I have two previous posts regarding laser eye surgery. They are: “My Consultation with Optimax” and “Preparing for Laser Eye Surgery”, take a look if you are interested in following my journey from the very beginning. Here’s a very quick recap though. My vision was R -1.00 and L -2.00 with slight astigmatism and it was recommended that I have Lasek Wavefront treatment due to having thin corneas and large pupils. My boyfriend was booked in to have surgery the same day as me. He had an almost identical prescription but was recommended for Lasik Intralase Wavefront treatment.
So, on to surgery day....
We arrived at the Optimax Glasgow clinic at quarter to nine on the 27th of April 2012. We traveled there by train and I was very nervous and agitated for most of the journey. The train was full of noisy commuters and I wanted to tell them all to SHUT UP! Their inane chat was driving me mad and I just wanted to sit in peace and mentally prepare myself for what lay ahead!
As soon as we walked through the doors at Optimax I felt instantly calmer. The staff at reception greeted us with big friendly smiles and they knew exactly who we were. Unfortunately two of the front of house staff that were due in that day ended up phoning in sick which meant that as the day progressed, the staff that were in grew more and more frazzled and stressed. They made a few small mistakes such as forgetting to get my boyfriend to sign a form before his surgery and they processed my finance agreement incorrectly. However they remained friendly and helpful throughout, despite being overstretched and the stress they were under didnt effect the surgeon or the nurses, it was purely a “front of house” issue.
There were three other patients sitting in the waiting room for their treatment when we arrived and they seemed completely nonplussed about the whole thing.
In total we were at the clinic for around 3 hours and our day progressed as follows:
Firstly we had to sign two copies of our consent forms. We had seen these before at our consultation and they basically list everything which could go wrong in a worst case scenario. You have to initial each point (around 50 in total) to ensure that you fully understand what the surgery involves and what the potential risks are.
Next we had a one-on-one meeting with the surgeon who would be treating our eyes. Our surgeon was Dr Saboor and he had a look at our test results from the tests we went through at our consultation and confirmed which treatment we were having that day. I was very surprised that no-one repeated the tests which were performed at our consultations, just to double check, but I guess there is no need. He explained exactly what happens during the surgery and allowed us to ask any last minute questions.
It’s maybe worth mentioning that Dr Saboor was very friendly and reassuring, however he does wear glasses! Maybe he isn’t suitable for laser treatment. Maybe his wife thinks his glasses are sexy and doesn’t want him to get rid of them. Make of it what you will but I did find it a little disconcerting! A little thing like that wasn’t going to stop me having the surgery myself though. Not after coming so far.
Next we were asked to fill out a short questionnaire. This asked true or false questions which basically checked that we knew what we were getting ourselves into. One question was, “Occasionally laser eye surgery can result in patients being unable to drive at night.” This is true. I guess it’s so that you can’t complain later if this happens to you after surgery. You can’t say that you weren’t aware of the risks.
Then we sorted out our finance. I’ve mentioned in previous posts that my surgery cost £2100. I paid a £600 deposit and am paying using the 18 months interest free finance which Optimax offer. This has left me with £88 a month to pay. Personally, for perfect visions for the rest of my life, I think thats a bargain! Especially when you consider that some people pay £20k for breast implants!
The final stage before surgery was to go through the medication. A member of staff explained all of our meds to us and when to take each of them. I didn’t take this in at all at the time so it’s lucky you get a little leaflet to take home with you which explains it all!
I was given the following medication:
- Exocin Drops - to be used 4 times a day for one week. These are antibiotics.
- FML Drops - to be used 4 times a day for one week after the bandage lenses have been removed. These are steroids.
- Ibuprofen 800mg Tablets - to take one twice a day for 3 days following surgery to help with any pain.
- Anesthetic Drops - the same drops used during surgery. These completely numb the eye and help if you experience a lot of pain. You can take one drop every hour for two days following surgery.
- Antihistamines - to take 1 or 2 before going to bed to help make you drowsy.
- Refresh Drops - to take 4 times a day (or as much as needed) for 1 month following surgery. These hydrate your eyes.
My Meds!
While the staff were going through my meds with me the surgeon then called through to reception to say that they were ready for Mr Juicy (the surgeon referred to him by his real name of course). After being pretty calm all morning it was now that I started to freak out a bit. I knew that as soon as my boyfriend had had his surgery I would be called in for mine, eeeekkk!After sitting terrified in the waiting room for 20 minutes it was my turn for treatment! A receptionist led me through to a pre surgery room where I was asked to put on a shower cap type contraption and wait for a nurse to come and get me. I was nearly in tears at this point and felt borderline hysterical! When the lovely nurse Dawn came to get me I told her how nervous I was and she made me feel much better. She said it would be all over in 10 minutes and I wouldn’t feel a thing. She said she’d look after me and talk to me throughout the whole procedure.Into the surgery room we went and I was asked to lie on a dentist style chair while a second nurse asked me to confirm my name and the treatment I was having. She reassuring explained that this was merely a final precaution and it wasn’t that they didn’t know! Next Dr Saboor covered my left eye with gauze and tape, then held my right eye open and put in some anesthetic drops. He asked me to blink a few times and I expected to have to wait a few seconds for the drops to take effect. I also expected to have to do some sort of test to make sure they’d worked but Dr Saboor just continued on. He put the speculum in my right eye to keep it open during the procedure. This looked a bit like an eyelash curler and felt strange going in but it wasn’t at all painful. It was actually the thing I had been dreading most! Next Dr S flooded my eye with an alcohol solution and the nurse counted for 35 seconds. I’m guessing this is how long it takes for the alcohol to loosen my epithelium. Then Dr Saboor used what looked like a cuticle remover to push aside my epithelium! Although everything was very blurry at this point and I wasn’t in any pain what so ever, I was still very very aware of what was happening. If you are especially squeamish you probably will find that side of things pretty difficult. I could feel the instruments the doctor was using brushing my eyelashes even though I couldn’t feel anything on my actual eye, very weird! More numbing drops were added to my eye and then it was laser time! The laser is about a foot and a half away from my face and I’m asked to keep looking at a red light on top of it. The laser is switched on and it makes a clicking noise like a geiger counter! The laser was in my eye for all of 10 seconds and the nurse was counting down those 10 seconds. There is a burning smell while the laser’s at work. It’s the smell you get when you burn your hair with straighteners! My advice is hold your breath and try not to think about it! it isn’t pleasant but it’s definitely bearable. The final step was when Dr S replaced my epithelium with the “cuticle remover” and placed a bandage contact lense on my eye to protect it as it heals. Then it was the exact same process again for my left eye. This time I was really relaxed because I knew exactly what was coming and I lay there in complete awe of it all. It really is like watching a miracle in process!Nurse Dawn then led me to a dark room where she gave me a glass of water and an ibuprofen the size of a horse tranquiliser! I felt a little bit dazed and confused by now. Most likely in part from the 800mg of ibuprofen and the natural adrenaline coursing through my body! I was told I could head home whenever I felt able.Mr Juicy and I made our way outside to wait for our taxi home. I wore my sunglasses because I was advised too but I actually felt no light sensitivity what so ever. I kept on waiting for the pain, discomfort and watery eyes to kick in but it never came! I felt a bit queasy in the taxi but I think it was everything finally hitting me. I started to think.....I just had a freaking laser in my eyes!!!When we got home we went straight to bed for a couple of hours and again I was expecting lots of pain and either dryness or watery-ness to kick in, but it didn’t. My vision felt like it did when I didn’t have my glasses pre op and was foggy, however I could function. I managed to feed our cats and text my Mum to tell her we were ok. If I kept my eyes open for too long they would start to ache. It’s a lot like the feeling you get when you’ve had a long day in contact lenses. I didn’t use the numbing drops I was given once. I was really happy about this as they actually impede the healing process. I also managed to get to sleep really easily with no need for the anti-histamines to make me drowsy. Around 6pm I felt a sharp pain in my right eye. It wasn’t very painful but I decided to take another ibuprofen and lie down for half an hour to give my eyes a rest. I ended up sleeping right through until 7.30am the next morning!If you're considering laser eye surgery then I hope you’re finding this useful! If you have any questions then please ask away! Remember that I had lasEK but my boyfriend had LasIK so he can answer any questions you have about that procedure too (from a personal, not a medical perspective of course)!
Tomorrow I’ll tell you all about the day after my surgery.
Lisa x
