The start of my Laser Eye Surgery Diary
Sunday, September 18, 2005
My name is Alan.
I have been wearing glasses since I was 11.
I'm now 42.
I have moderate myopia with slight astigmatism.
A few years after I got my first job, aged 21 or 22 I tried soft contact lenses.
I thought they were great, very comfortable and a real release from the bind of having to wear glasses, even if I did have to take them out every night and clean them and then de-proteinise them every weekend.
I then saw and advert for contact lenses that you could wear for a week without having to take them out to clean; only taking them out at weekends to clean. After a month you threw them away and popped in a new pair. You could even sleep in them, they were fantastic. More freedom from glasses, I had to have them.
About a year later I went to a night club in Birmingham where there was lots of white smoke (dry ice) drifting over the dance floor. I went to bed a usual wearing my contact lenses. I woke the next morning and couldn't open my eyes; they were stuck together like glue and felt like I had sand in them. I was taken to the eye hospital where they fixed me up, put cream in my left eye and bandaged it and anaesthetic in the other eye so I could at least see where I was going. I was told to lay off the contact lenses for a while. Humph…Back to glasses then!
At 28 I decided to go back and finish my education (and become a computer geek...another story), during which I tried contact lenses again, this time daily disposables. They were great to begin with but soon made my eyes tired. This was probably due to the late nights I put in studying, having been told by the optician that my eyes were unaffected from my previous encounter with contact lenses. Upon graduation in 1995, I began reading news articles about the latest laser eye surgery. I discussed this with my fellow graduates. We concluded it wouldn't be worth while doing until we had evidence that opticians started having it done. After all if they weren't convinced, why should we be? I continued to wear contact lenses for a while, but soon went back to glasses yet again. Oh to be free!
I had still been thinking about laser eye surgery on and off for the next 10 years. Just before I got married in May 2003 I mentioned it to my Fiance, but the old worries about if opticians had it done, so might I. It was soon forgotten as other priorities surfaced, like getting a house together and organising the wedding.
Laser eye surgery seemed to crop up more and more over the next two years. Then in late August 2005, Mike, a friend from University visited from America. (He's the one who first mentioned about opticians having it done first). He mentioned he was thinking of having it done, mentioning all the benefits and probably trying to convince himself it was a good thing to do now. I said nothing, but it got me thinking about it again.
Research, Research, Reserch...One thing I'm good at, having two degrees (B.Sc. Hons and an M.Sc.). I decided it was time to use my skills for myself and find out more about laser eye surgery.
Monday 12th September 2005
Using Google I searched for "laser eye surgery". I couldn't believe how much this industry had grown. There were loads of companies offering it in the UK. Sure I'd seen advertisements on the TV for Ultralase, but I had assumed most if not all the companies would be in London. I found three companies in Birmingham within a few minutes. Wow...I had to find out more, discuss it with my wife. No more glasses pulled of my face by my 9 month old daughter... Being able to go swimming and see people in the pool... that would be great.
Tuesday 13th September 2005
More research to find out who has had the surgery done and what kind. It appears that a lot of ophthalmic surgeons are having it done. Not just the head of the companies and their sons and daughters, the kind you'd expect to be in glossy brochures, but the surgeons who are putting their reputation on the line and performing the surgery too. I've read that at least 2-3 surgeons from the top 5 well known clinics have had laser eye surgery done. Most favour Epi-Lasik, but just less that half have had Lasik performed, what ever that means.
Wednesday 14th September 2005
It still seems expensive at around £1500 per eye. Would it be worth it? Having spent over £550 on glasses in the last two years alone, I'm beginning to think it might. Some companies are offering it from only £395 per eye. Are they inferior? What if things go wrong? I couldn't care about the money if it went wrong, my eyesight is what matters. I'd think about it (forget about it more like).
There are so many different type of surgery; PRK, LASEK, EPI-LASEK, LASIK and Wavefront. Which is best? What's the difference? Is any one more risky than the others? What about night vision... I'd read a lot about people seeing halos and haze afterwards?
Contacted Ultralase via their website for more information.
Thursday 15th September 2005
I was becoming more and more intrigued. I had to find out more. Ok, so if, if, I had it done, which one would I go for?
I learned about LASEK and EPI-LASEK. Both remove the outer surface of the eye known as the epithelium, before applying the laser treatment. With standard LASEK they scrape it off and it grows back. With EPI-LASEK, they soften it with alcohol and fold it back, replacing it afterwards. The structure of the eye stays intact but is weakened by the process. From reading various results of people who have had this done, the recovery time seems to vary between 1-2 days to over a week before you can see properly again. But the pain, oh the pain…no it's the time off work I'm more worried about, not to mention not being able to see clearly for a few days. But I suppose it would be worth it. There is also another kind of LASEK where the epithelium is lifted with a blunt instrument that weakens the eye structure much less. Don't really fancy being poked with a blunt instrument until they lift the outer surface of my eye.
LASIK. A blade slices a thin layer of the cornea, which is folded back before the laser is applied. No pain, because of the anaesthetic. I've experienced anaesthetic before during my contact lens days... sounds good to me. And the recovery time is much less, about a day in most cases. Surely this would be the one I'd go for.
Wavefront. (Tailored eye surgery) This is supposedly better than standard LASIK. With standard LASIK and LASEK for that matter, the laser is calibrated according to your specific prescription. With Wavefront, the laser is further calibrated according to the specific undulating surface of your eyes. Wavefront smoothes out the surface of the eye providing an even curvature rather than leaving an uneven one. The advantage is supposed to be less risk of halos and haze during poor light conditions at night.
Ok, fine, but which company offers these treatments and would I need Wavefront. Time to have a consultation I thought nervously, but which company? The three most prominent companies that seem to crop up are, Ultralase, Accuvision and Optimax (reminds me of the type of petrol I used to put into my car, before I converted to diesel).
Contacted Ultralase via their website for someone to contact me for a consultation. Feeling a little anxious and apprehensive.
Optimax don't recommend Wavefront saying it's untried, but not from what I've read. They supposedly have the equipment but won't use it yet. Why buy it if you won't use it? Maybe they don't have anyone who can use it yet? Would I actually need it anyway?
Ultralase offer Wavefront as do Accuvision. I've read a lot about the standard of the laser equipment, with people saying make sure you find a company that uses a good quality laser. Ultralase use Bausch and Lomb lasers which are highly recommended and supposedly one of the best.
Time for bed.
Friday 16th September 2005
Woke up at 2:45am thinking about laser eye surgery again. Thinking... What if I go swimming, will the Chlorine get inside the corneal flap? Will it cause irritation or worse infection? I must find out about the type of lasers Accuvision use. I've read they use a laser that is supposedly twice as fast as the Bausch and Lomb laser, but I must find out the name of the manufacturer and get independent evidence of this.
Having read a diary of a previous patent of Accuvision last night http://www.nurseowens.clara.net/lasik_diary.htm, I decided I should start my own diary of events also. It's now just gone 5.00 am and time I went back to bed.
Got to work for 8:00 am and started looking on the internet (again) for laser eye surgery. Still not heard from Ultralase, so I visited the Accuvision site and filled in the online form to request a consultation. Feeling a little nervous now I know someone will contact me.
More research... Accuvistion use "Wavelight Allegretto Wavefront Optimised Technology, 200Hz gaussian beam profile, shorter treatment times, less corneal dryness, minimised night vision problems, twice as fast as the Bausch & Lomb Zyoptix 100Hz wavefront technology."
I've never heard of Allegretto, I'll find out more. Searching again I found the http://www.biglasikguide.com/ website that has a link to the FDA website containing a list of approved lasers used for eye surgery: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/LASIK/lasers.htm. It appears the laser used by Accuvision is approved and you can even download information about the approval order given by the FDA.
12:50 I get a call on my mobile at work from Accuvision. Can I come in for a consultation between Monday to Friday, but I would need someone with me to drive me back home. I said I could only make a Saturday and could they make an exception. They could but the soonest day would be the 22nd October at 9am or 10am. Then I remembered my wife doesn't work Tuesday and I might be able to take a flexiday in September, but the soonest Tuesday they had available was 4th October. Since I can only take one flexiday per month, I opted for Saturday 22nd October at 10am. Feeling very nervous now. Must phone and tell my wife.19:04 Phone call from Ultralase. Booked a consultation for Sunday 25th September 2005 at 3:20 pm. Eeek, only 1 week away.
Saturday 17th September 2005
I've been awake since 06:21. It's supposed to be my day to have a lie in, but I can't sleep, there are too many questions going round in my head that I still don't have answers to. I'll have my lie in tomorrow!
Although I have to wear glasses because of short sightedness, when I remove my glasses, I can focus really close up, which is great for reading. Will I still be able to do this?
I must compile a list of questions to take with me on my consultations.
I received confirmation from Accusvision of my consultation today and an information pack from Ultralase with an Ultralase experience DVD inside. I will watch this with Maxine later.
QUESTIONS
What if I go swimming, will the Chlorine get inside the corneal flap?
Will it cause irritation or worse infection?
Does the corneal flap ever heal?
Will I always have to avoid rubbing my eyes?
Will I lose some near vision?
Do you use a freshly sterilized keratome and a new blade for each eye?
From which direction is the keratome make the cut? i.e. where will the hinge be, at the top, side or bottom of my eyes?
I could feel all the soft contact lenses I ever wore, will be able to feel the flap after surgery?
Will the flap be visible to other people?
What are your qualifications?
Do you have:
A medical degree?
Ophthalmology training?
Are you a corneal specialist?
A refractive surgery fellowship?
How long have you been performing refractive surgery?
Do you audit your outcomes and do research?
Will I be treated with wavefront technology?
Can I have a copy of the assessment/records wavefront maps after surgery?
'Visual acuity and visual quality are different. You can be 20/20 or better, and still be severely compromised.' How would you comment on this?
What is my corneal thickness? How much will you need to create a flap? How much will be left?
Useful Websites
http://www.biglasikguide.com/
http://health.howstuffworks.com/lasik.htm
posted by Alan and Maxine @ 7:50 am,
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