Notes: This is not medical advice – please consult a licensed optometrist and appropriate experts before making decisions regarding your health. This is not a sponsored post – all recommendations are based on my subjective opinion.
I have worn glasses since I was around 10 or 11 years old. They have been a part of who I am, what I looked like and to an extent even responsible for stereotypes of my personality; nerd, geek, bookworm, gamer, computer guy. I don’t recall being made fun of for wearing glasses but I know I never enjoyed wearing them.
In 2015 at around 24 years old I decided to try contacts. At this point I was quite self-conscious when it came to my physical appearance. I found that I felt good with contacts. I felt free, more confident and more myself. Since then I had been on/off with contacts and been curious about laser-eye surgery.
I had heard you needed consistent prescriptions before laser-eye surgery would be an effective solution. As such, waiting until your late twenties / early thirties was ideal.
At 29 I decided to go for it. I asked people about it but most people I knew did not have first-hand experience. Most ‘knew of’ someone but didn’t know any specifics. So I did what I usually do when I want to know something, I googled it. I read up on how laser-eye surgery works and found that there are actually multiple methods, not just ‘LASIK’ which is a term used generically even though it refers to a specific method of laser-eye surgery. I then researched which institutions in Melbourne provided this service and my quest led me to the highly regarded Vision Eye Institute in St. Kilda. I called them to set up an appointment and began the process.
Step 1 – Referral :
Before I could see the specialist, I had to first seek a referral letter and assessment from an optometrist. I found one nearly and made a booking. They did a standard eye test to determine my current prescription and conducted a couple of scans to check my eye health before then sending the referral letter across to Vision Eye Institute. This step was quick and painless (spoiler alert: pretty much every major step in this process was fairly quick and painless)
Step 2 – Consultation:
Now I was ready for a detailed consultation at Vision Eye Institute. The service was exceptional, highly informative and friendly (this was consistent with every subsequent interaction I’ve had with everyone there).
They did another standard eye test to once again confirm my prescription. Then a series of eye scans using various different machines to fully understand and analyse the intricacies of my eyes. It was quite a busy day for them so the full process took about 1 hour and 30 minutes, most of which was spent in the waiting room.
After the test and all the scans, I was then called in to have a 1:1 discussion with the doctor who explained to me their findings and recommendations. While LASIK was an option, it was slightly higher risk compared to PRK due to the thinness of my corneas.
The downside of PRK vs LASIK in summary is that PRK has a slightly longer recovery time.
I opted for PRK. these are my eyes and a long-term investment so I’d happily endure a slightly longer recovery time to migrate the risks of LASIK.
The doctor then talked me through what the procedure entailed and what to expect in the recovery process.
I decided on the spot to proceed so I then spoke to the nurse to organise logistics. I managed to book in the procedure 4 weeks from that date.
Step 3 – The Procedure:
My procedure was booked in at 2:15pm on Thursday 14th January. You need a carer present and I was grateful for my dad bring there to assist.
First, they did yet another standard eye test to check and confirm my prescription. They put in eye drops and gave me a Vallium to take in order to reduce any nerves. I had never taken anything like vallium before and I was not at all nervous beforehand so I still have no idea if this had any effect on me.
I waited in the waiting room for about 15 minutes. Then they did some pre-procedure prep, asked if I was okay and asked if I was ready to go. I was okay and ready to go! After a few more minutes they walked me into the surgery room.
[Note: The following is my experience of the procedure as I remember it. I will go into details so read at your own risk. There are likely some minor steps I have forgotten about or not gotten in the correct order]
They laid me back on a fairly comfortable medical chair / bed. They put a support cushion below my knees. The room was low light, not very bright. They talked about what they were doing as they did it in a comforting voice.
“We are going to start with your right eye…”
A small clamp (sounds painful but it is not) was placed on my right eye to help keep my eyelids open. It allowed me to feel like I was blinking but not actually close my eyes.
I could see everything, whether I wanted to or not.
They applied some sort of paste on my right eye which I believe was the anesthetic. I didn’t feel it or anything after.
There was another step, I believe eye drops but I can’t recall exactly.
Then, they positioned a blinking green light above me.
“Just look at the green light. Keep lookin’ at it. Good job Div”
I started at the blinking green light, I didn’t dare look elsewhere even though I knew the machine was designed to follow your eye closely even if you do look around.
I heard a whirring sound, I figured that must be the machine that generates the laser.
The green light began to change shape. Expanding, moving closer and further, clearer and blurrier. Although I could not feel anything, I knew this is when the laser was reshaping my cornea.
I knew this for certain when I could smell a feint burning smell. It was surprising as no one told me to expect this and I found it very interesting.
A few seconds later it was done. They used an eye dropper to drop cold water into my eye. Then placed in a contact lens which acts as a bandage and removed the clamp.
“Right eye is all done. On to the left eye!”
They then repeated the same steps for my left eye.
The entire procedure, both eyes, took about 10 minutes. It was incredible and very impressive.
After the procedure they took me into another room to rest. The nurse put on a pair of transparent eye shields in my face to protect my eyes. She then talked us through the medication and self-care activities I would need to do throughout my recovery.
We left. Dad drove us back to my parents home where I would then spent the next 3 days of recovery before returning to Vision Eye Institute for a check-on the 18th of January.
Step 4 – Recovery:
Night of:
I had about 50% to 60% of my vision. It was slightly worse than my non-glasses vision before. My eyes were highly sensitive to light and everything was blurry. It was difficult to focus. It was a strain to see so as recommended I aimed to keep my eyes closed as much as possible.
I spent the evening (from about 5 to 8:30) on a day-bed in my parents backyard. This is where I spent most of my waking hours in the first few days of recovery. The weather was amazing making it the perfect spot to rest and recover.
I put on an audiobook of ‘The Alchemist’ by Pablo Coelho, read by none other than Jeremy Irons. I had previously read the book (and highly recommend it to all) and that was for the better. I drifted in and out of sleep while listening so I highly recommend choosing a story you know if you also choose to listen to an audiobook on the evening of your procedure.
You will need some care and I was blessed to have my mum. She is the best carer one can ask for. She helped with all my medications, most importantly the application of eye drops.
I didn’t have much pain though I did take the pain medication as instructed. I did not take any of the strong anesthetic eye drops provided for severe pain (which I did not experience).
While there wasn’t pain, there was minor discomfort. The worst it ever got for me I could best describe it as the following;
Imagine being in the dark, you get shampoo in your eye and it stings, you rub your eyes and it makes it worse and then someone flashes a light in your eyes.
It’s not painful, but it sure is uncomfortable. This didn’t last too long and could be avoided by wearing sunglasses whenever light levels were rising. Also by avoiding screens, I can’t emphasise this one enough.
At around 8:30 or 9, I took the sleeping tables that were prescribed and went to bed.
I woke up a couple times during the night (quite normal for me even at the best of times) but overall it was a decent sleep.
Day One (Day After Procedure)
My eyes were quite sticky and dry when I woke up. My natural inclination was to rub my eyes (which was the main thing I was told NOT to do) so luckily I caught myself before I did. Plus, the plastic eye shields were equipped to stop this in any case.
I kept the eye shields on as I had a neck down shower, being very careful not to let any water near my eyes (another key instruction).
Though still blurry, I’d say my vision was at about 60%. Still sensitive to light but slightly better than the night before.
Aside from the routine of eye drops and medication, my day was spent on the day bed!
I alternated between listening to an audiobook, podcasts and my favourite music.
Same sleep experience as previous night except my eye shields fell off in the middle of the night! I must have rolled or moved a lot in my sleep, or taken them off somehow!
Day Two (Two days after procedure)
As with Day 1, my vision continued to improve while sensitivity to light reduced.
Still not much pain, only discomfort.
Spent the day with podcasts in the day bed. Also went for a long walk with my parents and a family friend.
Day Three
Further improvement, around 80% of vision but blurriness comes in waves. Still hard to maintain focus.
Spent day same as before.
I felt quite a natural high. I believe the unintended benefits of a media detox contributed to higher spirits. I had a greater appreciation for nature, the present moment, music and my thoughts.
I was not in a state of reaction (to news, social media, reddit etc.) Rather, I felt free. Liberated even. My mind was let free to focus on things that truly mattered to me.
I felt a sense of joy and happiness I hadn’t sincerely felt in a long time.
Day Four
First post-procedure check-up.
Dad drove me and on the 1-hour drive we had a great conversation about what it means to be a good person.
The check-up was quite straightforward. The Dr. asked how I was feeling and then examined each eye to see how they were healing. He was happy with the progress and said we could remove the contact lens applied during the procedure.
He applied the anesthetic eye drops and it stung! Funnily enough, this here was the most pain felt in the entire process. It wasn’t severe by any means but it did sting more than anything thus far.
He removed the contacts and did a quick eye test to see how my vision was.
He then took me through new medication and eye drop requirements. After that, my next appointment was booked in for 28/01.
From this point I still avoided screens. I’ve been writing this (on paper and I’ll type and upload it later), reading, building Lego sets and cleaning / organising my living areas. Walks have also been a great way to stay active, enjoy nature and think without straining my eyes.
In the days that followed I was soon back to normal and enjoying all the benefits of being able to see without glasses. All in all I highly recommend considering laser-eye surgery and at the very least seek a consultation if any of this resonates with you!
Div Prakash 