my first post op-review
arrived for my review with doc voon today at 8.25am, went through a couple of tests which confirmed that my right eye was definitely faring better than my left. i am now a full 6/6 in my right eye and a 6/7.5 in the left, which is expected to improve further over the coming week.
slowly strolling back from TTSH, against the hoards of people rushing to work was once again a very familiar yet surreal experience. i remember doing this same thing just last week, except with spectacles, very hopeful yet apprehensive of the operation. dropped by the nearby video arcade, just to relive the experience once again. and it felt strangely good. had another slow stroll around NTUC, where the colors of the fruits in the produce section never seemed more vivid.
i love seeing!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
My LASIK experience
disclaimer : the following was written in a state of post-op semi-blindness, so please excuse the lack of coherence.
3.00pm - pre-operation (left eye)
i sat nervously outside the operating theatre, heart scampering quicker than a mouse. i was wearing a simple operation gown that was obviously too small for me, and a silly blue cap to keep my hair out of the way. i also had a little piece of white tape stuck on my forehead pointing towards the eye to be operated. the nurses were chattering while sterilizing equipment and one came over to clean the area around my left eye. i remember looking in to see my surgeon sitting down at a very futuristic looking machine, probably running some tests. i could hear the excimer laser making its loud tapping noises while it was being prepared. very soon my eyes were anesthetized with numbing drops and i was led into the OT.
3.15pm - operation
i said hello to dr voon and her four fuzzy-looking nurses standing around her looking at me (i was without spectacles by then), and lay down on a flat bed right under some bright white LED lights. i remember hearing a faint whirring noise as they positioned the machine directly over my left eye, and then a couple more (blurry looking) lights/lasers came into view, including the red blinking one that i was supposed to be staring at for the duration of the operation. i was given a light eye cover that was taped gently over my right eye, and soon dr voon started taping my eyelashes down before an eye clamp was eased into my eyelids to keep them open. various instruments came in and out of my vision, and soon the familiar sight of the suction ring was placed over my eye. i experienced some pressure, and soon my vision slowly kind of hazed out into darkness.
"suction on"
i felt the suction ring clamp lightly onto my eyeball. i soon felt something being fitted over the ring and heard the sound of the microkeratome whirring over my eye for a while before dr voon said "suction off" and the whole device was lifted off my eye. my eye was cleaned for a bit before the flap was lifted off. that was when all the lights became really blurred patches. i kept staring at the centre of the red laser as instructed and soon the excimer laser swung into action, making a loud clicking noise. the red laser blob started looking very slightly different with every click, and soon it was done. an instrument was placed in my eye and the flap was lifted back into place.
3.30 - post op
i went outside, shaken but happy that the procedure was surprisingly easier than i thought. sat around, messing with my eyedrops and lay back for a while before being called in for my first post-op review. dr voon seemed to be quite happy with her work, and sent me off with a smile.
walking down the halls of TTSH seemed very different. the lights had sort of wierd haloes around them, and my vision was very slightly hazy in the left eye, although a very significant difference could be seen in the clarity between my left and right eyes.
10pm - that day
slept most of the afternoon away, with frequent wakings every 2 hours to instil the anti-inflammatory and antibiotic eyedrops. my eyes hurt a little just now, felt like an eyelash stuck in the eye, though my eyesight is much better now, i ate dinner without spectacles! things are much clearer, only missing the finer details. i can't wait to see what tomorrow morning will bring. right eye tomorrow 9.30am!
6.30am - next day (right eye)
i woke up and looked out of the window, it was a beautiful sunrise and my vision was much clearer than yesterday. the pain that was prevalent yesterday was completely gone. went online and texted quingjue. met him for a simple breakfast at the coffeeshop, where i got a lot of wierd stares from people with my eye patch on.
9.30am - at TTSH
arrived on time with quing at the lasik centre. sat around in the waiting area for a bit before being called in for a simple eye chart test which i experienced some difficulty with. the doc said it was probably my large iris that was contributing to a extended healing time, and soon i had donned the familiar white operating gown and that silly blue cap and was lead into the OT once more, where everything was pretty much a repeat from the previous day, no complications. i remember sitting up after the operation and looking around, my right eye was still very hazy, but its vision matched that of the left very closely now, and i could see! at the post op review, dr voon reviewed her work, seemed satisfied, and even mentioned to me after the review that she thought i was one of the most cooperative patients she had! according to her, most patients below 23, being nervous and all, often have difficulty in holding their eye still during the operation. wouldnt know about that, i already thought i had made some movement during the 'lasering' part of the operation
1pm - that day
i woke up, had lunch with quing at my place, he came by to accompany me for the afternoon. noticed that my right eye, which was just operated on, had vision that was better than that of my left eye. my freshly operated right eye hurts quite a bit too. will try to get more rest and update tomorrow, when my first review comes!
disclaimer : the following was written in a state of post-op semi-blindness, so please excuse the lack of coherence.
3.00pm - pre-operation (left eye)
i sat nervously outside the operating theatre, heart scampering quicker than a mouse. i was wearing a simple operation gown that was obviously too small for me, and a silly blue cap to keep my hair out of the way. i also had a little piece of white tape stuck on my forehead pointing towards the eye to be operated. the nurses were chattering while sterilizing equipment and one came over to clean the area around my left eye. i remember looking in to see my surgeon sitting down at a very futuristic looking machine, probably running some tests. i could hear the excimer laser making its loud tapping noises while it was being prepared. very soon my eyes were anesthetized with numbing drops and i was led into the OT.
3.15pm - operation
i said hello to dr voon and her four fuzzy-looking nurses standing around her looking at me (i was without spectacles by then), and lay down on a flat bed right under some bright white LED lights. i remember hearing a faint whirring noise as they positioned the machine directly over my left eye, and then a couple more (blurry looking) lights/lasers came into view, including the red blinking one that i was supposed to be staring at for the duration of the operation. i was given a light eye cover that was taped gently over my right eye, and soon dr voon started taping my eyelashes down before an eye clamp was eased into my eyelids to keep them open. various instruments came in and out of my vision, and soon the familiar sight of the suction ring was placed over my eye. i experienced some pressure, and soon my vision slowly kind of hazed out into darkness.
"suction on"
i felt the suction ring clamp lightly onto my eyeball. i soon felt something being fitted over the ring and heard the sound of the microkeratome whirring over my eye for a while before dr voon said "suction off" and the whole device was lifted off my eye. my eye was cleaned for a bit before the flap was lifted off. that was when all the lights became really blurred patches. i kept staring at the centre of the red laser as instructed and soon the excimer laser swung into action, making a loud clicking noise. the red laser blob started looking very slightly different with every click, and soon it was done. an instrument was placed in my eye and the flap was lifted back into place.
3.30 - post op
i went outside, shaken but happy that the procedure was surprisingly easier than i thought. sat around, messing with my eyedrops and lay back for a while before being called in for my first post-op review. dr voon seemed to be quite happy with her work, and sent me off with a smile.
walking down the halls of TTSH seemed very different. the lights had sort of wierd haloes around them, and my vision was very slightly hazy in the left eye, although a very significant difference could be seen in the clarity between my left and right eyes.
10pm - that day
slept most of the afternoon away, with frequent wakings every 2 hours to instil the anti-inflammatory and antibiotic eyedrops. my eyes hurt a little just now, felt like an eyelash stuck in the eye, though my eyesight is much better now, i ate dinner without spectacles! things are much clearer, only missing the finer details. i can't wait to see what tomorrow morning will bring. right eye tomorrow 9.30am!
6.30am - next day (right eye)
i woke up and looked out of the window, it was a beautiful sunrise and my vision was much clearer than yesterday. the pain that was prevalent yesterday was completely gone. went online and texted quingjue. met him for a simple breakfast at the coffeeshop, where i got a lot of wierd stares from people with my eye patch on.
9.30am - at TTSH
arrived on time with quing at the lasik centre. sat around in the waiting area for a bit before being called in for a simple eye chart test which i experienced some difficulty with. the doc said it was probably my large iris that was contributing to a extended healing time, and soon i had donned the familiar white operating gown and that silly blue cap and was lead into the OT once more, where everything was pretty much a repeat from the previous day, no complications. i remember sitting up after the operation and looking around, my right eye was still very hazy, but its vision matched that of the left very closely now, and i could see! at the post op review, dr voon reviewed her work, seemed satisfied, and even mentioned to me after the review that she thought i was one of the most cooperative patients she had! according to her, most patients below 23, being nervous and all, often have difficulty in holding their eye still during the operation. wouldnt know about that, i already thought i had made some movement during the 'lasering' part of the operation
1pm - that day
i woke up, had lunch with quing at my place, he came by to accompany me for the afternoon. noticed that my right eye, which was just operated on, had vision that was better than that of my left eye. my freshly operated right eye hurts quite a bit too. will try to get more rest and update tomorrow, when my first review comes!