A few years ago my eyesight started to deteriorate, and after having my eyes tested, I was diagnosed with myopia (short-sightedness), which meant I would be joining nearly half the population of Britain in wearing glasses. After six years of losing, sitting on, forgetting and standing on what were essentially my windows to a non-blurry world, I decided to look into corrective eye surgery. Aside from my penchant for destruction, I was simply fed up with wearing glasses.
Pre-operation
I discovered quite quickly after doing searches on the Internet that there are many forms of corrective eye surgery. It's well worth researching all your options beforehand - that way you are forearmed for your initial consultation.
Meeting the surgeon
I decided to go with Optimax for my surgery. I headed there for pre-op discussions and a series of eye tests to find the exact prescription for each eye. I met the surgeon who would be looking after me throughout my consultancy and, after analysis of my test results, he was able to recommend the procedures open to me. This is where my previous research really paid off: I took in questions regarding all options and I was able to run through all my concerns without feeling rushed and without being over-burdened with medical babble.
Here's comes the science bit…
Eventually I opted for bilateral LASIK treatment. This procedure is the newest, but rapidly becoming the preferred method, mainly due to its advantages, quicker recovery period and less post-op discomfort.
Anaesthetic drops are placed in the eye and a hinged flap is created by a device called a microkeratome. This sounds a lot more painful than it is: basically, as soon as the anaesthetic is administered you can't feel a thing. Lasering is then used to remove microscopic amounts of the internal corneal tissue. The removal of the tissue changes the curvature of the cornea. The whole procedure was over in 20 minutes. To keep my mind focused during the laser treatment, I just thought of all the time I'd spent running round looking for my glasses, walking in the rain not being able to see a thing, and waking up in the morning with red eyes after a good night out because I'd left my disposable lenses in overnight. Never again!
Alternatives
Although the LASIK treatment is slightly more expensive, it produces the same goals in a shorter time period than its older counterpart LASEK and the newly revised Epi-LASEK, which was developed for people whose corneas are either too thin or too flat for the LASIK treatment.
Twenty minutes later...
After the treatment I was asked to sit in the reception area with my eyes shut. This was a toughie, as all I wanted to do was see if it had worked! Okay, I just had to peek - to my amazement, minutes after the surgery there was a huge improvement in my sight. I could read the time on the reception clock without squinting, other people's faces were no longer pink blobs and colour seemed so vibrant that I couldn't wait to get out and about. I was given eye drops for the next seven days, along with eye protectors for sleeping, to be used for a week following the surgery. A 20-minute procedure for 20/20 vision? I can't recommend it enough. It has improved my quality of life dramatically - I just wished I'd done it sooner.
Click here for more more information on laser eye surgery at Optimax.
Note: Make sure you look at all the options BEFORE attempting any form of surgery. Results are not always 100% guaranteed and often depend on the individual.
