I can see!!!! (aka Lasik report)

Lasik is awesome. You get there, they give you a Valium (which was slightly disappointing, it just slowed me down for a little while) and let it take effect for a few minutes. They also take your vitals a few times, just to be safe. My tech remarked on my low blood pressure. She had assumed it would be much higher because I was my usual excited self. But no, it was as low as usual.

Before the procedure, Dr G looked at my eyes through the slit lamp (the thing with the bright lights that swivels around, the doctor always tells you to look at his/her ear when using it) to make sure my corneas were ready (whatever that means), and then it was time!

We went into the operating room, I crawled into place on the bed/chair (which everyone laughed at, evidently other people sit and scoot. Whatever, my way works too), and we got down to business.

First came the right eye...a gallon of eye drops, then the thing that holds the eye open and the tape placed over the eyelid & lashes to keep them out of the way. We don't want our beautiful lashes singed by the laser. The pressure ring came next, which was not exactly fun, but not exactly terrible either. I'm sure the numbing drops had something to do with the not exactly terrible part. I was put under the machine that makes the corneal flap. It came down on the pressure ring, applying enough pressure for my vision to go completely dark. It looked like I was staring up at a night sky, totally black but with little points of light. It was pretty, actually.

I wasn't aware of the corneal flap being made besides a few beeps and them saying, "Corneal flap almost finished." But once it was done, they swiveled me under the laser. Dr. G folded back the flap (which is honestly *much* easier to have done than it is to watch. It's not gross if you can't see it), centered the laser over my eye, and told me to look at the blinking light.

I stared at that light like my life depended on it. As a result, the lasering was done in exactly 29 seconds. From unable to make out the words in a book if it's farther than 6 inches from my face to awesome vision in 29 seconds. "Wow" doesn't quite cover it.

While the laser was doing its thing it smelled a little bad...kind of like burning cornea, weird. Then it was all over and they did the other eye.

When both eyes were done, I looked up and realized I could see the ceiling. And the handle on the door across the room. And I could make out the faces of the people I know standing around me. And I could see my mom when I walked out into the waiting room to get her. I could see the clock on the wall at the other end of the pre-op/recovery area.

I can see, and all by myself!

My mom took pictures:

In the waiting room before:


Right after the procedure was over. The purple lines helped the doctor put the corneal flap back exactly where she found it. It didn't feel nearly as bad as it looked, the numbing drops were still working.


At home, right before going to nap for 5 hours. It felt much worse than it looked at this point. (The sexy goggles are so I won't rub my eyes in my sleep, and they help keep them from drying out as badly.)


Now, 6 hours after it all began, my eyes only feel a little irritated. My vision is still a little hazy, which is to be expected, but I can see for miles!!

Yay!