It has been a little over 24 hours since my life-changing LASIK eye surgery and things couldn't be going smoother! It was so exciting to wake up this morning and take a look around. I couldn't stop looking at everything and comparing how I saw before to how I see now. It really was like waking up on Christmas morning.
I really haven't suffered much from discomfort since having the surgery other than a little dry eye feeling (just noticed that within the last couple of hours) which I was used to when wearing contacts, so no biggie there. I have a red dot on the white of my right eye, most likely where the incision flap was made. I've seen pictures of this posted online by post-op patients so I am not concerned about it. I also went to my first post-op appointment today and Dr. D. didn't say anything about it. My dad drove me home tonight and I noticed that traffic lights, headlights and street lights, pretty much all lights seemed to have halos around them. I’ve heard this is typical in recovery so I am not concerned. Honestly, even if I lived with that for the rest of my life, I wouldn't complain.
My one-day post-op appointment went SO well today! I was looking around the office and pointing out to my dad what I couldn't see the last time I was there and what I could see now. He was really impressed. This was the first time in my life where I was excited to be at the eye doctor and even more excited about reading the dreaded chart. I was taken to a machine that I have become oh-so familiar with over the past few weeks that takes pictures and measures the cornea. I'm assuming this would tell Dr. D. if my astigmatism was still present. When I got into an exam room, the technician asked me a few questions and had me read the chart. With both eyes together I could read the BOTTOM line! Separately, with my right eye, I could read the bottom line and with my left eye, I could read part of the bottom line. I got a little discouraged with the left eye, but the technician was very encouraging and said I was doing really well.
Dr. D. came in soon after with one of his assistants who I believe was assisting in the surgery yesterday (again, they all had masks on and I was a little out of it, so I have no idea what they all looked like). He sat down, looked at my chart and couldn't believe what he was seeing. He said, "You must be happy. How are you feeling?" I said, "Ecstatic!" He said, "That's it???! You should be doing a jig with the way you're seeing right now!" I thought “ecstatic” was pretty descriptive myself, but I told him I had already done a jig and we both laughed. He turned to the assistant and asked her if she knew how bad my eyesight was before the surgery and she said, "Ohhhh yeah! I was there!" He then put something in my eyes (I believe to illuminate them briefly) and he looked at them through a light to (I’m assuming) check out the incisions and stepped back with a big grin on his face. He said that everything was great. In fact, he said my eyes were "disgustingly perfect." I couldn't have asked for a better response from him! He told me I had no rippling or waves on my corneal flap (which can happen) and he was extremely happy with the outcome. He also told me that I am ahead of schedule on healing! He said to not hesitate to call with any questions even if I think it's stupid because I've come too far to regress. He also reminded me about how extensive the surgery was that I just had, and to not freak out if my vision goes back and forth during the healing process. The best part? I asked him what my eyesight was at the moment. He was so excited to tell me. Drum roll, please ...... 20/20 in my right eye and 20/25 in my left eye!!! That's right! Less than 30 hours ago I saw 20/300 and 20/200 and now I see 20/20 and 20/25!!!!!!!
Dr. D. congratulated me and told me how great of a patient I was. He appreciated that I followed all of his instructions and went through it wonderfully. I felt really great leaving the office. It certainly was a boost in confidence! Anyone who has poor eyesight knows that visiting the eye doctor is not always the most uplifting of experiences. I always felt a little stupid when I couldn't read the chart without help. It's a little hard to explain. I always knew that not reading a chart well didn't make me a dumb person, but it was frustrating and made me feel pretty down about myself when I couldn't "answer correctly". I mean, who can’t tell the difference of a “C” or an “O”?? I am so happy that everything is moving in the right direction and feeling down at the eye doctor's office is becoming a thing of the past!
I also cannot say enough about how impressed I am with the staff I've been dealing with at Nashua Eye Associates. I feel like I have a different relationship with everyone there now and I couldn't be happier. They made me feel comfortable from the moment I explored this option. Everyone is so professional, caring and supportive. I know I made the best decision for myself by going there!
I have one-week post-op appointment next Wednesday, but of course I will update my progress between now and then. Once again, this was the BEST decision I could have ever made in regards to my eyes!
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