| Product: |
LASIK Treatments |
| Date: |
29/09/08 (190 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Perfect eye sight!
Disadvantages: Its quite scary, quite expensive, and something you have to put a lot of thought into.
Firstly, in this review, I wont be doing an in depth report on the technicalities, or the science bit....
Mainly because I am not a surgeon, and wouldnt want to get anything wrong.
Ok, so for the majority of my life, I have been incredibly short sighted.
If I sat with my laptop on my knee, I would need to wear my glasses. The only time i got to take my glasses off was when I was reading at night with the book about four inches away from my face.
I have heard many things about laser eye surgery. Horror stories. *I went blind* stories.
I always considered it far too risky to be a real possibility.
A few months ago, my dad made an appointment with optical express, for a free consultation for laser eye surgery.
I went with him for moral support, and on the day, they offered me my own consultation.
The guidelines on who can or cannot have the surgery re (or should be) very very strict.
Your pupils have to be a certain size, your cornea a certain thickness etc.
Turns out I was a perfect candidate.
(on a side note, my dad has decided against the surgery for now. He is 58, and short sighted. Currently, he doesnt need reading glasses, but if he were to get the surgery, he would.
Laser eye surgery cannot correct the natural degeneration that happens to the muscles in peoples eyes due to age. He decided to wait until he did need reading glasses, and will then get the surgery).
I jumped in both feet first.
My best friends Dad had the surgery done about 20 years ago ( i believe), and although the surgery didnt go perfectly, he still rated it.
I booked a slot, for a couple of months after my initial consultation, and that was that.
Regardless of the fact that laser eye surgery is advertised at a stupidly low price, it was actually quite expensive, although relitively a small price to pay.
For both eyes, for customVue wavefront and intralase lasik, it cost around £2500.00.
This can be paid in installments, and many payment plans are possible.
ok. a teeny bit of science. not too much.
CustomVue wavefront=
everyones eyes are different, apparently.
Until recently, all lasik patients got the same bog standard procedure, which was great.....but customvue wavefront is better.
lots of pictures are taken of your eyes, and all the little imperfections are recorded, so that when you get them zapped, its tailored perfectly for your eyes. this means that after customvue wavefront, your eyesight could be better than it is with glasses or contacts.
Intralase=
Intralase is basically where a laser creates the small flap that they cut open on your cornea, rather than a surgeon doing it with a teeny little scalpel.
The laser does it completely perfectly.
So yes. this is what I opted for. there were cheaper options, but you know, its my eyes. You kinda want the best.
also, the thought of a surgeon with a scalpel cutting my eyes open kinda freaked me out. what if he sneezed?
Laser sounded far better.
Ok.
Up until now, great.
Couple of months to wait until procedure, perfectly happy and confident-great.
I then made the mistake of going online and reading some reviews.
HORROR.
seriously. it doesnt matter how many amazing reviews I read, it was the bad ones that stuck in my mind.
I took these problems to optical express, and they completely cleared my mind.
The most common side effects occur when people are not initially suitable for the procedure in the first place, or dont follow up on the aftercare.
DAY OF PROCEDURE.
My best friend took me to the clinic, in Salford Quays, Manchester.
You HAVE to have someone else take you. Obviously you wont want to be driving afterward.
The staff were lovely. very kind, and reassuring.
You go in, and have lots of different tests done, just affirming what your own optician has done previously.
The you wait a little while, and are finally taken into what can only be called an operating room.
I must point out, that by this point, regardless of how calm and collected I have been previously, I started bricking it.
Seriously. I wanted to run.
All I could think was *they are going to cut my eeeeeyyyes open*
I was sat down on a dentists chair, and had a couple of sets of eyedrops in.
Apparently these are anasthetic, and also to stop you from wanting to blink.
Next, they put a clockwork orange type device on your eye ball, to stop your eyelids closing.
This doesnt hurt I might add, but feels like a funny pressure.
You cant see anything horrible, or feel any pain. i promise.
Next, you are positioned under a machine. you are told repeatedly, to stay very still. which is quite a lot of pressure, but quite easy to do when you are so petrified of moving.
You see, from the corner of your vision a red light.
Again, you dont feel a thing.
it was then focused on my other eye.
This machine is the laser that cuts a tiny tiny flap of skin on your cornea.
The surgeon then leans in, and pulls the flap back, so that your eye can be lasered underneath.
This wasnt painful either. just odd. i saw the surgeon lean in, and then something slippy happened on my eye, and everything went dark for a split second.
You are then repositioned under another machine. this is the machine that lasers away all the imperfections that causes your eye sight to be screwy.
All you can see is a blinking red light. it takes twenty seconds top, each eye.
again, absolutely no pain.
then, when thats all done, the surgeon leans down, does something slippy again to your eyes, repositions the flap, and it sticks back down, all by itself, no need for glue or stitches.
i was then sent outside.
By that point i was just so relieved it was over, and my body was all floppy from tensing my muscles so hard.
The surgeon quickly checks you out, gives you your eyedrops (three sets to be used regularly-and DO use them, its important) some goggles to sleep in, and some reading info about aftercare, and sends you on your sweet way.
I put my sunglasses on (your eyes are light sensitive afterward), and my boy drove me home.
The drive home was rather disconcerting. I was finding it hard to open my eyelids, like I was drowsy or something.
when i got home, i slept, for a few hours.
When I woke up, although a bit uncomfortable, and really worried about knocking my eyes, I could see!
Really see. Perfectly.
Since then, my eyesight has got better and better.
For the first few weeks, or months, you cannot CANNOT rub your eyes. that little flap they cut? the one that just sticks back on?
You dont want to knock it. that could screw things up.
I thought I would find it really difficult, but its been a couple of months now, and I havent rubbed my eyes by accident yet. You just get used to it.
Afterward, I had funny little red bruises on my eyes, but then went after two weeks.
Im just going to say now, because I was really anxious to know after I had it done, you can wear makeup a couple of weeks after.
For two weeks I steered clear of mascara, eyeliner, anything tricky to put on or get off, but now, im wearing anything.
you just have to be really careful taking eye makeup off, as again, you cant rub your eyes.
gentle dabbing only :)
Ok. I think thats about all.
All I really want to say, and im sorry it took an essay to do it, is that its perhaps the best thing I have ever done for myself, and would recommend it to anyone.
On a side side note-my best friend has perfect eyesight. annoyingly so. he was always pointing out things that i had no hope of seeing.
according to my optician, my eyesight is now better than 20/20.
me and the boy have been testing my eyesight, and his is still marginally better than mine. I just figure he must be super human, because my eyesight is pretty damn amazing now.
ok. im done :)
Summary: Laser eye surgery, make sure your surgeon is reputable, and that you follow aftercare instructions.
|
|
