The LASIK Experience
Alright, let me add to the (abundance of) information that is already out there about the LASIK surgery by adding a personal angle as I have went through the same a week back.
I really don’t want to get into the technicalities and the differences between various types of refractive surgery (PRK, LASIK, IOL etc). If you are looking to understand the differences between them, better take advice from your surgeon themselves (or better yet, find a different blog. There are very good ones out there). I chose to go for LASIK due to constraints around the healing time.
IS IT PAINFUL?
Let me start by answering the question which most of us seek with respect to any kind of surgery. Is LASIK painful? No. It is not. Is it irritating a little. Yes. But, it is not painful.
The procedure involves two steps; creating a flat by cutting open the top layer of your eye using either a knife or another laser and then reshaping your cornea to adjust the the refractive error you’ve developed over the years. The cutting open the flap is obviously the supposed painful part but you will be given anaesthetic drops so you’ll not feel a thing. Anaesthesia is probably the most important invention of modern day medicine. Wonder where we would be without it. Once the flap is cut open, laser is used to reshape your cornea and the flap is closed back. You will not be able to realise the part where they cut open the flap but you can witness the part where they close it. With the eye on which the surgeon is performing the surgery. 😁
THE HEALING PERIOD
On day 1, the day you get the surgery, I experience lot of watery eyes and a little burning (bare minimum). I was prescribed three types of eye drops. An anti-biotic, a hydrating eye drop and a steroid. I slept mostly through day 1. You will be asked to wear protective eye wear to keep your eyes protected from dust and bright light. You will have difficulty looking at bright light for 2–3 days. There will also be some cloudy vision on Day 1 which settled for me within 24 hours.
Day 2 onwards you will be able to see much better but you will be facing few problems with respect to blurred vision. I was able to see fine in the morning but by evening, my vision used to get a little blurred. According to my surgeon, it takes a month on average for the vision to settle and the blurriness to go away. Few days, the blurriness gave me a headache. You just have to sleep through it. Or work your way around it.
I was asked to not use laptops or mobile for 3 days at-least. Which was already the worst nightmare in my case. I would prefer a painful procedure where I have to sleep for 20 hours a day over a painless procedure where I cannot do anything for the whole day.
A week into it now, I don’t have headaches anymore, but I still have some blurred vision. Hopefully it will settle within a month. The most irritating part is the itching of the eyes. You cannot rub your eyes as the flap is still healing but at times we all feel an itch which we really cannot bear.
THE DOS
Use the drops the surgeon prescribes. The steroids help with the itch. The antibiotics help in avoiding any kind of infection.
THE DONTS
Don’t panic; first of all. During the surgery itself. It’s a painless procedure. All they ask from you is to stay still and comply.
Don’t rub your eyes. The flap needs to heal before you can torture it with the force of your finger.
In conclusion, if you ask me if you should go for LASIK. Yes you should. The technology now is advanced enough to make it convenient and safe for you to avoid wearing glasses for the rest of your life. Do remember that LASIK doesn’t actually protect you from vision problems which are a side effect of ageing (like cataract).