Laser eye surgery was a possibility that first crossed my mind a few years ago. Since I was a teenager, I’ve worn glasses for reading books or any kind of screen (computers or at the movies.) I had one really bad eye (my right eye, which also had astigmatism) and one good eye, my left. My left eye carried my vision and explains why I was able to go without glasses for so much of my life! I was able to read without glasses just fine – but as of a few years ago, I started to get headaches after prolonged reading.
At twenty, I started wearing glasses full-time. I bought a fun pair I loved and got used to the daily routine of “wake up, put glasses on” and “get into bed, take glasses off.” I liked my glasses. I liked wearing glasses. But a few situations were still a pain – running/working out, bright sunny days and rain. Because of my astigmatism, I was never able to be fitted for contact lenses. My optician tried a few times over the years but with no luck. I hated running with glasses. So I didn’t. My vision was “good enough” to see safely, no question, but I couldn’t see distance.
Even a short run would give me a headache for an hour post-workout. At the gym, I’d sweat. Glasses would fall down my nose. On bright sunny days, I had to switch my regular glasses for prescription sunglasses. Two pairs. One glasses case. Always switching. On rainy days, every time I left my car to run errands, raindrops all over my lenses. Inside, out came the cleaning cloth to wipe them down. (If you live in Vancouver… you’ll get it.)
Three good reasons to not wear glasses and… contacts weren’t an option. Laser eye surgery was an option. When I started dating Randy I had in the back of my mind “if we get married… I don’t want glasses on my wedding day.” As we approached engagement and then when we got engaged, I knew laser eye surgery was something I needed to get serious about. It was the final “push” and reason I endured what I endured… haha! Looking back even to last week’s surgery (super gross if you think too hard about it!) and recovery (brutal!) if I had been “able” to wear contacts, I would have put surgery off.
In an odd way, thankful contacts were never an option and it was “laser eye surgery now or glasses on my wedding day.” I loved my glasses. I really, really did. They gave my face “personality” and I think purely from a looks/fashion side of things, I will genuinely miss them. But I didn’t want glasses on my wedding day. And well, for the three other reasons I listed above. So! The decision was made. One of my friends and bridesmaids, had PRK laser eye surgery at London Eye Centre about a year ago. I remember visiting her during her recovery (sunglasses on, dark room) and that she was pleased with the result.
My PRK Consultation
I booked a consultation in January at London Eye Centre and the process was started. When my Mom and I went in, we were really pleased with how friendly and informative all of the staff were. They took pictures of my eyes, did a full eye exam and talked over what success I could expect from the surgery as well as possible risks (percentage of re-treatment, etc.) They also suggested PRK surgery for me over LASIK. (This is a good website to read more about the differences.) We looked at my calendar that day and booked surgery for Friday, January 17th. London Eye Centre recommends 5 days off of work – and January 17th was 2 days after the last appointment on my calendar I couldn’t change. So there it was – we had a date! January 17th.
Leading up to the surgery, I read a lot online about PRK recovery. Many people have blogged their day by day recovery journals about when the pain was, what it felt like, a full in-depth description about surgery. I like to be prepared as possible. I also like to read “worst case scenario” sometimes to know what I’m in for. (Note: I did NOT watch the youtube videos of the surgery though. I still haven’t. I don’t want to. That would gross me right out and I would recommend not doing that pre-surgery. Hahah.) From what I read online, it seemed everybody’s recovery story is different. Same procedure, different recovery. Every body is different – but having some frame of reference helped me relax.
PRK Surgery Day
Friday morning, my mom drove me to New West to London Eye Centre for my surgery appointment. I had tried to stay relaxed all morning not psych myself out. Mom and I took the dogs for a walk and went to Starbucks for a half hour with our laptops. I answered my last emails for the week and tried to distract myself. I knew that I knew I wanted this surgery, I just had to get through it. When we arrived at the clinic, they took more photos of my eyes again and lead me into a waiting room. While I waited for the surgeon to arrive to double check my current prescription, I nervously crossed and uncrossed my legs. Five minutes later, I met my surgeon and he had me read the eye chart once more to confirm. He explained what was going to happen in the other room shortly and asked if I had any questions.
We went into a room next door and I was laid down on a chair. He put a couple different kinds of numbing drops in my eyes – they felt thick and goopy but I could still see no problem. I was resting there for 5-10 minutes while “he went to go program the laser.” (Nice.) The surgeon came back in and said “We’re ready for you now.” In the operating room, they had me lay down under a big white machine (“the lasers”) and they put a shield over one of my eyes. The other eye was fitted with a little metal contraption to keep my eyes open. (Goes on your eyelids, I know, so gross.)
Once the eye was held open, there was a cleaning solution put on my eye (you can’t feel a thing, very frozen but you CAN see it coming towards) and then I saw a “Q-tip” kind of thing brushing the solution off after about ten seconds. Something else happened touching my eye but no feeling, only seeing. The surgeon told me what he was doing every step of the way. My body was very tense (hard not to be) but zero pain! Next was the laser. They warn you that you’ll hear a noise (a clicking from the machine) and you will smell burning (your eye burning, I knowww, gross blog!) but it’s normal, don’t worry. You’re instructed to look at the red light. It takes about 15 seconds and then that’s it. The scary part is over. They wash your eye with a cold solution and then put a clear contact lens (no prescription) over your eye. They transfer the shield and then do the same thing on the other eye! The whole process took maybe 5 minutes in the operating room and then they say “You’re done!”
Just like that, I jumped off the table and walked into the pre/post-surgery room. Next, the nurse came and explains all of my medication (artificial tears, pain drops, two kinds of antibacterial/anti-inflammatory drops and prescriptions for Tylenol 3’s and sleeping pills) and I was handed a pair of sunglasses. I was told to go home and rest! Mom was waiting in the waiting room for me and I smiled as I came out “It’s done! I’m not in pain.” I kept my eyes closed the whole time she drove home, although I didn’t feel too light sensitive. (That surprised me, some people say they were immediately shocked with how bright the world was but things felt pretty normal at that point.) At home, I put on my eye mask and laid on the couch while mom fixed me lunch.
For the rest of the afternoon, I became increasingly light sensitive but life wasn’t too bad. I was committed to not using my eyes – as strain can make the healing process worse. I transferred up to my bed where I had all blinds shut, lights off and listened to an audiobook.
Our family ate dinner in the dark that night and I wore sunglasses, even with every light off in the room. Light hurt. But there was no real pain to speak of – just discomfort. I could see through my sunglasses in the dark – nothing seemed to change pre or post-surgery. Wasn’t clearer and wasn’t blurry. But I wasn’t supposed to use my eyes. In the evening, I “listened” to old Gilmore Girls episodes on DVD (I pretty much have them memorized so I could picture the scenes!) and ended up falling asleep again.
I took a sleeping pill that night, just to make sure I got some rest. I managed to sleep six hours and woke up feeling okay but crazy light-sensitive. For the next 48 hours I would not be able to tolerate ANY light. ANY. Even a candle with sunglasses was too much. The light of a TV screen in a dark room when I was wearing an eye mask and facing the OTHER WAY was too much. Randy and his mom came that morning to drive me to my “day after” check-up. He literally lead me by the hand to the car and lead me into the clinic. My eyes would NOT open, could NOT open, in that light. Any light. Inside, the doctor quickly shone a light in my eyes to check movement (wowwww, that hurt, took me like 10 tries to even open them for a millisecond) and then it was home to rest.
PRK Recovery Day Two and Three
Saturday afternoon was brutal. Shortly after our appointment (so, say at the 24 hour mark?) I had intense pain. No light, dark room, eye mask on, pain drops (5 per hour max, they completely numb your eye) and still had pain. Tylenol 3, still had pain. I tried to go to bed, sleep makes everything better -but I was in so much pain I couldn’t sleep. My mom was out (and Randy wasn’t with me that afternoon) and I laid in my bed for almost four hours. Awake. Couldn’t listen to any audiobooks, couldn’t do anything but think “eventually this pain has to end.” When Randy came over to check on me, I almost cried I was so happy to have a hand to hold. It was not a good afternoon.
With a second dose of Tylenol 3 and ice packs on my eyes, I started to be able to talk more. I got through some food for dinner but the crazy pain started again. Mom called the pharmacist and found out I could take extra-strength Advil on top of Tylenol 3 and she rushed out to pick some up for me. The two painkillers together with an ice pack (and duh, dark room, no lights, eye mask) helped me to be able to communicate more and breathe through the pain a little easier.
I was up every two hours that night, but when the morning came, the pain had subsided and I didn’t have to take any Tylenol 3’s anymore. Sunday was just “extra-strength Advil” day and was more ice packs and laying around. Sunday night was a continuation of “a weekend in the dark” for my house. (Seriously, everybody lived lights off, only candles, every blind closed – all weekend.)
PRK Recovery Day Four
On Monday morning, I woke up to go to the bathroom and although it was dark outside still, things seemed to feel better? By the time it was Monday morning, it was a world of difference. I could hardly believe it.
I was able to eat my breakfast with sunglasses (blinds closed, lights off) in the family room. It was daylight outside! Coming through the blinds in small amounts! And I wasn’t dying! I wasn’t wearing an eye mask! Within a couple hours I could even take my sunglasses OFF. 12 hours before, I needed a mask in front of one small tea light candle. Now, I didn’t even need sunglasses. It was insane. That afternoon we went for my 3 day check-up and they switched out my contact lenses. (The ones that were put in on the day of surgery.)
I have a new pair in now that will be taken out for good tomorrow afternoon – on my day 5 checkup! I’m still not allowed to drive or anything and the world is definitely not clear but I’m pumped to not be overly light sensitive anymore and in zero pain. Monday I had fun listening/actually watching Gilmore Girls and working on a few wedding crafts – but by the evening my eyes were super sensitive again and exhausted. Tuesday was similar—my eyes shifted in and out of semi-clear and blurry, but I had yet to see my vision any better than “pre surgery, without glasses.”
With PRK, it’s a slower recovery and I’m estimated to reach my full vision potential within a month’s time. But for day 4, it seemed that I was progressing crazy well! Many people are still in the dark or without even functional vision.
I’m really glad I got PRK laser eye surgery. It was a weird experience. I’m glad we chose London Eye Centre – only positive things to say about them! I’m glad I won’t have glasses on my wedding day. I’m glad I’ll be able to go for jogs and see! I’m glad I won’t have to clean my glasses off when I walk in the rain – I can just embrace the raindrops on my face. I’m also glad I got to shower today after 96 hours, even if I couldn’t get any water whatsoever on my face. The little things.