LASIK with Intralase: My Personal Experience with Corrective Eye Surgery

I have a specific career in mind that requires 20/20 corrected vision. I already wore contacts and have glasses, so I thought "No Problem!" Then came the positions that also stipulate a minimum of 20/40 vision, UNCORRECTED. I had 20/400 vision in both eyes. My prescription was -3.75 in both eyes. You can imagine the distress and instant panic that hit me when I discovered that requirement. I had always considered getting LASIK, but never really took the steps to look into it. Because of the vision requirements, I had to have it done.

The first thing I did was call around family and friends to find out if anyone had any knowledge on the subject. Fortunately for me, there's a doctor in the family. Coincidentally, the group he recommended was also highly praised by another family member's friends who had work done with them. That, combined with the fact that this facility had top notch doctors and equipment, made my decision fairly easy. I scheduled an appointment with them for the earliest they had available.

My first appointment with this particular clinic was more of an eligibility test. As they explained, LASIK is only one of many corrective opportunities for your vision. They performed a number of scans to verify that I was eligible for the surgery. The first thing they did was dilate my eyes. While I waited for my eyes to fully dilate, I was shown a video on the risks and benefits of LASIK. After the video was over and my eyes dilated, they had me sit at this machine that took measurements of the curvature of my cornea. This test was what they used as a basis for how to reshape each eye. The optician's assistant showed me the printout from each eye. It was essentially a topographic representation of each eye. The portions that showed up in red were the parts that were going to be reduced during the surgery. Afterwards, the majority of the scan should show all green/yellow. The second thing they checked was the health of my retina. A machine took a photo of my retina through my dilated pupils. It was a rather impressive photo. The doctor came in and showed me my optic nerve and the part of the eye where people experience macular degeneration. It was interesting to see.

My first appointment concluded with a brief talk with the doctor, once again reviewing some of the risks involved and informing me that I was a very good candidate for LASIK with intralase. Intralase is the procedure used to actually cut the flap in your cornea. It uses a laser to make the incision, as opposed to a blade. What really reassured me about the clinic was when they told me that even if I chose not to go through with the LASIK, the examinations they did would count as a typical eye exam and I could use the prescription if I wanted new glasses. At least it wouldn't have all been for nothing. They also informed me that the exam would be good for one year, but then I would need another one done if I didn't have LASIK within that time period.

The second appointment was for the procedure itself. I was given drops for my eyes to use the days leading up to the surgery to help keep my eyes as sterile as possible. I was also given wipes to use to clean my eyelids and the area surrounding my eyes to make sure everything was as clean as possible for the procedure. To their credit, they give a prescription for something to help you sleep and to help calm your nerves. You have the option to take it the night before to help you sleep, and are requested to take it an hour before your appointment to help keep you calm for the procedure.

Once at the office, I was taken back and asked to fill out the final paperwork. I was also given numbing drops in each eye. Once everything was signed and dated, I was lead to the room for the intralase portion of the procedure. The nurses had me lie down on this platform. The doctor came in and positioned my head. He had me open my eye as wide as possible, and placed this strange contraption on my eye to keep it open. It was ring shaped, and had a very light suction that kept it positioned in the same spot on my eye. After this, the instructions were pretty simple: stare straight forward. When the laser began making the incision, it was a rather odd sensation. It was the most immense pressure I've ever felt on my face before. It was odd because all of the pressure was focused right on my eye, like the leg of a chair or something, but without the pain. When the laser began cutting, my vision went blurry. I couldn't see at all out of the eye. They finished the first eye, and repeated the process for the second. I'll admit, it's rather difficult to remain calm when you suddenly can't see anything. Once the flap for the second eye was being cut and my other eye was adjusted a bit, I think I could make out the flaps based on how my vision was being affected. It's a lot like how you can strain your eyes to look down and just barely see the tip of your nose.

After the two intralase incisions were made to create the flaps, I was wheeled over to a waiting area and told to keep my eyes shut. Apparently, the process of creating the flaps with intralase introduces bubbles beneath the flap, and they wanted the eyes to naturally dissipate that side affect. The way she explained it was much the way a small air bubble gets trapped underneath a contact lens, and has to be pushed out after several moments. While they were explaining this, I was getting brown eyelids. The nurse did a final cleansing swab with iodine. Fortunately, she wiped it clean with an alcohol pad so I didn't have stains on my eyelids. After my ten minute wait, the staff came back and had me actually stand up off the cart I was on. They said it was alright to open my eyes, and helped me walk over to the room for the actual LASIK procedure. It was a lot like looking through fogged glass without my glasses on.

Once in the room for LASIK, I was put on another platform that had padding to serve as an immobilizer for my head. The doctor didn't wait long at all to jump right into the procedure. He helped me open my eye wide, put another contraption in place to keep it open, and gave me some drops. Then came what I will say is one of the most uncomfortable parts of the process. He had to lift the flaps. The tools he used seemed a lot like dental picks, but to my defense I wasn't seeing too clearly when this occurred. There's some tugging and pulling, and after a short while he had the flap open. Once the flap was open, my head was positioned beneath the machine. Again, the instructions were simple. Focus on the red light cluster. The green light cluster is the actual laser treating your eye, but you should ignore that. I tried to just stare down the red like I was in a staring contest of some sort, and it worked pretty well. I will warn, there's an unpleasant smell that's almost a cross between burnt skin and burnt hair. Yes, that smell is from the layers of your eye being lasered away. Once the laser treatment was complete, the doctor used what felt like a wet spatula to flip the flap back into place. I was given a few more eye drops, and had gauze taped over my eye. Again, repeat the process for the second eye. The second seemed to go a bit more smooth for me because I knew what was coming. There was a bit less apprehension as to how it would feel. The LASIK itself tingled, almost like you were caught staring into a really bright light for too long. There was slight discomfort, bordering almost on pain, but nothing anyone couldn't handle.

I was told to lay there for a few more minutes to let the flaps settle, and let the eye's natural negative pressure pull them into place. After that, I was escorted to my ride, and sent home. When I got home, I immediately went to bed, and slept for about four hours. When I woke up, I could see rather well, probably about 85% of what my vision normally was with contacts. My eyes felt scratchy and dry, like I'd been at a bar until close and then stayed up all night with a fan blowing in my face. The drops they gave me were a huge help, and the fake tears were wonderful because there was no limit on how much to use them.

The following morning, I returned to the office for a follow-up appointment. My eyes were 20/15. Talk about a big step up from 20/400. I was asked to make another appointment for a month following, and sent on my way.

I still use the fake tears from time to time to help keep my eyes moist. The healing process seems to have kept my eyes more dry than I'm used to, and the drops have been a huge help. Driving at night was somewhat challenging at first. I had some strange refractions from bright lights. It looked like there was a glowing halo around everything. That effect has diminished, but I can still notice when the light/dark is contrasted. Other than that, I'm completely satisfied with how everything turned out.