PRK

I have always had bad eyesight, I got my first glasses right befor emy 8th birthday and never looked back. Im not even sure I remember not ever having to have some kind of corrective eye lense. I got my first pair of contacts at age 12 and REALLY never looked back...Well they have progressively gotten worse and worse since then. This year at my annual eye appointment my Dr. suggested we go have a consultation for laser eye surgery. Well we've been through this and I was terribly disappointed when the surgeon informed me that my eyes were too far gone, that she wouldnt consider me as a patient and that I should wait 5-10 years down the road when a transplant option may be available. I was heart broken, so we decided to go to another laser center in Lubbock. Lo and behold they decided to take me on as a candidate for PRK (Photorefractive keratectomy) the most invasive form of laser corrective eye surgery and I decided to do it. THe fear was that in the next 10 years contacts would no longer be an option for me and my glasses were SO THICK, oh my gosh. I had to wear them for like 3 months befor the surgery I cried when I came home from the Dr with my new, ridiculously thick glasses. I did learn to like them though, I think I photographed well in them lol and from the front they werent nearly as thick, or at least didnt look that way. Everyone was great and encouraging and supportive so that helped.
So here I am in glasses, for the first time since I was 12...



So On Friday, November 6, 2009, my life was changed. Mom and I drove early that morning to Lubbock and got to the laser surgery, i got right in, filled out all the required paperwork, and got prepped for surgery. When the surgeon came in to meet me, they had already taken my glasses from me, so I couldnt make out his face at ALL, i had no idea what my surgeon looked like. They were all very kind and encouraging. They lead me into the laser room and I layed down in the chair, the nurses/aids were everywhere, it was a very well oiled machine- everyone had their place and their job- the surgeon walked me through what was going to happend and when and what to expect, so my eyes are numbed at this point but they numbed them even more and begame the surgery, left eye first. Laser was on that eye for 80 seconds. That is probably the oddest sensation I've ever had in my life. then the right eye, 84 seconds on that eye. After they cleaned off my eyes, buffed them and what not I sat up and I could see the surgeons face! Seriously I went in there seeing a glob of colors...and 164 seconds of a laser I could SEE faces! INcredible. So after 45 min-an hour "recovery" time (mom could not believe I could see things like the time on the clock on the wall) We went to the hotel and laid around all day, I was supposed to sleep but i was so keyed up and anxious I didnt get much sleeping done. So I watched TV :) we spent the night in Lubbock, got up went to a follow up Saturday morning then headed back to Midland.
This was my awesomely cool eye gear after surgery.


I was out of work a week, and few days after that week 1/2 days and what not. My eye sight has improved incredibly, BUT im still not at 20/20- two months later I am still healing and every day is different, I have good days and bad. my eyes switch one minute my left eye is clear the next it is not...but My Dr says that is normal and will fade over time. Im hoping in the next 2-3 months I will be able to get a glasses presciption and see things crisp again. It was a great decision, even with the problems I have been having, its better than relying on contacts and glasses to see anything. I dont have to worry now about getting up in the middle of thenight and walking into a wall, and if I do walk into a wall its not my eyes fault :)