The first time I discovered I was near-sighted was in fifth grade. The night was hot and humid in Malaysia, and we were having a family dinner outside. I remember an image of my mom pointing to a big white neon sign and saying, "What do you mean, you can't read those words?". It's funny how you don't realize these things yourself, I mean, you could theoretically go through life content in a blurry world, uncounsiously squinting and finding the need to sit closer to the board a completely normal desire. But obviously there is no comparison you can make without first suspecting that your eyesight may not be all that it seems. At that point in time, I think the degree of my myopia was about -1.75D and -2+D.
March of last year it was at -3.75D and -5.25D. My eyesight having been stable for the past two years, LASIK was an option for me. Apparently LASIK can correct:
- myopia: 0.75 to -12.00
- hyperopia: +0.75 to +4.50
- astigmatism: +/- 0.75 to +/- 6.00
The entire process, from decision to procedure, was resolved relatively quickly. I decided that I wanted to do it, we went to see a doctor, and the following Friday, it was completed.
The hardest part about it was probably the procedure itself. In the days preceding to my operation, I went about my life, and it was easy not to think about what was going to happen Friday. But half an hour before, dressed in a plain blue hospital gown, sitting in a room ten degrees too cold, a nurse putting anaesthetic drops into my eyes and checking up on me every five minutes, my biggest fear was, what if the anaesthesia doesn't work? What if i feel every sensation? Cutting into my cornea? The laser searing my retinas? Interestingly, the fear of going blind was second to anaesthesia complications. I'll deal with blindness later! Remove the pain NOW! Haha.
Finally it's my time to enter the operating room. The door opens and I enter a blindingly white room even colder and feels more sterile. I lay on a flat rectangular surface and stare at the ceiling. I am already nervous.
Google "Speculum". Do it now. That was the worst part of my operation. It was SO DAMN uncomfortable to have in on both of my eyes! Reminds me of the movie Cypher. Which is an awesome movie by the way. So they cut my eye. There is a laser, and all you see is a giant red perfect circle and when it's cutting, you smell something like....burnt hair? Eep! I know. Then the doctor peels back the cut portion of your cornea, it looks like you're underwater, staring up at a white sky.
More to follow!
No comments:
Post a Comment