LASIK Enhancement: The surgery so nice, I went through it twice.

I'm a chronic over sharer, and one of the experiences that people feign interest in are interested in more than any other is my experience with LASIK eye surgery. Just this year, I went through the surgery for the second time, and both of my experiences were different in some ways, so I thought it might be helpful to share. My first experience with LASIK from 2012 can be found here. That post was imported from an old blog, so please forgive any weird experiences or formatting issues.

Why Did I Need LASIK Twice?

You know those warnings about not looking at the sun? Well, there was an eclipse and my Amazon order for eclipse glasses was cancelled, so I decided to risk it.

Just kidding. For some reason or another, my vision changed over the four year period following my surgery. Blame it on pregnancy, staring at a computer screen, or just unfortunate biology, but I started having difficulty doing things like seeing the television from the across the room, recognizing someone walking toward me from several yards away, or being able to read a menu on the wall when ordering food.

Anyway, at some point I got the idea to dig up an old pair of glasses. They were barely worn, Kate Spade, the fanciest pair I had ever owned, and woefully, unfortunately very 2012 and decidedly not 2016. So I tried them on as a joke while standing in my kitchen, and laughed to myself until I realized that everything across the room that I previously could not read was coming into focus.

So I called LASIK Plus, where I had the first surgery, because that surgery was expensive, and also guaranteed for life.

Setting Up the Appointment

My experience setting up the enhancement surgery was different from the initial consultation. For one, I needed to call and speak with someone directly, and was not able to simply book the appointment online. I was instructed to get an eye exam with my own eye doctor, who would need to complete a short form.

This part was a little difficult, because I had not had an eye exam since my previous follow up appointments for the first surgery. I called a local group of doctors who I had seen years prior, and was able to get an appointment, and I explained my reason for the appointment, and the type of exam I needed.

Let's just say that the doctor was not thrilled when I arrived, because, in his words, "he didn't do the surgery" and therefore he did not want to fill out the form. This is where being your own advocate may come into play. The "I'm only here for one reason and I'm not leaving until the form is completed" approach worked for me, but you do you.

Once I had the form, I sent it back to LASIK Plus, who called me a few days later to set up another appointment.

...And Another Appointment

That appointment was also an eye exam, which makes me think we could have avoided the entire third-party doctor song and dance, however the staff and doctors at LASIK Plus are very nice, appointment policies aside.

The ophthalmologist informed me that I would be a possible candidate for a repeat LASIK procedure due to the length of time since the first surgery. This was an important factor: there were two enhancement surgeries discussed. LASIK involves cutting a flap in the cornea, and PRK is another approach which is done directly on the surface of the eye. If the existing incision from the previous surgery had healed beyond the point that it could be lifted, I would need the PRK, which had a more complicated recovery.

I was given the instructions and prescriptions for both surgeries, because I was informed that the surgeon would not know which procedure would be best until I was in the operating room. Since I was not sure which surgery or which recovery period I would be facing, I decided to wait until after the holidays to schedule the procedure.

The Procedure

To schedule it, I called when I finally worked up the nerve to do so after the new year. I was given a date this time, whereas previously I was able to choose from several. Not a huge deal, but it's worth noting the date was a Thursday, and my first surgery was a Friday, which meant I only needed to take one day off before the weekend.

There was a little bit of confusion regarding which prescriptions I needed, since both procedures had different post-operative care instructions, and I did have to reiterate to the staff several times that I did not know which operation I would be having, and I would be keeping all of my eye drops.

The surgeon, however, was great, and even though I was not completely sure what I was in for, he stressed that I was completely in control. He informed me that if LASIK was not an option, I would be able to leave and consider the option if I preferred, to which I said that I'd rather he just let me know we were changing plans, and do the other procedure while I was already there.

The other pre-op prep was exactly the same: numbing eye drops, drawing on my eyes. I did not inquire about any sedatives this time because I truly do not think it made a difference the first time around, but they did provide me a Tylenol PM to encourage me to fall asleep after.

OK, Get On With Already!

Okay, okay. So the surgery happened. I walked into the cool room which is a glass enclosure next to the waiting area, and the surgeon was playing Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", so naturally I knew I was in good hands. 

The first step, which was the biggest difference to the whole procedure, was the attempt to lift the "flap" from the first surgery on each eye. The second surgery is not blade less, and while it wasn't painful, and it was relatively quick, I was very, very aware that the doctor was right there at my eyeball.

For contrast, the first time around, the very first step in the procedure involves the laser and suction on the eye. It sounds terrifying, but the most memorable part is that your vision goes fuzzy and fades out. This definitely does not happen when the flap is lifted manually, so I could see the doctor and staff in my peripheral vision for round two. I definitely had to put more effort into staying calm and willfully ignoring what was going on around me.

However, good news! The surgeon was able to move forward with the LASIK procedure as planned, so the easier recovery was in the cards for me. A whole five minutes later, and my eye was put back together. This time I also had contacts placed on my eye as a bandage.

I went back home with my big bag of eyedrops, and tried to sleep.

The Recovery

Of course, sleeping when you're forced to sleep is no small task, so I lay awake with my eyes squeezed shut and sexy plastic shields on my face for a few hours, until eventually I drifted into a nap.

Do you know the feeling when you walk out of a dark room into the sunlight? That's the sensation I had after I woke up. It was like I could not close my eyes enough, and the inside of my eyelids was too bright. That sensitivity improved, but was still noticeable the next day. 

I returned to the ophthalmologist for a follow up exam the next day, and one contact bandage was removed, but my right eye had a small abrasion from surgery, so it remained bandaged. I was told I could try to remove the contact in a day or two, and was given a spare just in case I needed it (which I did, when I attempted to remove it).

However, those contact bandages were AMAZING and I thought the recovery was so much better for the second procedure. While I felt like my eyes were more sensitive this time around, and I did not enjoy looking at a computer screen for the next week, I felt like my eyes physically felt much better. Also, I had zero redness this time around. The first time, my eyes were bloodshot for at least a week, but the second time I had no visible signs of having any surgery at all.

My only real complaint was that after the follow up appointment, one of the staff members was really pushy about leaving a review on Facebook so I could get a free t-shirt. Look, I love a free t-shirt more than most, but if I'm telling you that my eyes are painfully sensitive and I want to keep them closed and turn off the lights, the last thing I need is for you to shove my phone in my face and show me where to touch the screen to leave a star rating.

Final Thoughts

LASIK is one of those things that I thought I would only need once. However, instead of complaining that I needed to have it twice, I choose to look at it as if it was such a great benefit to me, that I opted to have it twice when I needed it. While it's not the most fun experience to go through, it's completely worth it, and if I needed it again.... I would be annoyed because twice is enough, but I would also go for it because I just don't want to go back to glasses or contacts just yet.

So, if you're here because you are considering LASIK for the first time, I encourage you to go for it, and if you're here because you can't believe you might need a second procedure, hey! I was in your shoes just last year. Good luck!