I Can See Clearly Now! (LASIK Treatments)

Member Name: buttonman

Product:	LASIK Treatments
Date:	08/02/03 (950 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: No Lenses, No solutions, No fiddling with your eyes

Disadvantages: Possible pitfalls, Cost, Slightly frightening procedure

I had rotten eyesight for as long as I could remember. I used to squint at the blackboard in Mrs Foot's primary three class and it went downhill thereafter. It was diagnosed at an early age but a flaw in the system, which meant that it was up to me to tell the folks, meant my squinting saw me through my school years. I never had anything against glasses but why hide this lovely mug? Once I started work I got contact lenses and these were a revelation. At first I had soft lenses and then disposables and was almost amazed at the sharp edges that had magically appeared around previously fuzzy objects. There were of course drawbacks such as the need for a chemical lab I the bathroom and their use was restricted to around eight hours a day. This didn’t stop me of course and I'm proud to say that even now I've never had a pair of glasses, choosing to 'forget' them at each check-up.

Clearly this wasn't the best situation and unforeseen events like waking up having forgotten to take the critters out meant for a painful and inconvenient couple of days. The solution seemed clear, have high-powered lasers blast away the gunk and let the light flood in!

I’ve always used 'The Contact Lens Clinic' mainly for it's good service and sensible name. I paid £14.95 a month for disposable lenses and all the aftercare I needed. They had offered laser treatments before but this meant the hassle of travelling to Newcastle, not an appealing prospect when you are rendered sightless for at least a day. I started to seriously consider the treatment when they opened a Glasgow clinic and once my flat sale cash came through I dared myself to do it.

WHAT IS INVOLVED

I am longsighted and therefore have trouble seeing things at distance. This is seemingly caused by the shape of your eyeball and can be cured to some degree by squinting. When you squint at something you are effectively changing your eyeball's shape
and it is on this principle that laser surgery works. The idea is simply to reshape your eyeball using a laser so that the effect of you squinting is now your normal way of seeing. There are basically two ways of doing this PRK and LASIK. PRK was described to me as the old fashioned way of doing things. In this the surgeon lasers your eyeball directly to remove the unnecessary tissue. This understandably is quite painful and only one eye can be treated in a session. LASIK is seemingly the more advanced technique although it also sounds scarier. What happens here is that a machine cuts a flap in your eyeball and this is lifted so that the laser can zap the inner tissue of your eye directly meaning that both eyes can be done in the same day with less pain and a quicker recovery period.

GETTING ASSESSED

I though that by curing their customers the Clinic would be doing themselves out of business but they seemed very keen to promote their services. After an initial check up I was told that I was probably suitable for treatment and was booked in for a full assessment. This was fine although to allow your eyes to revert to their natural state you cannot wear your lenses for a week before the appointment. This was a real hassle for the glassesless me but I managed to struggle through.

The assessment itself took two hours and involved a lot of stuff normally only seen in torture chambers – numbing drops, air puffs on eyes, whirly discs-you name it. After being prodded for two hours I was deemed suitable and it was time to put up or shut up. They only do correction work on two weekends a month and they were booked solid - but lo a cancellation had become available! I was a bit reluctant at first but the though of another lenses free week prior to the operation made me take the plunge.

The clinic were very good in spelling out the risks and gave me several 'what could happen' chats before getting me to sign a lengthy contract.
There were so many clauses that they could probably have stolen my organs and I’d have had no complaint but clearly they felt the need to cover themselves. I did ask all the questions I could think of such as what if I sneeze? (machine cuts off automatically) and will it hurt? (Yes, a bit you big sissy) The risk of something going wrong (massive infection, retina detachment, flap tear etc etc) was put at one in four hundred by a chirpy girl who suspiciously hadn't had the treatment herself. She did boast that they had had no problems at their branch "So you must be due one" I said morbidly as I put pen to paper.

There was then the not insignificant matter of the bill. LASIK costs £995 - and that is per eye. They wanted £100 deposit, which was transferable to another date but not refundable. On the day of surgery the balance of £1890 was payable and once paid this too was non-refundable in the event that you chicken out. Good incentive to go through with it! They do offer interest free credit over 24 months but offered no discount for cash. Had I the time I’d have taken the credit and let my cash gather some interest but the credit check would have taken me beyond my appointment date. The costs are higher than some firms who advertise in the press but the level of assessment and professionalism was impressive. I'd also have hated to have skimped and then have something go wrong, so in for a penny in for two grand!

THE BIG DAY

My treatment day was only three days after my assessment so I had little time to ponder the potential outcomes. I was still denied my lenses and so spent the days bumping around the house trying to store memories of what I couldn’t see and from where. I decided that if I could see my Moe's Bar clock from the computer desk the treatment would be a success.

The appointment time was 8am on a Sunday morning with the clinic only open for the four experimentees and their guide
dogs. The treatment suite was nice with coffee and papers laid on. Despite our common interest, and no doubt concerns, there was little small talk between my fellow victims and I. Once I’d paid the bill (0.5% cashback on EGG!) I was ushered into the antechamber. The surgeon who was 'the leader in his field', and reassuringly Oriental, had come up from Newcastle and gave us all a quick once over. Seemingly he didn’t trust the local’s assessments and insisted on ratifying them himself. I was sent for an additional test, as was another lady who was later rejected and refunded. I felt pity and jealousy in equal measures!

About an hour before the treatment you are given a sedative pill. This did not seem to have any great effect although in retrospect I did feel a bit more chilled after it. Eventually my name was called and I went into a broom cupboard adjacent to the operating room. In here where the staffs' coats were hanging I was given a surgical cap to wear and bags were put over my boots. I was also given a label with my birth date on it and buckets of reassurance.

The next bit was a bit of a blur. Clearly they don't want you freaking out so everything was done with speedy efficiency. You are seated in a chair not unlike a dentists and the surgeon asks you some personal questions to ensure he has the right man. Then the fun begins!

Despite frequent runs through of the procedure I really had no idea what to expect. In truth I thought it would be like 'Gold Finger' with a big beam of red light zapping me in the face. The truth was slightly scarier! Once you are in the chair you are spun around so that your head is almost touching a large metal device that looks like a bedpan with a pair of glasses inside it. The device is then secured to your head immobilising it whilst your eyes are held wider than they have ever been with a set of clamps. Numbing drops are then put in your eyes and very quickly t
he action starts.

A loud electrical hum ran through the machine and a nurse uttered the always-pleasant phrase 'Suction on'. I then felt my eyeball jump forward, not out of my head, but certainly proud of it. The sensation wasn’t exactly painful but certainly was a new one on me. So there I was in a scene straight out of 'A Clockwork Orange' just waiting for the next delight.

I'd thought that a laser would cut the flap and it may have done but the sensation I felt was more like a paper cut rather than the work of a light beam. It wasn’t very sore but certainly uncomfortable and easily the worst part of the whole treatment. I had been briefed that the cut was only to be the thickness of three hairs, but in eyeball terms that's quite a lot! My eye was immediately awash with fluid; some of it mine some of it drops administered by the nurse. I'm sure I made out the flap being peeled back and then I felt warmth and saw red light. The light was the laser burning the tissue with a constant 'click click' noise. A nurse in the background did a countdown from ten and it was the longest ten seconds I can remember. I was squirming throughout mostly on an involuntary basis and the nurse who brought me in did a good job holding me down with her arm across my chest. The surgeon barked out orders throughout saying stuff like 'Look up', 'look at your feet' and 'Come back'!

After several hours or in truth less than a minute my right eye was done. I was allowed about 30 seconds to catch my breath before we started on eye two. 'Who’s cooking bacon' I feebly quipped in reference to the slight burning odour before it was game on again. Second time around it was easier, knowing that it was only 30,20,10 seconds to go - and that was it. £2000 in two minutes - it was like Soho all over again!

Once the machine was removed I felt a bit dizzy, possibly due to the dope pill
s but more likely due to the terror! I was walked into the post treatment room where the surgeon had a look at his handiwork before declaring it a success. In retrospect that was a long few seconds too - if he’d had said 'Uh-Oh' I'd have fainted. After pumping his had and saying something predictable like 'Thanks Doc' I was shown back to the waiting room. The previously shy fellow victims were now all keen to talk and I bravely reassured them with 'Piece of cake'.

Before leaving the nurse taped on two fly like lenses over my eyes and issued a strict no peeking order. I was also given more dope pills and eye drops and ordered back at 9am the next day.

RESULTS

People think I’m lying but I could see better immediately. Despite the torrents of tears and plastic lenses I could still make out clear details of things as I shuffled to the car.

Once home I took the pills and slept until 1am. Now wide-awake I had several blind hours to fill, eventually deciding to listen to the Director's commentary on 'Goldmember' with my back to the screen. Next day back at the clinic the lenses came off and I could see! Not perfectly by any means but night and day compared to my previous vision. The optician said my sight would improve as the tissue healed and it has done. Now two months on I have six over 20:20 vision which is as good as it gets. I can actually read one line more on the eye chart that I could with my lenses - and the Moe clock? Made in Taiwan it says in tiny writing!

Some of the potential pitfall such as excessive glare when night driving haven't materialised in my case but clearly all the pros and cons have to be weighed up before you decide what is best for you. I had to use artificial tears and steroid drops for a fortnight after the operation and my eyes were a bit gunky for the first month when I woke up. They also restrict your activities for a while with no showers
allowed for a week and no physical sports for a month so that the flap has time to heal.

The new improved vision is not guaranteed and they tell me I'll need reading glasses in middle age, as I would have done anyway. I am saving £15 a month plus solutions so it'll pay for itself in about 8 years. That together with the freedom and hassle free eye care all adds up to a must have operation. If you are considering it I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend both the treatment and my particular optician.

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