I've had friends and relatives who decided to end their days of bothersome contacts and glasses and opt for LASIK vision correction, but it never seemed a possibility for me. I'm a poor college kid, and well accustomed to popping in my soft contacts every morning for years and years. However, it seems that every now and then the generosity of our seemingly evil parents shines though, as with mine. My dad got a bonus at work and said, "Hey Anna, how'd you like to see?"
At A Glance Author vociferation Contact [email protected] IAM vociferation When It just happened Artist Dr. Mann Studio Mann Eye Center Location Houston, Texas We headed to the Mann Eye Center down in Houston for my pre-op examination. After a consultation and typical eye exam, they confirmed that my 20/2000 nearsightedness would make me a great candidate for the surgery. Much to my father's delight, they were running a summer special: approximately $2000 an eye. The total would be right around $4100 for the state of the art Allegretto laser treatment. The Allegretto laser (there are only two doctors in the Houston area that are equipped with it) is considered to be the cutting edge treatment at this moment, but often, depending on the eyes of the patient, alternative lasers are a better option.
Preparation of the surgery was minimal; no contacts for 2 weeks to rest the cornea and Zyman antibiotic drops the day prior.
I arrived at the clinic nervous about both the procedure and results. I had, after all, just signed a waiver warning of potential problems involving uncorrectable vision loss to complete blindness. The staff stressed the infrequency of such events but warned that dryness would be common, along with "starbursting" effects around lights.
Once more they checked my eyes to confirm my needs, then off to surgery prep. Blue shower cap, booties, 5 mg of Valium. The very delightful Lisa explained the entire procedure to me as the pill began to take effect. I received a number of drops in the eye, including a numbing agent. Now, time to go into the surgery room!
I laid down for the first segment of the surgery- the incising of the cornea, which would later be flapped back to allow for corneal ablation. Dr. Mann slipped something that looked like a little white donut inside my right eye, separating my lids and preventing blinking. "Good suction", said the tech, rubbing my hands. At this point I lost total vision in that eye (no explanation for this), which according to the doctor's warning was totally normal. First they marked the cornea for the cut. Something was lowered onto my eyeball and I felt a very intense pressure, as if it could explode. At this moment, with my complete lack of sight and suctioned eyeball, I became very thankful for the Valium. I laid still for 20 seconds and was released, still with very dark vision in that eye. They did the same on my left. A few minutes afterwards I was able to see again, but everything appeared to be covered in a thick white fog. This is attributed to bubbles that accumulate under the cornea, I suppose making it's lifting easier.
Onward to part 2. I laid down on another table, this time encouraged to grip a stuffed dog. Sounds silly, but it made a world of difference. They slid me back under a big machine with blinking lights and I began to get nervous again. Dr. Mann soothed me and inserted eyelid retractors into my right eye as it was being assailed with constant drops. I saw a thin shiny piece of metal descend into my eye and pressure of it poking, pulling my cornea up. It didn't hurt in the least, nor really bother me. Cornea flips up, doctor instructed me to look at a light and be still, and I heard a short lived buzz and smelled my cornea being molded by a laser to it's most desirable shape. The corneal flap was pushed back over onto the eye, forming a natural suction (think two microscope slides with liquid between- they stick together). He took a small brush to it, smoothing it down and pushing out any bubbles. Retractor removed, on to the left eye.
After this procedure was finished (approximately 30 minutes from start to finish) I was able to stand up and walk to a recovery room. I IMMEDIATELY noticed my doctor's embroidered lab coat. I had not known his first name previously, as I couldn't read it without corrected vision. I looked outside and saw leaves. The instant results were baffling, though my vision remained foggy.
I wore eyeshields taped to my face and sunglasses as I left the clinic. I was incredibly stylish and equipped with 3 types of eyedrops and some goggles for post-op use. Since then I have continued to wear the shields at night (to prevent disruption of the corneal healing by rubbing or laying on the eyes) and sunglasses during the day, as my eyes are still very light sensitive. Healing has been uneventful, just some mild discomfort immediately afterwards, a "foreign body" sensation and dryness. I did noticed the starburst effect, rainbow prisms shooting out of light sources, mostly at night. It's supposed to go away within the next two months, but I think it's gorgeous...really wouldn't mind if it stayed!
This morning, a mere 18 hours after my operation, I had my post-op appointment. I had noticed on the drive there how crisp my vision was, and the delighted doctors informed me that I was seeing 20/15! The flaps are healing fine and I was told to expect even greater clarity as the fog wore off. I absolutely could not believe I am seeing better than I have in my entire life, better than I was born with.
To anyone that struggles with bad vision: consider this surgery. It is going to open up all sorts of new doors, and I can't wait to SEE them. Also-- a big plug here for Dr. Mann's clinic. We received rock star treatment from start to finish and he was amiable and professional. He's done over 25,000 of these, so I expect he's got it down to a T.