get corrective eye surgery or lasik

Just came back from my one week post-op visit. My eyes are pretty close to 20/20 now (my pre-op prescription was between minus 7.0 and minus 7.5 in each eye, plus some astigmatism). I’d worn glasses or contacts since I was nine year old, and I’d forgotten what it’s like to wake up in the morning and be able to see. Oh, how glorious it is. :-)

Like others, I only wish I had done this sooner!

I had mine done by Dr. Neil Wills at Lasik Plus, and I’d recommend him/them.

I saw an optometrist (not the ophthalmic surgeon) this morning fro a check-up. He said (when I asked) that my eyes individually are “20/20 minus” (which I believe means they are 20/40 but slightly better) and together “20/15 minus” (which probably means 20/20/ or 20/30) and that the eye flaps look good. He also said that most people don’t get vision as good as that until one week post-op, so it was good that I was already doing so well.

I have another follow-up appointment next Thursday. I am still wearing sunglasses indoors and out (I can ditch them indoors tomorrow) and using prescription eyedrops four times a day, and moisturizing eyedrops every hour I am awake that I don’t use the Rx drops. I also have to wear uncomfortable goggles at night (6-7 nights total) so I won’t rub my eyes in my sleep.

I do NOT think my eyesight is 20/20, maybe not even 20/40 yet, but it is better than my vision with my eyeglasses, and way better than my old uncorrected vision.

When my eyes get tired, I can feel it, but there is much less pain than I thought I’d have. So far I am very happy.

My vision is still blurry and my eyes sting, but the surgery went well. Even with the blur, I see much better than I did before without glasses or contacts. The surgeon warned me before the surgery that former hard contact lens wearers (like me) tend to need an “enhancement” surgery down the road, but those procedures are easier and safer than the original surgery.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

My surgery is later this morning. I am nervous and excited and nervous and excited and—well, you get the point.

Wish me luck!

The optometrist said my eyesight had only changed “very slightly” since the original exam, so surgery next Tuesday is a go! I am excited but nervous.

I am a candidate for the surgery, and we can afford it. Big drawback is that I can’t wear my rigid gas perm contact lenses for five weeks before the surgery. I have a couple of pairs of civilian eyeglasses, but the prescription isn’t quite strong enough in them. I do have a pair of lovely ::cough cough:: Army-issued eyeglasses with a prescription that’s pretty close, but there’s a reason people call these glasses “BCDs” (that stands for Birth Control Devices)—I bear a striking resemblance to Mr. Magoo in them!

Oh well, five weeks of four-eyes to be followed by (hopefully) a lifetime of no more glasses and contacts (other than readings glasses)—I guess that’s a fair trade-off.

I have an appointment for an evaluation (which I am sure will include a high-pressure sales pitch, given my experience with this center so far) first thing Monday morning. May as well find out for sure if I am a good candidate for surgery and how much it will cost so I can make an informed decision.

I contacted a few local centers and asked for more information. The marketing for these places is amazingly pushy. One place gave me three options for having them contact me. I selected “email only” but they’ve already called once, got the machine, and left a message they’ll call me back.

At the end of July I lost one of my contact lenses. I was afraid to have a replacement mailed to me because of the extreme heat in the summer here, so I waited until I got home for my leave in September and wore glasses in the meanwhile.

Wearing my glasses every day for over a month will definitely motivate me to get the surgery quickly when I get home.

Although there are people out there who’ve had complications, no one I know who has had the surgery has regretted it. They often tell me their only regret is that they didn’t do it sooner.

I want to do this when I get back home!