My CustomLASIK Story: Those Trees Do Have Leaves!May 19 '04 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line CustomLASIK has made a world of difference.
My hope that maybe someday I would be able to have LASIK surgery sprouted in the mid-1990’s. I wanted the surgery not because of confidence or vanity issues (after living the majority of my life with glasses/contacts these points were moot) but instead because of the convenience of living sans corrective lenses. In fact, I remember (somewhat) jokingly asking every Christmas and birthday for a gift of LASIK surgery from my parents and more recently from my husband. Earlier this year I realized it had been three years since I last was prescribed contacts. Laws have recently changed regarding the purchase of contacts online, so in order to get more lenses I would have to visit an eye doctor for an official prescription. And while I was there, it made sense to buy glasses. So I sat down and thought about it all. When it came right down to it, I realized that I may as well make an appointment at a highly regarded local center for a free evaluation. What could it hurt? Well, aside from my pocketbook eventually the answer is of course nothing. My choice of a clinic was easy—I refused to bargain shop and pretty much disregarded anything advertised on the radio. Eventually a verbal recommendation from a particularly picky RN led me to TLC in Farmington Hills, Michigan (a nationwide chain with this office in Metropolitan Detroit). There was zero question that there are cheaper places available, but I’m not going cheap when it comes to my eyes. This is a “forever” sort of thing—regardless of outcome good or bad. First Impressions & The Evaluation So I drove myself out to TLC on 12 Mile. I was immediately impressed by my surroundings and pleased with the responsiveness of staff. I was taken almost immediately to an examination room to determine my candidacy for the surgery. Indeed this *is* a surgery that involves more than just a laser. There is cutting and there are metal apparatuses. Anyway, in the room the technician tested me for a variety of things. He tested the thickness of my cornea (if your cornea is too thin you are not a viable candidate). He tested my prescription (if your prescription is really bad you are not a candidate). He checked the size of my pupils (if your pupils are large your likelihood of haloes increases and therefore LASIK may not be a good option). Also, the tech performed a corneal topography to map the precise shape and various aberrations of my eyes. Other considerations for candidacy revolve around the stability of your prescription, your age, and if you’ve achieved near-perfect correction with glasses/contacts. Patients with glaucoma, keratoconus, and other diseases which affect the cornea are not able to have LASIK. After all of this (about 20 minutes) I was deemed to be a good candidate. But being a good candidate is more—you have choices to make even within the LASIK procedure. Today, there are two LASIKs. The most common and least expensive is actually conventional LASIK. This is the same procedure that doctors have been performing basically since the inception of laser surgery. Results have been good, but the most common complaints are focused on the aforementioned halos and the like. The second and more comprehensive solution is CustomLASIK. It is more expensive, but utilizes a type of eye mapping called WaveFront which takes into account aberrations which have been previously unaddressed by conventional lasers. The best way to look at CustomLASIK is that it’s like a tailored suit instead of one that you buy off the rack at Sears. Both can look good, but only the tailored one will take into account the individual shape of a person. Based on this advanced guidance and mapping, Doctors can better correct a patient’s eyes. Basically whereas conventional LASIK only addresses second-order errors in vision, CustomLASIK also takes care of high-order errors which in turn lead to better and sharper sight. I chose to pursue treatment with CustomLASIK technology. Why? Well, I figured if I was going to have this done and it was going to cost me a good chunk of change anyway that I would just go ahead and get the best treatment available. Pre-Surgical Roundup As part of TLC’s package, a local eye doctor is charged with my pre and post surgical care. The price of these multiple appointments is included in the price of the procedure. Patients must make each of these office visits to qualify for the lifetime guarantee. The local doctor (at a Henry Ford Optimize office) again verified the health of my peepers. He ensured I was (still) a candidate for LASIK in addition to fully dilating my eyes for a comprehensive exam. In addition, I was approved for a loan of 360 days same as cash through MBNA America. So not only was I getting my eyes fixed, I was also going to have a year to pay for it without the worry of interest on my credit card or via a conventional loan. I had to have my contacts out of my eyes for ten days prior to this appointment. My actual LASIK surgery was scheduled for only a few weeks later. I had to remove my contacts about two weeks prior to that procedure additionally. Of course wearing glasses was a bit of an inconvenience, but in the long term I think the actual repair of my eyes is a much more important occurrence. Had I still worn hard contacts, there would have been an even longer period of time that I would have to deal with glasses. Day of the Surgery First things first. You cannot to the LASIK thing on your own. I contacted my retired dad for a ride to and from TLC. Plus, the office allows guests to actually watch the procedure on a large TV and I knew he would be intrigued by the whole process. The on the day of the surgery there are no eating or activity restrictions. I basically packed myself up and drove to Farmington Hills to TLC. There was no wait and I was quickly called back to once again test my eyes to make sure I was a candidate. In addition, an ophthalmologist took a look at my eyes before the procedure. These two quick checkups took just 20 or so minutes. The office had an efficient queue set up in which they moved patients from the regular waiting room to a smaller one and then finally to the one immediately outside of the laser room. This waiting room was comfortable. As a patient, I watched folks being prepped and knew what was to come next for me. This, I believe, was by design to ensure that more skittish people were not going to be surprised. I signed a bit of paperwork (the traditional wavers and agreements) and the nurse gave me an ativan (they do this to relax patients, but not knock them out—I asked). My hair was covered as were my shoes and my glasses were removed. I was asked to become accustomed to my surroundings sans correction so as to see the immediate results from the surgery. From there, I was moved with my father in tow to a private waiting area to speak to the doctor. He fielded any and all questions and spoke in both scientific and basic terminology. I was made very comfortable, and he assured me that my choice of CustomLASIK was the best I could have possibly made. “Sure,” I thought to myself, “you’re making more money off of me.” My pessimism (as minor as it was) soon subsided. The Procedure As promised, it lasted just fifteen minutes. There was no pain (they used numbing drops on each eye), but there was a bit of a feeling of disorientation. The room was sterile white and abuzz with the sound of high tech equipment. The doctor entered and once again explained to me the process and what I would experience. I will admit that with my first eye, I was a bit shocked. I knew (via verbal communication) what would go on, but there’s nothing like a first hand experience. They attached a Clockwork Orange–like device to my eyes to keep them open—there’s no blinking allowed. Next, they used what my father described as something like a can opener to peel away my cornea. There was a brief moment when I saw nothing at all. The world went black, but this was to be expected. The laser then took to zapping my eye. There was no feeling, but there was a smell like burning hair (again, to be expected). I jumped the first time, but that does not hurt the outcome. The laser is made to automatically adjust to movements in the eye. The same procedure followed on my left eye. I was a bit disoriented when I stood up. Nothing quite felt the same, but there was something miraculous that I noticed. I could see. Not perfectly by a long shot, but I could actually see shape and definition in things which would have previously been a blurry nothing. My father and I were walked to a dark exam room where we sat and talked for about fifteen minutes. This was to give my eyes some time to rest. I was supposed to keep them closed as much as possible to help in the healing process. The ophthalmologist returned to check my eyes and he told me that they looked as well as they could. So I put on my lovely disposable dark sunglasses (provided by TLC) and held on tightly to my eye drops (a saline, an antibiotic, and an anti-inflammatory) tightly. Despite doctors warnings I couldn’t help but sneak a peek—it was clear that my improvement was immediate. I was pleased (to say the least). Post Surgery The doctor told me that I would feel like sleeping for the hours following surgery. He was right. This, of course, aids in healing with is incredibly important. When I woke some time around 7 or 8pm (I had surgery at 1:00pm) I was shocked and impressed by what I could see—which was everything with only a slight blur. I had a follow-up the next day which proved that I could see—both eyes had improved to 20/30 from -4.5 diopters. I followed the prescriptions exactly as directed. I wasn’t going to mess anything up. I was dealing with my eyes, my single most important sense. As time went on my eyes improved. At first, my progress was slow. My eyes would be better one week and worse the next. They said this is normal for the healing process. Turns out that I was sensitive to eye drops with preservatives, so I had to get a different kind of drop. Once I had that straightened out, my eyes improved to the absolutely unthinkable. It seems that I will now have 20/15 vision for the rest of my life. Not only are my eyes much improved, they are better than perfect. People warned me that I would have problems with X, Y, and Z. None of it has come to fruition. The beauty of the procedure I had done is that it almost entirely eliminates things like haloes (the most common complaint). In fact, I had haloes before the surgery but now that my astigmatism has been fixed I don’t have any. Headlights in rain are even clear. It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced. Conclusion I hate to sound like a salesman on an infomercial, but truth be told CustomLASIK was the best thing I’ve ever consciously chosen to do for myself. It’s not a necessary procedure, but it is a life-altering one. I can see things I never knew existed. Nothing anywhere on the horizon is blurry and I can now do things I never could comfortably. I can open my eyes under water, I can fall asleep in the car, and I can pass out drunk after a night at the bar without first jabbing myself in the eyes with grubby hands (did I just say that last part?). Laser surgery isn’t for everybody, but it is a wonderful solution to my lifelong glasses/contacts angst. I really, honestly, don’t know what took me so long.  |
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