surgery, it would not have been worth all this. I’m now 4 months of this, with another month to wait before the enhancement. And waiting months to know if it worked.
Don’t do this to yourself. There are no guarantees. By the way, I read all the reviews and checke made sure I went to a corneal specialist. I had absolute confidence in the Lasik provider I chose. Read all the fine print in the consent form you sign. ASK MORE QUESTIONS. The dry eye? I’m now hearing that it could last forever. With blurry vision and stronger glasses, to boot. Just don’t do it.