Bye bye glasses

Yippee!! I finally did Lasik! Such a long wait….I’m so excited, I have been having myopia since I was 8, with my right eye 900+ and left eye 800+ degree (including astigmatism), I have been partially blind for 23 years.

Why now? Well, it’s much much cheaper. When Lasik first came to Sin, each eye cost about 3k. Without the option of instalment or Medisave, there’s no way I can afford it.

3 years ago, hubby did his at SNEC with instalment plan, was tempted to do it then but was holding back due to cost and of the various rumours on the side effects. The rumour I fear most is that one is unable to wear contact lens anymore should you have myopia again. Seeing that hubby did not have much side effects (except for the occasionally dry eyes) makes me tempted again.

What really tempted me the most to do the Lasik now is that hubby offered to sponsor me half of the cost, so nice hor? More ever, I’m getting frustrated with wearing glasses and taking care of Chloe over weekends.

I did my research and decided to do it at private clinic instead of SNEC cos of the waiting time, I only have one pair of contact lens left and I don’t want to waste money to buy another 6 months supply. Final conclusion is a choice between Dr Marc Tay at The Lasik Surgery Clinic or Dr Leonard Ang at Premium Lasik Surgery Clinic. I booked my appt with LSC even though I read in forums that they are popular of being “hard sell” . Well the pre-evaluation test at LSC is free even if  you don’t do the surgery with them so I can understand why they will hard sell after you do the test (there’s no free lunch in this world). At Premium, the pre-evaluation test cost $180 and they will deduct $100 if you sign up for the surgery. I tell myself, go for the free one first, if I’m not comfy with Dr Marc Tay, I can always go to Premium.

26/06/2009

Appt for pre-evaluation test with Dr Marc Tay at 3pm, they told me it will take 3 hrs, end up I spent almost 5hrs in the clinic, my eyes were being accommodating so I had to keep repeating the test till they can get accurate results.

Finally saw Dr Marc Tay at 7pm plus, he told me that I have thin cornea so he suggest IntraLase Custom Lasik for me. Although usually people (like me) with high astigmatism will go for IntraLase Wavefront Lasik but I can’t due to my thin cornea. He need to save as much space he can so that I can have the option to go for “lao hua” enhancement next time. I like Dr Tay, he’s very assuring, explaining all the options available and why he chose IntraLase Custom for me, we also went thru the side effects. He told me that I won’t have perfect eyesight after Lasik, will properly have about 50 – 75 deg left, which to me, I don’t think it’s a huge problem. By the way, not being able to wear contacts is a rumour, you can still wear contact lens after Lasik.

Total cost: $2817.30 (Instalment is about $234.78 per mth)

IntraLase Custom – $2588.00 for 2 eyes

Medication – $45.00

GST – $184.31

28/06/2009

Day of surgery, arrive at 10am, they told me that I need to purchase eye drops as I will need them daily for the 1st mth and subsequently as and when I feel the eyes being dry, paid $82.90 for 5 boxes. After that, they brought me to the operating area, dress me up in operation robes, cap, shoes, clean up my eyes, signed the consent form. The whole operating area is quite comfy, there’s 2 operating theatre, about 10 armchairs with individual curtains for patients to put their stuffs and rest after the op, there are also lockers for your expensive belongings, otherwise, everything will be place in the armchair area.

After I’m done, I was brought to the operating theatre, Dr Tay was waiting for me inside, I was asked to lie on a bed, there’s a light shining above my eye, just like those you see in operating theatre, just that this is much smaller, with a red blinking light in the centre. Dr Tay told me that he will do my right eye first, proceed to tape my eyelashes, the nurse puts the numbing eye drops, then Dr Tay puts on the suction ring on the eye. The cutting of the cornea flap is very fast, just for about 10 secs, no pain, just have this mild pressure on the eye. The nurse will do the countdown for you.

After that I can see Dr Tay uses something like a curve needle to flip open the cornea flap, he then did a trial run to let me hear how the laser will sound like, I was asked to stare at the blinking light for 40 secs. Then the laser starts, during the laser process, Dr Tay will tell me how many percent have I gone thru, I like that, at least I know how long more to go if not waiting for 40 secs in silence will seems like eternity. There’s a few secs during the laser that you will encounter total blackness, after that the vision will come back on.

After the laser is finish, Dr Tay will put back the flap, rinse the eye and use something like a spatula to sooth the cornea back in place. Left eye went thru the same thing and I’m done, after which, Dr Tay checked my eyes and I can leave the operating theatre. The nurse brought me back to the armchair and help me put the antibiotics eye drops and went thru with me the things I need to take note of, eg like how long I need to use the antibiotics eye drop + refresh eye drops etc. Then I called hubby to come into the operating area to fetch me home.

29/06/2009

Went back for review, Dr Tay says the cornea flap is in good position. Currently I have about 70% of vision, in 2 weeks time when I go back for my next review, it should reach about 90%.

Although I still can’t see very clearly now, I can watch tv and go on with daily activities, just not very use to wearing sunglasses whenever I go. I can use the computer but the words are not clear, I will have to go near the monitor then I can see the words. Compare to last time when I remove glasses, this is already so much better. I can’t wait to have 90% clear vision, then I will be able to see the clock when I wake up in the morning.

One day before surgery, last time I refuse to take photos with my glasses on. Now I keep taking photos with it.

On day of surgery with my sponsor. 

5 mins before surgery. Bye bye glasses, thank you for the past 23 years.

 

24 hrs after surgery