Yeah, I’m gonna do it. This Friday- they don’t waste time here!
The clinic seemed pretty good – very busy, which is a recommendation, though I felt a little like I was on a conveyor belt. In the US, you are always in a small room alone with your doctor or the tech; here there was a bigger room with several eye-testing machines and several patients being checked at once. But the doctor seemed to have plenty of time to sit with me and answer all my questions.
The doctor has done around 4000 procedures. The newest technology, aspheric (Ted, who knows more about the technological side of the optics our company does, tells me this is still basically wavefront, through the doctor differentiated) seems to have both a higher rate of success (95% eyes 20/20 or better after surgery and even a lot of the others, usually people whose eyes are much worse than mine, can be corrected with a followup procedure) and a lower rate of issues with night vision or dry eyes than my anecdotal research suggests for past procedures.
I hope I’m not making a big mistake. The risk numbers are still further from zero than I find ideal. Most of the risks don’t seem dire.
The one think I’m not happy about is the prospect of having to wear reading glasses in only a couple of years – he said it’s basically like having corrective lenses on all the time and in fact, even now I have a pair I wear if I want to look at really tiny things (wirework) while wearing contacts. But the convincer was that he said even ifI don’t have the surgery I’ll probably be back to needing the bifocals that soon (probably also true – I’m just realizing how often I look out under my glasses, essentially using them as bifocals with plain-glass bottoms). And if I need bifocals that means I have to get rid of the tiny little frames that are the only ones that ever look good on me for taller frames. Bleah.
The downside is the part where I am supposed to not read or stare at computers this weekend. How does one go a whole weekend without reading???? I plan to cheap – short bouts on the Kindle with text size zoomed way up – and I have enlisted Ted’s help to pass the time. There are at least some fun things you can do with your eyes closed!
Don’t expect to hear how it went for a few days, though.
Oooo! Exciting! Good luck with it! Can’t wait to hear about how much fun you’re having with the world seen through naked eyes. You’ve been wearing specs since childhood, yes? This should be quite the pleasurable adventure. (The seeing clear, not the surgery, though the plans for your recovery time sound fun!) ~LA
Best of luck!! I know they will tell you this, but be careful NOT to rub your eyes for at least a day.
good luck!! i looked into this last year and
was sad to find out i’m part of that small
population with corneas too thin for any
variants of LASIK.
from all reports, ICL works even better, but
it’s still quite expensive.