Lasik Surgery; Goodbye Eye Glasses

I've been dependent to eye glasses for almost seven years. My eye glasses has been my partner at work and while studying. I cannot leave the house without my eye glasses. It will be difficult for me to travel and do my work without it. 

All of these changed, when I decided to breakthrough and free myself of this dependency. I heard about Lasik surgery about ten years ago when my eyesight was not that bad. I never thought that I will have to undergo that surgery. At that time, Lasik surgery would cost you about One Hundred Thousand Pesos per eye. I cannot afford that expensive treatment. 

Lasik or Laser-assisted in situ Keratomileusis is refractive surgery for the correction of myopia, hypermetropia and astigmatism. There were only few eye clinics and hospitals who offer Lasik surgery before which makes it very expensive. Nowadays, several hospitals in the Philippines have their own Lasik machines and opthalmologists who specialize with this kind of procedure.

At first I was afraid to undergo Lasik surgery. I was completely convinced by a friend doctor who undergo Lasik surgery two years ago. She told me about the whole procedure and recommends to have it done at The Medical City. Two of the opthalmologists who do the Lasik surgery at the said hospital are her friends.

Before going for the Lasik surgery, an eye screening will be done to check if your eyes are fine to have the procedures. There are instances that they don't allow the patients to undergo the surgery because during the eye screen they saw that there are some ailments of the cornea or retina. Of course, they also want that the surgery will be a success so the eye screening procedures help determine if the surgery will go well.

the waiting area

The eye screening procedure took about three hours. There are different test that needs to be done including the dilation of the eyes. I have asked my sister to accompany me and she stayed on a waiting room at the Lasik Center watching television.

I scheduled my Lasik surgery three weeks after the eye screen. The doctor gave me an eye lubricant that I need to put on my eyes three times a day until the day of the surgery.

I was very excited on the day of the surgery. I thought I will be nervous but it feels like a dream coming true. I was asked to be at the Lasik center an hour before the surgery because there are preparations that need to be made. My sister accompany me at the pre-operation room where the nurse will put the anesthesia drops on my eyes. The nurse was very friendly. She explains what the eyedrops are for, she took my blood pressure and heartbeat. She is even helped me put the dress for the operation and my hairnet.

my charts and eyedrops

After I was dressed up for the operation, the doctor explained how the surgery will work. I will be lying on a bed which will be swiveled on the two machines. My eyes will feel some pressure on the first machine. They had difficulty pressing my left eye that they have to repeat it. I felt some pain but it not something to worry about. The second machine is the laser. I was made to look at a flashing green light which then converged to the  surrounding red light. There was a burning smell after that which I think lasts only for about three seconds.

And that was it! The doctor had only some difficulty because I have small eyes. Now I have 15/20 vision much better than the 20/20 vision.

the receptionist

the lobby

my eye drops

magazines at the waiting area