my #PRK story

So. Once upon a time… it was time for me to get a new pair of glasses. I also know when it’s time because I start getting migraines that scrape across my eyes, over the fronts and sides of my head, and shoot down my neck. Meds help, of course, but the only true fix is a new pair of specs. Which, is a big chunk of change for me because of my RX and astigmatism. On average I spend between $350 and $400 on a pair of glasses. First is the exam. Then the frames, of course. The real wallet killer, however, is the lenses. Again back to the rx and the astigmatism. The higher or worse all that is, the more you pay. THEN, I pay more just to get the lenses thinned down. My rx/astigmatism pretty much leaves me with crazy thick coke-bottle lenses. No bueno. Let’s not forget to tack on all the nickles and dimes for scratch resistant, and glare reducing, and yadda-yadda, blah blah blah. It all adds up fast.

So the hubs and I are in bed one night chatting about all this, and he says, ‘you should just get your eyes laser’ed. It’ll practically pay for itself in what we’ll save in glasses in a few years. And you hate wearing glasses, so why not?’

Indeed. Why not? or Why?… no, the question should be ‘why not.’ BECAUSE I’M A BIG CHICKEN AND I ONLY HAVE ONE SET OF EYES AND IF THE GUY BURNS THEM OUT OF MY SKULL I’M FUBAR’D FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE THAT’S WHY NOT!!!!! *ahem* er… But my Mr. was right. I hate wearing glasses. For so many reasons. And how great would it be to be able to just get up and go and not fumble around for them in the morning? To see clearly always with no help? To just have that….. freedom? And beyond that I’m not sure how else to describe it, but if you wear glasses then I know you know what I’m talking about.

Well, naturally I got right on the wagon and started researching doctors and how the procedure works. um….. NOT!!! Yeah. Nope. I can’t take credit for that. The chicken factor won and I just brushed it all off and pushed it to the back of my mind, though still lingering with the ‘what if?’ curiosities. I owe all credit here to my guy. And when he’s on a mission he does not relent. For the next couple of nights he’d read the various articles he’d found on the procedures, LASIK vs PRK, and the different doctors in the area and their reviews.

One doctor in particular stood out, Dr. Michael Tracy in Carlsbad, CA, so we jotted down the info and I promised I’d call to set up an appointment. And I did.

At my consultation the doc had me look into a view different machines, much like the ones you do in a regular eye check up. They were for different types of tests, basically confirming or denying that I would be a candidate for this surgery.  Everything was good to go. And let me tell you I absolutely loved this doctor because he then sat there and thoroughly ,  the processes, the recovery time, and the post-care. He also explained that with my level of astigmatism I may need to get laser’d a second time, if all the astigmatism doesn’t get knocked out the first time, but my vision would be sparkling. OH! And of course the second procedure would be free, or rather included in the price as it’s a ‘we don’t stop until you’re satisfied’ deal. I loved how carefully he explained the details, and the level of care he put out. This wasn’t just business to him, or something he was good at, this was something he was passionate about and loved making it his business.

So anyhoo. PRK was the best option for me, mostly based on my lifestyle. The surgery was set for a Thursday, my husband took leave, and we (I) were ready!

You’ll see from the collection of pictures below what happened.

When we got there, I was handed a snack bag and some meds to take before hand.

Then the eyedrops to numb and prep, and iodine all around the eye area.

In I go! Did I have butterflies? Nope. They were nonexistent. Instead I had 1000 little horned dragons with rock feet marching around in my belly, and thudding their thorned tails with every romp and stomp. Don’t let the smile fool you, I was a massive ball of jitters. Excited, don’t get me wrong there, but still nervous.

Eyes are numb. In goes these very uncomfortable do-dads to hold my eyes open. “I know this will feel foreign to you, but don’t squeeze against them or try to blink. You’d be surprised at how strong the muscles in and around your eyes are. If you blink or squeeze, you’ll bruise and basically give yourself black eyes, and be very sore so please try to keep your eyes calm”. This is easier said than done, but I did my best.

The part where it’s the hardest to stay still and focused and not blink or anything is here, where I’m getting my eyes scrubbed. Literally. Think of one of those spinning toothbrushes. On your eyeball. You can’t really feel it, but you do. Kind of. It’s a lite pressure. So, you don’t feel it but you know something is happening. What’s hard about this is that you’re supposed to keep your eye locked and looking in/at one specific thing and not move. Yet this dohickey keeps coming in and out of the line of vision, and I did what was natural… look at it! Or blink because it’s right there ON my eyeball! I made through one eye pretty well, but doc was getting a little frustrated with me, I think, on the second eye. Hell, I was getting frustrated!! But, we made it through and honestly that was the hardest part of the whole procedure.

Finally, it’s laser time. I have to look at a certain point and not move while the laser is sizzling off my eyes. I’m not joking, either. I could smell it. If you’ve ever burnt your hair or skin, that’s what it smells like. Not super strong, but the smell is recognizable. Through none of it, though, did I feel anything. After the sizzling the nurse would pour some cold water on my eyes, and some drops, and then onto the next eye. More cold water and drops, and then I was done.

Done! Now I get to go home and rest. Doc said the healing time was roughly 4 days, and that I should really try hard to do as little as possible for the rest of the weekend. Lots of rest, not just the sitting quietly kind but the actual sleeping kind, was recommended. And I had a slew of drops (meds – antibiotic, steroid, pain killer, number if needed, and artificial tears) to take regularly, and naturally he recommended that I take the whole regimen very seriously for optimal healing.

AND I DID!! Other than to use the bathroom I did not move from my bed for the entire weekend. For one, I just paid $2499 (included a military discount which I never expect but am completely grateful for when offered, and it was NOT the reason we chose this doctor as we had no idea it was even offered until after my consultation), and was not about to have a single penny’s worth of my new eyes put at risk. Secondly, I had new eyes. NEW EYES! It’s like a new lease on life! So yeah, I’m not trying to mess that up and want every ounce of my healing time to be used at full value. And third, I didn’t want to move or do anything the whole weekend. I don’t take well to meds, so that was one factor that kept me in bed. My eyes were uber sensitive. My husband, and knight in shining armor always at my rescue, put a black blanket up over the window to keep all light blocked out of the bedroom. I was tired. I just wanted to keep my eyes closed and slip into the quiet and sleep.

 

All of my follow ups have been great. Last one I went to my vision was at 20/15 and my eyes had healed flawlessly. It’s amazing how clear and beautiful everything is around me. Even with glasses, I never remember the world looking this great! PRK was a process. I was scared, anxious, excited, apprehensive, and now grateful. It was uncomfortable, but nothing that can’t be handled, and worth every moment. Will I ever need glasses again? Yes. With age it’ll naturally happen and eventually I’ll need reading glasses again. But? Still worth it. For the next 15 – 20 years I’ll be glasses free, and after living with glasses for over 29 years, that’s a massive blessing.