1.5 Yrs After LASIK - Langley, BC

Here I am 1.5 years later and I'm still super happy I got LASIK.

The side effects throughout this time have been:

- DRY EYE. This has gotten better over time but it was super annoying. At first I used eye drops multiple times a day. After a while it was only when I woke up as the mornings were super uncomfortable. Now I'm ok most of the time but find I need them some mornings and sometimes in certain areas.

- LIGHT SENSTIVITY. This has also gotten better but on even semi-sunny days I'm wearing sunglasses. Direct light DOES hurt.

- NIGHT DRIVING. I can drive at night with no issue but it's a bit annoying.

Other than the above, all is well. I still see 20/20 and I had no issues with healing. Even with the above, I would do it all over again.

(My brother happens to be a Dr with a Toronto Iris location) I've needed glasses since I was 15 and although my vision wasn't as bad as many (-3.25 & -2.75), I was sick of wearing glasses. For the last few months I saved up some money so I could fly from Winnipeg, MB to Langley, BC for the life changing surgery. Why go to BC for Lasik surgery? I keep getting asked that question and my answer is simple; to deal with Iris. My brother happens to be a Dr with a Toronto Iris location and with his recommendation, my appointment was made. Everyone with Iris was very pleasant to deal with throughout my whole experience. All my accommodations were planned for me and all I had to do was show up. I arrived in BC at 2pm Thursday afternoon where I was greeted by the Iris driver, Ben. During our 50 minute drive to the clinic, Ben informed me of some provincial information as I had never been to BC before. Quite the tour! A short while later, I arrived at the clinic and was greeted by some very pleasant people. After minimal waiting, my eyes were tested by a Dr and about 7 machines. After about 2.5 hours I went back to my hotel wearing my glasses for the last time. My surgery was set for 9 am Friday morning. I went in for some final tests to double check the numbers and before I knew it, I was in the surgical waiting room. Seeing as I was given a small dose of Valium, I was not too nervous as I donned the blue booties and blue cap. After a few minutes of waiting I was brought into the room and instructed to lay down on the operating table. It was here I met my surgeon, Dr. Ma for the first time. He asked if I had any questions and then we began. While I was staring up at the green light my one eye was taped shut and the other's lashes taped back. Once all was secure they put a clamp to keep my eye open. So far nothing hurt nor was anything more than mildly annoying. They put some drops in my eye to freeze the area and then he wiped my eye with a wet swab. Soon after they placed something on my eye that pressed down the cornea to flatten it. Although this was not painful, it felt weird and my vision went completely black. The blackness curbed my need to attempt blinking which was a nice break. A bit more pressure took place while the flap was cut and then my vision came slowly back. Within seconds the laser was on my eye which was the easiest part. I just had to lay there and watch the light. The laser felt cold and I smelt the effects but after a minute or so, all was done. The flap was put back on and some drops placed. Easy! The whole time they were walking me through it and telling me what I should expect or how much time was left on a certain section. This really was helpful. They then repeated the procedure on my other eye. Once I was done, I stood up and opened my eyes. It was clear already!! Yes a bit foggy from the saline but I knew it worked. I spent the rest of Friday taking drops every two hours and keeping my eyes shut as much as possible. No TV, no computer and no reading made for a very boring day. Saturday had me at my morning check up, where I was told my eyes looked great and I now have greater than 20/20 vision. I am now able to resume a fairly normal life as long as my eyes are in no danger of being poked. I was also told not everyone has such great results so soon but I suppose I was one of the lucky ones. Over all Iris was awesome, the procedure painless and the results amazing. I recommend having Lasik sooner than later!! (even if your brother does not work for the company)