Life after LASIK
On June 15th, 2017 I got LASIK eye surgery. I would describe the procedure as life-changing, and I am so glad I did it. Over one year later, I have 20/15 vision with no negative side effects. The outcome is everything I dreamed of and more!
To be honest, I was absolutely terrified of LASIK before I had the surgery. It's been something I've wanted to do for years, but I could never work up the courage. My biggest fear, of course, was going blind forever. And technically, that is a risk, albeit extremely rare. Actually, LASIK was a lot less scary than I feared it would be, and I wish I had done it sooner. They've come a long way since LASIK first came out, and the procedure is safer and more sophisticated than ever.
I've saved so much time, energy and money now that I'm no longer in the contact lens game. No more waking up bleary-eyed and blind, fumbling around with contact lenses, or worrying about taking them out before going to bed. Now I wake up every morning clear-eyed and ready to go. I don't worry about my contacts acting up when I go swimming or driving, and it's just really effing great!
Thinking about getting LASIK yourself? Don't be afraid to give it a shot. You can get a free screening from the San Diego LASIK Institute. Just mention Live to Sustain when you book your consultation to receive $100 OFF your procedure on top of any current promotional pricing!
BEFORE THE PROCEDURE
I had my procedure done at the San Diego LASIK Institute with Dr. Pham, and I was very happy with the whole process. I felt completely safe, informed, and cared for by Dr Darrow and the rest of the staff the entire time. Also, they have lots of yummy treats like Cheez-its and fruit snacks in the waiting room, which I considered a plus.
I went into the office for a couple of initial meetings to discuss the cost and details of the procedure. They measured my eyeballs and tested my prescription and told me I'd be a good candidate for LASIK. They offer a few different payment plans, and you can check online to see if they have any specials or discounts that apply to you. I paid $3,890 total for both eyes including one year of follow-up and prescription eye drops.
After deciding to move forward, you have to watch an informational video and sign a consent form. To be honest, this was the scariest part of the whole experience. Although LASIK is very safe and the outcomes are generally very good, there are always risks. You accept that there is no guarantee about the outcomes. You might still need to wear glasses or contacts afterwards, and you understand that permanent vision loss, while extremely rare, is a potential risk. On top of that, most people will probably still need reading glasses past age 40 for close work.
Keep in mind, you'll need to be out of your contacts for at least a week to let your eyeballs adjust prior to surgery.
THE FREAK OUT
Now let me tell you, I had a bit of a freak-out prior to my surgery. I was VERY SCARED about the whole thing. While I had several initial screenings at the office, I wouldn't actually meet the doctor in person until the day of the surgery. Speaking to him on the phone a few days before the procedure, I almost backed out. While his tone was friendly and upbeat, I accused him of sounding "manic" and "on drugs", and threatened to go to a different doctor. Despite all that, everyone was super nice to me the whole time. The day of the surgery, Dr. Pham was perfectly warm, friendly and reassuring. He did his work with patience, precision, and professionalism. He didn't eff up my eyes permanently even though I wasn't super nice to him, and for that I am so grateful. They say they treat you like family at the San Diego LASIK Institute, and I couldn't agree more.
Generally speaking, I am not a huge fan of pharmaceutical medications, and prefer to avoid them when possible. But in this case I was extremely nervous, and like "please give me all the drugs". They gave me a Xanax before the procedure, and within 15 minutes I was ready to go. I felt very calm and relaxed. The procedure went by really quick. They put some drops in my eyes and the lasers made a clicking sound for a few seconds, but I didn't feel much of anything. I don't remember any pain, although it was slightly uncomfortable at times. They had my eyelids propped open, and there were moments where I couldn't see or tell what was going on. But it all went by very fast, 5 minutes tops, and the doctor was calming and reassuring the whole time.
AFTER THE PROCEDURE
After surgery, my boyfriend Adam took me home to recover. Some people feel back to normal within a few hours, but I took a day to recover. I had the procedure in the morning, and took a Valium shortly after that. I basically slept the entire day and the next night, and woke up feeling refreshed and clear-eyed. It was amazing! Over the next year, I had periodic follow-up appointments to make sure everything was healing properly. Fortunately, I didn't experience any negative side effects - no halos, no dryness, just crystal clear 20/15 vision.
After decades of struggling with contacts and glasses, I am finally free. I can honestly say that LASIK eye surgery has saved me so much time and money, and made my life easier every single day. I've worn glasses since age 8, and contacts since 11 . I have so many bad memories of losing or breaking my glasses, or hovering on the floor searching for lost contacts. I used to wear hard contacts, and carried a mini-suction cup and glasses case with me at all times in case of a "contact emergency" caused by a stray hair or speck of dust that could render me incapacitated with excessive blinking and tears. One time in middle school, I had to wear an eye patch for several days after a "contact emergency" left me with a scratched cornea. Thankfully, those days are long gone! Now I wake up seeing perfectly, and can fall asleep on the sofa without a care in the world. I'm ready for camping adventures and impromptu overnights at any moment, the burden of which my fellow contact wearers can understand. It truly is glorious!
SUSTAINABILITY
LASIK eye surgery not only changed my life, it also helps to reduce a lot of plastic waste associated with contacts and glasses. Over the course of a lifetime, all that stuff can add up to tens of thousands of dollars in expenses, and lots of waste: contact lenses and their packaging, contact cases, cleaning solutions, glasses, cases, eye drops, etc. Thanks to LASIK, I can say "Goodbye to all that!"
Thinking about getting LASIK yourself? Don't be afraid - give it a shot! You can get a free screening from the San Diego LASIK Institute. Just mention Live to Sustain when you book your consultation to receive $100 OFF your procedure on top of any current promotional pricing!