Saturday, December 29, 2012

9 months later!!

It's 9 months later and I just saw my eye doctor for a check up. Hard to believe it's been so long since I've had the surgery.

My eyesight is still 20/20 in my right eye and 20/25 in my left eye. Pretty much perfect. I still have no side effects of the PRK surgery. Once in awhile I have a slight pain in one of my eyes in the middle of the night but that's MY fault my eye doctor said. I haven't used eye drops in months. I started using the Systane gel drops per my doctor for dry eyes and it's fine.

Just wanted to check in for those that have used this site to make a decision about PRK. My only regret is that I didn't get it done sooner. :)

Happy holidays!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

3 weeks post surgery

Happy to report I just had my 3 week check up with Dr. Wang (my eye doctor) yesterday afternoon. :)  All post ops eye checkups are free - another positive from Hyver.

Dr. Wang gave me a vision test - I'm 20/20 in my right eye and 20/25 in my left.  As mentioned before, this is likely to still improve over the next 6 weeks.  She mentioned things would get crisper than they are now (although I'm not seeing blurry at all). 

She put in some numbing drops and inspected my eyes.  She said my corneas look perfect already - almost like I didn't even get PRK done.  She was a little surprised by this which made me really happy.  My eye pressure was a low 13 and the bloodshot eyes I used to have from wearing my contacts all the time is gone.  Next check up in November.  

I really hope that people searching for PRK information can find my blog.  As I discussed with Dr. Wang, there is so much negative information about PRK out there.  She said it definitely depends which doctor you go to.  She only refers people to Hyver. She said everyone should look for a doctor who specializes ONLY in Lasik/PRK.  Mainly because they don't spend any time doing eye exams, checkups, post-ops, etc.  They have an engineer present to control the temperature and humidity in the operating room and a bunch of other things that one would never think of. 100% of their time is focused on the surgery.

I've still had no fluctuation in vision or anything.  I've been driving at night without halos or starbursts.  No light sensitivity but wearing sunglasses as suggested. Also no dry eyes but Dr. Wang said to use the tears often to prevent dry eyes in the future.  Apparently they will continue to heal over the next 2 months.  I'm done with all my other drops and gels. 

I'm so thankful for the gift I gave myself.  I still think about taking out my contacts at night and catch myself. I don't think I will ever take this for granted.  It's truly amazing.  I am so happy.  I'll check in here and there and if you have any questions, please email me.  

Cheers to perfect vision. :)

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Day 10

Saturday afternoon and seeing perfect as usual! :):)

Tonight I can finally sleep without the goggles on (although I usually wake up without them on anyway - oops).  I'm glad nothing has happened, you have to be really careful in the beginning when you sleep. 

I woke up yesterday and my eyes were really red. Not infected or anything, probably from working so much.  I've been on the computer from 7am-12am for the last week finishing up planning and executing a huge office move.  Great news about my new cube space - I have natural light that comes in through the window in front of my desk and NO florescent lights around me! So actually, no need for the leaf above my desk.  People who haven't had vision correction actually need them! :)  All computer settings and brightness back to normal. No pain pills needed and no headaches.

So now I am down to my anti-inflammatory drops, artificial tears, and nighttime ointment for 2 more weeks.  Then tears as needed.  I don't seem to have a problem with dry eyes though! 

So per the instructions:
  • Next 2 weeks - Don't swim
  • Next 2 months - Don't rub your eyes
  • Next 3 months- Wear protective goggles for contact sports.
  • Next 12 months - Wear protective UV protective sunglasses in the sun and a hat if in more than 30 mins

Other 'Most Commonly Asked Questions/Answers: The Week After PRK Surgery' (given to me after post-op appt):
  • Today is just week one, your vision will continue to gradually improve over the next 4-6 weeks.
  • Eyes can heal at different rates.
  • Do I have to sleep longer for my eyes to recover? NO.  (Thank god... haha)
  • Are there any food restrictions? No.
  • When Can I: begin reading/working on a computer (today), fly in an airplane (today), tanning bed (today but ONLY with protective eyewear), swim/jacuzzi/steam room (2 weeks), scuba dive (2 weeks), surf (1 month), dive into pool (3 months), sky dive (3 months - but will never be doing this anyway!!!). 
So this will be my last post for awhile as long as things stay the same.  I'll check in from time to time and will also post about my vision improvement when I see my doctor in 3 weeks.  I don't go back to Hyver's anymore but to my regular eye doctor (all future eye doctor visits are paid for!).

Hopefully this blog helps people considering PRK surgery in the future. I'm still shocked I went through with it considering how freaked out I USED to get about my eyes. 

It's true what people say, the one thing they regret about PRK/Lasik is they wished they got it done sooner.  SO true.  If you have the money DO IT.  I am still in denial that I will never need my glasses, contacts, solution, cases, etc again! The stuff laid out in my post a few days ago is gone!

Also with PRK, you have the option of getting eyes done one at a time - I recommend just doing them both and getting it over with.  As long as you have the option to take time off from work, activities, etc if you have to.

If you have any other questions let me know.  I'm off to lay in the sun (with glasses and hat) and enjoy this great No Cal weather! 

Friday, April 6, 2012

Day 8

I woke up today with clearer vision once again.  How can it keep getting better when it's already almost perfect? :) I didn't have any negative effects from the removal of the bandage lenses yesterday. I've read it can take some corneal tissue with it but that's actually not true.  It was something written from a person (not a doc) I read on some blog.

I did tons of work on the computer last night and early this morning. I spent the rest of the day running around the office getting ready for the big move.  Finally got home at 6:30pm and I've been working until 12:45am.  I'm so burnt.  I have spent more time on the computer this last week than in the last 6 months.  Kind of ironic that my eyes need to take a beating now, a week after eye surgery.  

 
The florescent light at work gets to me after awhile.  Painkillers make it tolerable. I have this great leaf canopy from IKEA that I'll install at my new desk tomorrow. It should help.

Someone asked me at work what the big difference was now versus wearing contacts.  I think overall my vision is so much sharper! There are so many things (like mascara, dirt, etc) that gets embedded into contacts.  I was always touching my eyes and rubbing them.  I never felt like my vision was ever really sharp.  Now I understand why!!


I have my one month check up at my  regular eye doctor in 3 weeks (so a month since the surgery).  We'll see how my vision is then. I'm expecting it to be better than 20/25.  I heart my new eyes.  :)

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Day 7

Today was day 7 and my check up at Dr. Hyver's office.   I woke up with another morning of stable vision, even clearer than the 6 days prior.  It was a bright sunny morning and I didn't need sunglasses in the car.  No light sensitivity issues.

I went to Hyver's office and met with a Dr. Liu who I haven't seen before.  I spoke with her about the last 6 days and my progress.  She said I was healing faster than most people with PRK.  She took out the bandages with no problem and said the corneal tissue looked perfect.

She wasn't going to take my vision but I asked her to.  She said it might be a little off (worse) because of the numbing drops she gave me. So I took it and I am a a solid 20/25!  Remember that it can takes a full 6 months to get the full benefits of PRK.  This could mean I could get down to 20/10 because of the fast improvement in my vision thus far.  I started out pre-surgery with 20/500 (a -5 prescription for my contacts).  That should give you an idea of how bad it really was.

I went to work after and was ok for awhile.  After working 9am to about 2pm I had shooting pain through my eyes to my head from the florescent lights in the office.  I went home at 3pm and took some painkillers and finished up my work day away from bright lights.

Today was the day I took the bag out from under my bed.  I've been collecting these items from the time that I scheduled my surgery through the present.  I'm sure there are more around but this is what I have now.  I will find a place to donate the items.  It is bittersweet to say goodbye to my crutches that have been a part of my life since I was 10 years old... Wow.

I really believe this is something I will never take for granted.  How can I?  My mom called me today and said how my grandfather (who died when I was a child) said that no matter what, always take care of your eyes because the greatest gift you have is your sight.  How true that is. 


Cheers and goodnight.  :)

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Day 6

I was supposed to see Hyver today but showed up and no one was there.  I checked my papers and it showed Wednesday 8:15am, not today.  I have no idea why it was in my Google calendar but it was nice to get out in the sun nonetheless.  As I mentioned, I have been staying inside for the most part protecting my eyes.

I was going to go to work after but decided to work from home instead to avoid infection.  Some people at work have been really really sick and coming into the office with the flu.  I know the dangers of getting infected in the first week or 2 so I took an extra day away from the office. 

Distance vision sharper today.  Off the pain killers entirely - no residual pain.  Felt a little 'high' when looking at things outside.  I guess it was just the bright colors and the sharpness that I never saw before.  That has to tell me I'm on my way to 20- vision.  One setback was halos by night time in the kitchen when looking at the lights.  Best described by the following picture to the right.

No double vision or star bursts.  Love this recovery.  I couldn't be happier.  It's so funny as I am sitting here writing this I keep thinking I need to take out my contacts out before going to sleep.  But I don't have to anymore.  Wow.  I wonder how long til I take that for granted.  It's amazing.  I'm crossing fingers for a good appt tomorrow.   I've been able to still work off a computer with normal screen size and brightness.  This PRK has been nothing short of amazing. Day 6 and I don't think I've read about things getting any worse from here.

Update tomorrow on my Hyver appt!

Day 5

I've been so busy all day.  I decided to work from home today and ignore the day off that I was supposed to take.  I woke up again this morning with the same vision as yesterday.  Totally stable and no pain.  No light sensitivity, halos, or star bursts.  It is still a little blurry here and there.  But stable! It just makes me smile.  :)  Also again, no fluctuation throughout the day either.

Tomorrow morning 8:15am I get my bandage contacts removed.  It will be interesting to see what the doctor says about my recovery.  It has been fantastic and moving along perfectly (I think!).  Hopefully he will test my vision and I'll be see how well I am doing.  

I haven't really ventured out of the house although I have wanted to.  To be honest,  I've been scared to test my eyes if I don't have to.  The computer is bad enough but I didn't need the sun and bright light setting me back.  So tomorrow is the real test. 

Not sure what I did right and why I healed faster than other people I have read about.  I'll take it though!  I am planning on returning to work after my appt.  I feel so lucky.  This is pretty amazing.  I haven't missed even one of my drops or Vitamin C.  I should also mention that I've been on a 'detox' diet the last 3 weeks from my doc where I've been taking a ton of anti-inflammatory herbs including turmeric, reservatrol,  vitamin d, omega 3s (2 pills 3x a day), plus the fluorometholone and bromday drops. I have to think it all has helped me get through this fast and easy.  

I'll check in after the doctor in the morning.  Night!!

Monday, April 2, 2012

Day 4 (night)

12:30am - I'm wide awake as usual.  I've been sleeping in every day and staying up late to make the most of my new vision. Just in case more fluctuation occurs and I'm not able to see.  I think I have passed that point but I just want to make sure.  If I'm stable tomorrow I'll return to my regular routine and head to work after the bandage contact is removed on Tuesday morning.  

My eyes were supposed to be the worst yesterday (or today) but I've been completely fine. I had a great and amazing day.  No fluctuation at all since I woke up - a solid 14+ hours of stable vision with no change.  Usually my eyes would get tired by now but that doesn't seem to be the case.:)  Again I should note that they are definitely not close to perfect.  I still have that 'greasy contact' vision and objects are not completely crisp.  But the distance is there.  Close up pretty good.  Anyway, let me know if you need me to elaborate more. 

Lights around me are fine with no halos anymore. LED lights have no star bursts. I even moved the bandage contact around in my left eye because it felt a little off center. 

I know that I'm not reporting anything significant but I think it's important to check in even when nothing is wrong.  People need to read about the good results from PRK surgery.  Especially early on when it can be pretty bad.

My experience so far has been really positive.  I am slightly shocked that I feel so good.  Maybe all the negative blogs/stories/nightmares I read about set me up for a good experience.  

I'm going to finish up the rest of my computer research and head to bed. :)

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Day 4 (afternoon)

3pm- I woke up this morning with my fingers crossed.  When I opened my eyes I looked around and distance vision was back again!  Everything seemed a lot clearer and even crisper than it had been.  My right eye is definitely a little sharper than the left. There was no stinging, burning, discomfort.  They felt normal!   Such a change from even 8 hours before when everything was a blur.  When the doctors say your vision fluctuates it really fluctuates.

I started my morning regimen with the 4 sets of drops.  I dropped one of the bottles and it rolled underneath the bed.  I had to look under the bed and saw it off in the distance behind a power cord.  I grabbed for it and then it occurred to me.... I COULD SEE!  It sounds so funny to say.  But if you are/were as blind as I was, this is a miracle.  Just being able to do that simple task without glasses or contacts amazes me. :)

It's nice and sunny out today so I pulled up the blinds and the sun came shining in.  No light sensitivity.  Nice!  I checked my phone for messages and answered a few texts.  Close up vision fine.  Computer vision fine, no need to blow up the screen today. 

Everything on day 4 is coming along quite nicely.  I'll spend the day redesigning some of the blog (because I realize the type is too small since my screen has been blown up- haha) and doing some research I've been putting off.  


I'll probably go out on the porch (without sunglasses) to enjoy the day.  :)

Day 3 (evening)

11:30pm -  A quick update before bed tonight.  Vision was pretty stable through the evening until about 2 hours ago.  It seems I've lost my distance vision.  Everything far away is blurry like I never got my eyes done at all.  I could probably put my old glasses on to get around.  Still star bursts around small LEDs but no halos around lamps.  The double vision is gone as well as any light sensitivity. I have zero pain.  I can see the computer, cellphone, books and anything else close up.  

I would rather see far and blurry like earlier today.  This just seems like I didn't even get the PRK done at all.  But this is part of the drill.  "The vision you experience during the first 2 days will become blurrier and more distorted on the third day."  I need to keep reading that until I pass the 72 hour mark tomorrow around 5pm. Again - this is part of the drill.  I'll listen to SNL from the couch and go to bed soon.  Enough for the day. 

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Day 3 (afternoon)

3pm- My eyes actually got better fairly quickly after I took my painkillers and drops.  I ate some food and laid down and then went back to the computer about an hour later and things seemed fine.  No more burning and stinging and it felt like the 'eyelash' that I had in each eye disappeared.  Vision is still somewhat blurry but to the level that was last night.  Star bursts and halos are still present but not annoying.  

I can't believe I've been able to get back on the computer and use my phone to text.  This morning I was sure I was done for the day.  Maybe just needed some time to adjust but I've heard eyes normally get worse as the day goes on, not better.  

Also, light sensitivity also disappeared around the time I could use the computer again (about an hour after I posted - 11am).  I was just doing some laundry and organizing some things in my room.  The pictures below shows how bright it was since it stopped raining.  I didn't need sunglasses and didn't need to squint being in the room and doing things.  I was even looking around outside.  Amazing. 

A surprising turn for the best this afternoon!  I'm off to do more cleaning and maybe go outside for a walk and some fresh air.  :)


Day 3 (morning)

10am- I woke up with my goggles on with my eyes stinging and burning.  All I could see was blurred objects.  5x blurrier than when I went to bed last night.  The room was pretty dark (it's raining and we're surrounded by redwood trees) but that doesn't seem to matter.  Air and light are my enemy right now.  On go the post-op sunglasses.

I knew this was coming.  Hyver's office even underlined the following in the post-op instructions: "The vision you experience in the first 2 days will become blurrier and more distorted the third day." Why did I think I would be different?  All I want to do is rub my eyes for a few minutes.  But  I actually can't rub my eyes for 2 months. Shit.

As I write this, I am putting in all my drops and I just took some painkillers.  I can't really read the bottles but I've memorized the colors so I know which is which.  Maybe they will help?  There are emergency comfort drops they gave me but they are only to be used after calling the doctor's office.  Comfort drops are apparently the numbing drops they used in surgery.  But I read that it slows recovery so I'm going to avoid unless it gets worse than this.

To summarize the morning of day 3- burning, stinging pain in the eyes with the feeling that you have eyelashes stuck in each eye that you're not allowed to get out.  Extreme light sensitivity to the point you need to close your eyes for relief (even with sunglasses on).  Extremely blurred vision like the picture I posted last night but 5x worse.

I'm typing this with my eyes closed so I hope there aren't too many typos.  If there are I will correct them later.  I'm an Exec Asst by day so I should be able to type with my eyes closed anyway. ;)

Day 2 (evening)

The day for the most part was great!  I was telling everyone how amazing I felt and how well I could see things.  I spent most of the day on the computer doing work (and on my standard screen size).  I was pretty shocked.  I even called Dr. Hyver's office to make sure that being on a computer wouldn't set me back with the healing.  They said it was fine - I could do anything that I could handle.  But then they cautioned, "Please be aware that your vision will definitely be fluctuating in the next few days." It made me think...it is really only 24 hours after surgery so it's not yet day 2...

But in comparison to other people's blogs, I still seem to be on a fast track.  Or maybe I'm just more tolerable?  I'm staying on the Vicodin for a few days so I can stop any pain before it arrives.

My coworkers were telling me to get off the computer but since I was doing no harm I kept up on emails and other outstanding items during the day.  I got a call and the below arrived.  I really work with the best. :)  I'm happy tomorrow is Saturday and I have a few days off work with no temptation to keep up with work.
I love my coworkers and my boss - this made my day.  And I can SEE it! :)
My vision started to change around 6pm tonight.  I noticed that even having distance vision back it was blurry.  Not like it was before surgery where things are completely unrecognizable but from the table in front of me to the tree out the window down the street, all had the same degree of blurriness.  Does that make sense?  It is so hard to explain. I saw someone post somewhere that it was like trying to see through a greasy contact.  that's probably a pretty accurate description. 



Starbursts


 The star bursts have started as well with small bright LED lights.  Looks like the picture on the right.  It doesn't really bother me.  It's kind of pretty actually.  :)

How I see things tonight
Right now it's pretty late so my eyes are tired and I'm seeing even more blurs and a little bit of double vision.  The picture to the left is how I am seeing things right now. Its not so bad because it goes in and out.  It's still better than it was walking around without my contacts or glasses.  I'll take it for now.  I know it's only going to get better over the next few weeks.  I honestly feel pretty calm about it.  I think because I was ready for this.

I walked out of Hyver's office with perfect vision.  He did his part and now it's my cornea's job to grow back.  I've had a lot of people approach me already about my experience and expressing some interest in getting PRK/Lasik done in the future. 


I'm not even in the clear yet but I'm already asking myself why I didn't do this sooner. I'm in a wonderful state of mind and can't wait to wake up tomorrow.  Hopefully showing more progress!

Friday, March 30, 2012

Day 2 (morning)

I woke up this morning and I COULD SEE!!! Sorry... haha.  I guess this is something that I need to get used to. :)

When I opened my eyes after a 9 hour sleep they felt normal for the most part.  I have heard stories about people having their eyes stuck shut overnight but I had none of that.  Besides waking up with my cool goggles, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  But I should note that even though I can see as good as when I had my contacts, it's a bit blurry at times and things aren't totally sharp like they will be eventually.  But the distance sight is there.  I could probably drive too without a problem if I had to. This is to be expected for a little while and was explained to me before and after surgery so it's no surprise. 

With the computer, I notice that even on the lowest brightness display can be difficult.  After about 10 minutes it's hard to keep my eyes open.  It's like I'm increasingly cutting onions until it gets unbearable.  Then I go off to do something else and they get 'normal' again.  I'm on a computer 5 days a week all day so I should be using this time off work to stay away from one!  But I want to keep this blog updated as things are happening.  And I'm kinda bored already.  I've cleaned out all the kitchen cabinets and ready to move on to something else when I'm done. :)

No pain yet at all but I took a Vicodin as a precaution.  To be honest, I don't think I need it.  More later in the PM.  For now, it's all good!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Surgery day - Day 1

Shortly after my last post, I was taken into the back and had my vision tested again (by Hyver's other doctor) to get the perfect prescription for surgery. I also got my Valium (he gave me 10mg instead of 5!) and we went over the post-op instructions. Another eye/vision test and a nurse took me into the surgery prep room.

There I had my hair pulled back into a hairnet and had booties put on over my shoes.  Then came the first round of ibuprofen eye drops and iodine to clean my eyelashes.  After waiting 5 minutes,  another nurse came in to give me the first round of numbing eye drops then brought me straight into the surgery room, taking my glasses as we were walking in.

I walked in and saw someone behind a big machine.  It was a very blurry Dr. Hyver ready to go.  The nurse had to help me walk to the table to lay down since I couldn't see much on my own. 

Once I laid down it went by very quickly. The nurses gave me another round of numbing drops and then Dr. Hyver propped my eye open with 2 devices - some tape and a clamp I think. I didn't feel any discomfort at all.  He talked me through the next steps.  "Focus on the green light no matter what." 

When he started, it felt like he was sweeping the surface of my eye with an electric toothbrush or something.  Haha, it's hard to explain but that's what it seemed like to me.  Again - no pain! Just a little pressure.  I believe this is the part of surgery where he cleaned and lasered off the corneal layer.  

After this, he cleaned the eye and then I needed to focus on an intense green light as I heard a series of beeps and they told me not to blink.  This is the laser vision correction part.  This is also where the smell came in.  I had heard some gross stories about this but my boss made a joke not to worry that it smelled like bacon.  Haha.  To be honest, it was a mellow smell and reminded me of getting my tooth drilled at the dentist. Not really gross at all.  15 seconds - or maybe less - and I was done!  
After the laser treatment, Dr. Hyver came back over for a cold water flush and a sweep of anything left on the eye where my epithelium used to be.  Another flush and in went the bandage contact to protect my cornea. (The contacts are removed on Tuesday morning- 5 days after surgery.)

***(Repeat the above for the other eye.)***

After he finished the left eye (my bad eye I was worried about), I was done and they said I could get up to leave.  As soon as I sat up I looked around and everything was clear.  I looked at Dr. Hyver and he was so clear.  There was a painting on the wall.  There were 2 nurses there not one.  I was totally in shock.  Yes, I knew what I was doing would give me perfect vision but I don't think you can possibly prepare yourself for how it really feels to see with your own eyes.  Impossible to describe... felt like a miracle. I just bought myself a miracle.

So I left with the sunglasses they provided (they look kinda cool!) and went out into the world.  My boyfriend drove us back home and I was looking all around reading street signs and looking at the sharp images everywhere.  But soon my eyes started to tear and I needed to close my eyes.  It felt like I had cut 10 onions. I needed to keep my eyes closed til we got home.  I think it was light sensitivity but who knows.

Arriving home around 7pm,  I needed to sit in the living room with the lights off with a hat and sunglasses on.  I sat back to relax and called my mom to tell her the good news.  I stayed that way for awhile.
Not used to light yet.. 
About an hour later I decided to turn on the computer to see if I could install some of the back up files to put on our mac with the new OS.  All of the sudden my eyes adapted and I was fine.  I've stayed this way for the last few hours without any significant fluctuation.

Eyes were tired but glasses were able to come off by night time!
I know that things will get worse in the next few days but I just need to document how wonderful things are today. I can only hope that by some miracle my recovery time is minimal.  Fingers crossed  for tomorrow.  :):)

Waiting room - Day 1

It's 5:13 and I'm in the waiting room...waiting.  I was actually able to get some work done and I'm staying busy.  It's one hour until the surgery and there is no one left in the waiting room except for me.  People coming out look happy and mellow (probably partially from the Valium - haha).

I've had to wear glasses for 2 weeks prior to surgery.  In an hour I will never need them again!
I received my post-op kit and now just waiting for my own Valium and pre-exam.  I'm still really, really nervous.  Need to breathe.  More after surgery if I can stand to look at a computer screen!

Night before surgery

It's the night before surgery and here I am again at 1:52am.  I've been spending my time upgrading to Lion on my mac and getting all my programs and music back.  I guess I want something to fall back on after tomorrow.  As long as I have a working machine with music I can at least sit around and listen to good playlists if I am not able to see/read/type. Judging from what I have been reading about recovery I just don't know.

I'm itching to read the other blogs again but I'm going to hold back and just get the procedure done tomorrow.  What happens is going to happen and it won't be like anyone else's experience.  I'm happy to have a bottle of Vicodin left over from my dislocated knee back in November.  I'll start that with the Valium they supposedly give before the surgery.

I'll report back after I am done.  My appointment is at 6:15pm so keep your fingers crossed for me.  I don't know why I'm so scared.  I need to stay calm at work tomorrow and relax.  I guess I should try and get some sleep.  I'm scared.  UGH so scared.  But it's over tomorrow and I can start reporting back on my own experience instead of reading others and driving myself crazy. :)

I really hope people are able to see this blog and hopefully it will help them make a decision if they are considering PRK.  I'll try to be as detailed and as honest as possible. 

Night everyone!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

2 days before surgery

So it's 1:15am on Wednesday and the insomnia I rid myself of months ago is back. The PRK surgery is at the back of my mind and it won't go away. I know deep down I'll be fine but I'm still just a little worried. These are my eyes after all...

A week ago I was sure I had glaucoma because of my field vision loss. I guess I have to trust my doctor  and trust Dr. Hyver that I will make it through the PRK surgery without any complications despite my optic nerve drusen condition. It scares me though. I can't find anything online about optic nerve drusen and PRK surgery.  But of course I've run across many negative things about getting it done.  I don't know why I torture myself like this.
I have been dreaming about seeing the world in my own eyes without contact lenses or glasses for so long. The time is here. I need to get excited...not scared. I start the antibiotic drops in the morning. Maybe part of this "insomnia" is just that I want to exhaust myself so I sleep through the first 3 days after surgery.

Last full day of work tomorrow.  I should get some rest so I'm able to finish some projects just i case I can't see the computer or go back to work on Tuesday (the day they said I could go back). Just taking precautions.  More tomorrow.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

PRK or LASIK - making a decision

I have wanted to get my eyes corrected for years but I never had the money or it was never a good time.  My last checkup at the eye doctor went well and they gave me a brochure for Scott Hyver Visioncare (he is the official eye doctor and LASIK surgeon of the San Francisco 49ers) and said I should look into vision correction.  I decided to at least schedule a free consultation. 

On February 21, I went to Scott Hyver's office and had my eyes examined, measured, checked by another doctor in the office.  He put together my file and I met with Dr. Hyver.  We sat down together and went over my chart and he informed me I was not a candidate for Lasik.  He explained the specifics of my optic nerve drusen condition and the risks.  With Lasik there is a suction ring that causes an increase in eye pressure to 60 or above (normal eye pressure ranges from 10-21 mm Hg).  This could reduce blood flow to a nerve crowded with lots of drusen. They don't have the data available to know if Lasik is safe since it does also reduce oxygen to the nerves (only 1% of the population have OND). 

We googled photos in his office so he could show the difference between a normal optic nerve and optic nerve drusen.  See below. 
Normal optic nerve


Optic nerve drusen
People with my condition need to choose PRK if they want their vision corrected.  Unlike Lasik, PRK eye surgery doesn't require an incision in the cornea. During PRK surgery, the outer membrane of the cornea, called the epithelium, is loosened and then removed.  From there the laser corrects the vision and a bandage contact lens is put over the eye to protect it for the next few days while the epithelium grows back.  The recovery time is MUCH longer than Lasik.  Lasik you can return to work the next day while PRK can take 5 days to weeks to resume normal activities.  It depends on each person and how fast the cornea heals. After talking with the doctor and getting the word that PRK was safe, I scheduled my surgery for a month later.  

The day after my consultation, I received a call from Dr. Hyver's office.  He wouldn't be able to do the surgery until he saw a visual field test from my doctor confirming the drusen and ruling out any possibility of glaucoma.  SCARY! 

I went in to take the visual field which tests each eye individually for peripheral vision.  You focus your eye straight on a centered light and press a button every time you see a flash from the corners of your eye.  Pretty simple.  A few days later I found out that my left eye failed and I needed to retake the test.  I did that a week later and I had the same results.  I had some vision loss in my left eye on the inside and lower part of the eye.  This can happen sometimes with drusen (field vision loss) but is also very common with people with glaucoma, which runs in my family.  My eye pressure has always been normal (13mm) but there is a type of glaucoma called Normal-Tension Glaucoma.

After the second test my doctor assured me the vision loss was from the drusen and not of glaucoma.  Apparently with glaucoma there is 'cupping' and that is the one difference between that and OND.  There is no cupping at ALL with optic nerve drusen so I was cleared by my MD and Dr. Hyver. to go ahead with the PRK.  

Even with the OK from the doctors, I still had my doubts over the next few weeks about getting it done.  Should I even bother if there were so many questions and tests needed from the doctors? At this point it was a week until surgery so I just decided to go for it.