First thought - YAY!
More elaborate thought:
I had Lasik eye surgery two days ago at Image Plus in Atlanta with the awesome power duo of Dr. Rajaran and Dr. Eid and I’m currently seeing 20/20 with moderate gaussian blur (for you photoshoppers out there) around brighter colors and lights. Looking at a computer screen is a little tough for longer periods of time but, in general, its not too bad. I am on a pretty strict drop regimen to keep inflammation down and keep the eyes moist but its not so bad either. I’ve learned a couple things so far about this surgery and am posting them in case others are googling for info on Lasik.
1. Looking for Lasik information online is a bad idea. There are very few good sources and in general the forums and posts that are out there are not helpful at all. They are either outdated or are over-emotional, hasty diatribes from Lasik patients who aren’t satisfied with their surgeries. A novel thought: if you want information consult a Lasik surgeon. Go to their offices and if you aren’t comfortable with them and the answers they are giving you look somewhere else. Our doctors had us (my girlfriend had PRK surgery a week and a half before me) initial a large stack of consent papers with detailed information that was better than anything I could’ve found online. Read these carefully. Which is better: a large amount of empirical evidence given to you by a surgeon or an angry post by the user BadLasikSurgery claiming they know some insider secrets about a nefarious industry?
2. The word “discomfort” can be misleading. Doctors can’t tell you how much pain or lack thereof you will experience post-surgery. It’s not possible. Here is an example from personal experience: My parents and I all had Lasik at Image Plus. Me: post-surgery I had moderate stinging or scratchiness around the eye for an hour or two until I fell asleep. My sinuses also went nuts and felt completely blocked up. When I woke up my eyes felt gritty and were hard to open without a lot of tearing but I was able to get drops in them. After a nap I had cloudy vision, no pain, and could open my eyes for very small amounts of time. I sat on the couch for a while and went to sleep. When I woke up I felt pretty good. Sinus problems were gone and my eyes, while still a little gritty, felt good and I could see very well. Mom: very similar experience. Dad: post surgery he eats a calzone. He goes home hangs out for a bit, falls asleep and wakes up fine the next morning. My girlfriend, who had PRK rather than Lasik (which may not be fair to put in the same paragraph), had two full days of excruciating eye pain until the bandage contact was removed. She spent most of the time sleeping and now her eyes are around the same as mine but her path to full vision seems longer. As a caveat, she was unable to take an anti-inflammatory drop that would’ve potentially helped with pain. All of these symptoms were described as “discomfort” including the post-PRK symptoms. Doctors really can’t say.
3. The mental battle. It seems that from now on most of the recovery is mental. Not reaching for my glasses in situations I would’ve needed them. Feeling like I must be wearing contacts since I’m not wearing glasses. Keeping up with the drops to keep my eyes healthy. Patience during recovery while the soft focus sharpens.
I’m extremely happy with the results. I hated switching between contacts and glasses. In the future I expect my eyes to degenerate as I grow older and there may be a day when I need to wear reading glasses or have my vision adjusted. I’m glad that I got Lasik now though so I can enjoy the time until then glasses free.