A couple of months ago, I made a semi-rash decision that completely changed my life. I booked an appointment for a consultation for laser eye surgery. It was something that i always thought about in the back of my mind, but never thought I’d go through with. At the end of June, I went to my optometrist and had my annual check up. I’ve bee
n wearing glasses and occasionally contacts for about 20 years. Toward the end of my annual check up, I asked my optometrist if I would be a good candidate for laser eye surgery. And she said with my age and nearsightedness i would be a great candidate and also see a huge difference. I’m in my late 20s and my eyes were both at about -6.0 with one eye having a tiny bit of astigmatism as well.
So then about a week later, I booked an appointment at a well known ophthalmologist. Before making my appointment, I made sure to research and find a highly rated and reliable doctor. Although the surgery takes but minutes, I didn’t want to take any chances of ruining my vision.
A couple of days later, I went in for my consultation and was met a very professional staff who addressed all of my questions. By the end of the consultation, I decided to book a date and time for my surgery for the following week, just 7 days away. I was able to do so because I’m almost always wearing glasses, so I didn’t have to wait a certain amount of time. Depending on the type of contacts worn, you have wear only glasses from about 3 days to sometimes 2 weeks so that the shape of your eye goes back to the natural shape.
So I was back 7 days later on a Saturday at about 7:30AM. I definitely chose an early time because I knew that if I had to wait all day or even half a day, I would be sick. (I would like to be honest: the night before the surgery, I did have a slight breakdown from a combination of personal issues and fears that the surgery would not go well.)
The Surgery
Before the surgery, they did apply a couple of different drops, the man one being numbing drops. I was also given the option of taking a relaxant, but chose not to so that I would be completely aware of everything. During the surgery, there were two steps requiring two different laser. The actual name of the procedure is called SBK, Sub-Bowman’s Keratomileusis. It’s the new standard for laser refractive surgery, and just as quick and painless as LASIK, but with less risk.
All that was required of me was to keep my head still and my eyes open. I had to stare at a light and the laser took care of the rest. I was reassured that the slightest movement of my eye would stop the laser and nothing would would happen.
First “the flap” of the cornea was cut, then lifted. I think it was this point where I smelt something like burning hair. I was informed this would happen before hand and not to be alarmed.
Next, the second laser was used to the corrective part of the procedure.
Then the final step was to move “the flap” back into place.
Post Surgery
After the surgery, I was so surprised, that I could see much better than before, but with a little blurriness–like I was underwater to looking through a stained glass. Then for the next 6 hours after surgery, I had to try to keep my eyes closed, but stay awake, wear sunglasses, and use artificial tears every 15 minutes. So I went home, laid down and set a timer on my phone for every 15 minutes. There were also a couple of other drops I used a couple of times throughout the day for the next week. I continued to use the artificial tears throughout the day, a couple of times an hour. The next morning, I went back for my post check up and everything was looking good. I will say that about 1-2 hours after my surgery, the numbing drops started to wear off and my eyes felt very scratchy. The scratchiness extending into the day after surgery (Sunday), but by Monday morning I was back to work.
A couple of things to note:
- The surgery was very quick!
- Often times, one eye will heal faster and therefore have better vision, but after a couple of months, everything will be okay
- I was directed to cover my eyes with protective gear while sleeping at night, just to make sure I didn’t rub and move “the flap”. So because I was extra worried, I continued to use the protective gear for a couple of nights.
- No make up, moisturizes, creams, or anything should be used on the day of surgery. So because I am paranoid, I didn’t wear any eye makeup the week leading up to the surgery and no makeup the week after surgery. #thankfuliworkfromhome
- The surgery is really expensive but it lasts for decades. The insurance I have reduced the price by 15 percent, and I made sure to use my HSA funds as well and use non-taxed money from my paycheck, which really made a hug impact.
Let me know if you have any questions:)
This month’s box came with some Simple wipes, in a very portable size, useful for us girls on the go. You can also see some sunscreen, which is great for summer sun that’s finally coming after finals (>:[)!
I was lucky got a Covergirl lipstick in a cute color, Spellbound (325), but my sister received a very nude color that’s not a flattering for our skin tone.
Here is the full layout of everything in the box! This is the second time I’m receiving products from Laneige. From this, I was able to try out this brand and love it! I would never purchase it on my own directly (not the cheapest brand out there), so here is a personal thank you to Target for letting me try out an awesome brand! Rese and I are planning on saving our masks for our long haul flight this summer.
Rese & Ry 