This is my personal diary of my experiences and thoughts on the LASIK refractive surgery technique.  You should find this interesting if you are considering the treatment, especially in the UK.  You may find it interesting even if you already have had it done!

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This page was last updated on 11th March 2002. This was my final check-up.  My surgery was performed on Thursday 5th April 2001.

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E-mail: REMOVED DUE TO SPAMMING

INTRODUCTION

LASIK (LASer In-situ Keratomileusis) is a refractive laser eye surgery technique for reducing or eliminating the need for glasses and contact lenses. It can be used to treat myopia (short sight), hyperopia (long sight) and/or astigmatism. This page assumes some prior knowledge of the reasons for wanting the surgery and the procedure itself. This kind of information can be found all over the web (just do a search for 'LASIK').

This page gives my personal insights and experiences with the LASIK procedure. I am not qualified in this field nor do I guarantee any of my statements are technically accurate. I found it very interesting reading other peoples diaries and decided to create one myself. There are not many around from people in the UK. This page will not give a technical description of the procedure (see my LINKS at the end) but I do try to describe the procedure from my point of view in sufficient detail so you know what to expect (see treatment day entry on archive page).

I am in no way attempting to endorse the procedure, or the clinic I used. Anyone considering the procedure should do as much research as possible into the good and the bad. The Internet is an excellent source of information (and you don't even have to leave your chair!). This page is intended to contribute to that research. If you also check out some of the links at the end of this page you will be getting much more information than your laser clinic is ever likely to give you (I'm sure this applies in other countries, not just the UK).

All the text is contained in this single page, apart from some definitions of technical terms and pictures which are separate. Being the Yorkshire man (for anyone not in the UK, people from Yorkshire are known for being careful with their money!) that I am, I don't like staying connected to the phone line too long so I prefer text to download in one go so I can disconnect. Its getting quite long so it may take a few moments to load.

WHO AM I?

I am 27 years old and have worn glasses since the age of 12. I have been wearing soft toric monthly disposable contact lenses for the last 7 years. I live in Sheffield in the UK. I am a computer programmer so spend a fair amount of time in front of the screen.

Feel free to E-mail me with any questions or comments, suggestions for additions etc. REMOVED DUE TO SPAMMING. You're also welcome to E-mail for moral support!

If you take the time to read all this, I hope you find it interesting and if you are considering the procedure, I hope it helps.

VIDEO

I have a video of the procedure which is very good. If you're squeamish you may not want to see it or if you prefer to live in blissful ignorance of the horrible things that nice surgeon wants to do to your eyes! On the other hand you could show it to your friends and family to show them how brave you are going to be/ have been. You can download it here: Video (MPG format - 5.8MB)

ARCHIVE

I have decided to archive the first months worth of diary to a separate page. Hopefully this should speed up the download of the page for anyone who has already read that part of the diary and is just interested in the updates.

Click here for the first month of diary entries.

The following entries are present on the archived page. Bookmarks are available on the page.
 

The decision to have laser treatment LASIK Appointment with Ultralase Start of Diary Initial Consultation Treatment Day 1 Day Post-op 2 Days Post-op 3 Days Post-op 4 Days Post-op - back at work :-( 5 Days Post-op - First night drive

One Week Check-up 15th April 2001 - quick update 20 April 2001 - Two weeks Post-op MY LASIK VIEWS AT THIS POINT (2 weeks post-op) 23rd April 2001 - not a particular special date! 26th April 2001 - Three weeks Post-op 27th April 2001 29th April 2001 - vision not as good 30th April 2001 - better again! 1st May 2001 - Squash and Night driving

 

Bookmarks on this page:
 

5th May 2001 - 1 Month Post-op 7th May 2001- Pictures added!! 12th May 2001- Just Over Five Weeks Post-op 18th May 2001 - 6 weeks Post-op 25th May 2001 - 7 weeks Post-op Check-up 5th June 2001 - 2 Months Post-op 12th June 2001

15th June 2001 - Been Swimming! 30th June 2001 - Nearly 3 Months Post-op 15th July 2001 - 3 1/2 Months Post-op 20th August 2001 - 4 1/2 Months Post-op 13th September 2001 - 5 Months Post-op Check-up 22nd February 2002 - Nearly a year post-op 11th March 2002 - Final Check-up!! THE END!! LINKS

 

Pictures:

The Mutant housefly look (night shields which had to be taped onto my face for the first two weeks)

The view from my bathroom window

The view across the road

How I see street lights 1 (at 1 month post-op)

How I see street lights 2 (at 1 month post-op)

Fog light
 
 

5th May 2001 - 1 Month Post-op Top of page

Well, it's one month today since surgery. Vision wise nothing much has changed this week. I have noticed a couple of things which may be of interest, although I know this diary may be starting to get a bit boring!

A couple of days a go I was called out from work. I'm a computer programmer and also have to provide live support to our overnight systems (done from home using my work laptop). I was called at 23.45 and didn't get back to bed until about 04.00. I was up at 07.00 to go to work. This sort of thing happens from time to time and normally results in me feeling pretty bad the following day and then very tired the day after that. Although my eyes were dry when I got out of bed, they were OK within a few minutes. Throughout the three hours or so my vision stayed at its normal indoor level. i.e.. not as good as outside but much better than with glasses before. Normally on a call out like that in the middle of the night my vision is noticeably worse.

Normally I would not have worn contact lenses at work the following day as my eyes would be far too dry after the lack of sleep. Despite feeling as bad as I normally would, my eyes didn't get any drier than they have since surgery. Nowhere near as dry as they would have been with the contacts. My vision also remained pretty good! The following day I was very tired but again, no real problems and much better vision than I would have expected.

Yesterday morning before I set off for work, I quickly checked my eye chart in the garage. I mentioned before that my right eye seems very good first thing in the morning. Well, I could see the bottom line very clearly with my right eye, better than the left in fact. But by the end of the day things are back to normal with the left being very clear and the right not so good. I do think it may be slowly getting a bit better though.

I'm still seeing the haze around street lights and the broad daylight haze around car indicator lights even in bright sunlight. I've not really noticed any improvement in this in the last couple of weeks. Maybe the improvement is so slow I'm just not noticing. I'm starting to think maybe some of this will be permanent, but I'll tell you what, I wouldn't care if it was! Who cares if there is a bit of glare around car indicator lights. Everything is in really focus and I don't need to stare at lights anyway. At night, the vision problems don't interfere with my sight. I don't need to see what's behind a street light in a meter radius, and everything else is in great focus anyway. There's no additional blurring or anything. Focus wise, I see much better in the dark than I did before, ever!

We went to the cinema this afternoon. My vision stayed good and the screen was very clear. My eyes didn't get dry which has always been a problem with the contacts. Interestingly, when we came out the vision in my right eye was excellent, a bit like I seem to get in the morning. After about 10 minutes it goes back to usual. I'm wondering whether being in the dark somehow causes this temporary change as I go back into daylight. Who knows!

Oh, I got called this morning as well, but at 06:15, so not too bad. My right eye got very itchy and it was nice to rub it, which I can do now I'm at the one month mark!

7th May 2001 - Pictures at last! Top of page

Not much new to report but I did get my camera back so I've taken some pics. Click on the following links which will open up the pages containing them and a bit of description.

Alarm Box

Street Lights 1

Street Lights 2

Fog Light

I do think the daytime haze around car indicators is getting better. I was in the gym this morning and thought my vision seemed better than it has been. I think the problems are mostly caused by the fluorescent lights and air conditioning. I think this haze is now getting a bit better and my eyes are probably not quite as dry as they have been.

12th May 2001 - Just Over Five Weeks Post-op Top of page

I haven't updated for a while as there still isn't much to report.  My left eye continues to be very good.  My right eye is sometimes better than others.  If it's not too dry it can be quite clear but never quite as good as the left.  I went to Meadowhall shopping centre again today.  My left eye was very clear and didn't seem too dry (I usually suffer with dry eyes in that shopping centre).  My right eye was worse than it is outside but did seem quite dry.  I think it is the dryness that makes the vision worse in that eye, although I don't expect it ever to be quite as good as the left.

In two weeks I'll have my 7 week check-up.  I'll be very interested in my refraction.

18th May 2001 - Six Weeks Post-op Top of page

Still no real changes to report.  I played squash again the other night but forgot to take the false tears with me.  I thought I might suffer a bit on the drive home on the dark roads but everything was fine.  My eyes didn't get particularly dry in the pub or on whilst driving.  There was no problem from car headlights or street lights.  The haze and glare is much the same as before, it just doesn't matter.  When walking the dog the street lights I use to check the glare are still much the same (see pictures).  I think maybe it is getting a bit better but I've never gone out and thought 'Hey, wow!  The haze is much better tonight'.  Like I keep saying, it's not much worse than I had with lenses before and certainly doesn't cause me any problems.  If it doesn't get better than this I wouldn't care at all.  The fact everything around the light sources is in such good focus more than makes up for it.  After all, it really isn't necessary to see light sources perfectly.  Street lights really aren't very interesting!

I played badminton with some work colleagues at lunch time yesterday.  This is the first time I've played in about three years and I did pretty well!  The sports hall is lit by very bright lights (much more intense than squash courts).  I thought this would cause me problems loosing the shuttle cock in the light.  With badminton it's quite common to hit the shuttle cock high up in the air which doesn't happen in squash.  It wasn't a problem at all though.  I only missed it once due to loosing it in the light (missed it plenty of other times due to lack of skill!).  I'm sure I used to lose it in the light more than that three years ago.

It's great being able to wipe the sweat out of my eyes without causing contact lenses to move, blurring vision.  Just being able to see in the shower without having to keep my eyes firmly shut and drying them before opening them is great.

At this stage I am now beginning to take the new vision for granted.  I don't constantly check it like I was a week or two ago.  I do still look out of the window at work at the houses in the distance and think how clear they look.  They must be about a mile away and I feel I can almost see what's in the house through the windows - - ok, that's not true :-)

Speaking of work, I do find that for the first hour or so I struggle to read normal text (12 pt font, like this) when helping someone over their shoulder.  I have to move closer to see clearly.  This seems to get better after a while.  I think this may be related to the dry eyes as they are always worse when I first get to work.  I'm still using the false tears at about 10.30 and 14.00.  I do sometimes forget now as the dryness is not really very noticeable any more.  I don't have a problem with my own monitor at normal distance (17", 1024x768), although things do become very clear indeed for a minute or two after putting in the false tears.

One week today for my check-up!  I probably won't post again before then so just for fun, let's try and guess what my refraction will be.  Here's what I reckon:

Left: plano
Right: SPH: -0.5 CYL: 0.25 (I'm not going to guess an AXIS!)

If this were actually the case I would be very pleased.  I do think there is a small amount of astigmatism in the right eye.  However, images are not that blurry most of the time so I don't think there is much of a SPH left.  It's probably nearer -0.25.  I'm just hoping it is slightly short sighted as the slight imbalance doesn't bother me in the slightest and a negative prescription would help with presbyopia in 15/20 years time (not that I'd expect my current prescription to still be the same after that long).  Anyway, I'm not an optometrist so it's probably no where near, but I'm always up for a sportsmans bet!

P.S. Just spell checked this page.  If you've read the previous entries before this one, apologies for all the errors!

I've just been reading the AskLasikDocs site and read this post.  Quite interesting for me.  I think I had borderline dry eyes pre-LASIK and I don't seem to be suffering 'very dry eyes' afterwards.  I also don't think I have regressed at all.  I have been using the tears four times a day so I guess maybe Dr. Trattler is correct, they do make a difference (and maybe the flax seed oil is too??).

25th May 2001 - 7 weeks Post-op Check-up Top of page

Went for the 7 week post-op check-up today.  While sitting in the waiting room someone came out from having LASIK and I overheard them talking to the person they were with.  He must have been having an enhancement as he was saying they had tried to get the old flap lifted but had not managed to do it so they had had to cut a new flap.  He said that was quite traumatic.  I can imagine!  I don't fancy the idea of that at all.

I went in for my check-up and he asked how I was getting on.  I told him I was still experiencing the hazing and glare around light sources which hasn't really got much better.  He didn't really say very much about it.  He checked my eyes and said they looked fine and did a quick sight check.  He didn't test for astigmatism but after I'd read the chart he didn't think there was any.  He said they would do a proper sight test when I'm discharged.  These are the approximate figures:

Left: SPH: +0.25  Snellen: 6/5 (clear)
Right SPH: -0.25  Snellen: 6/6 (rather blurry, probably nearer 6/9)
Both eyes together: 6/4 (pretty clear, actually!)

Apparently at my one week check-up my left eye was +0.5, so it has regressed closer to plano.  He thinks this prescription probably won't change much now.  I'm a bit disappointed to have ended up +0.25 as I didn't want to end up far sighted.  I think by the time presbyopia becomes an issue (I'm 27) the prescription will have changed anyway, so who knows what will happen.  At the moment I can read normal printed text perfectly OK with both eyes (the right eye is slightly worse, not the left!).  I can read the smallest print (like on credit card application forms) OK as long as there is good light.  Again, no more of a struggle in the left.

My vision still fluctuates a bit anyway.  I think there could still be change at this point anyway.

Oh, I nearly forgot.  He asked if I had been using drops.  I told him I had been using the Refresh tears three or four times a day.  He seemed a bit surprised by this.  I told him I had been told at the one week check-up to use them at least once a day due to my dry'ish eyes and my job.  He said I should 'wean' myself off them.  I'm not addicted to them!  I've not used them as much recently anyway and I only have a few left.  Not sure why he seemed to think it was a bad idea using them.  He didn't strike me as knowing a great deal about LASIK, to be honest.

5th June 2001 - 2 Months Post-op Top of page

Not much has happened in the last couple of weeks.  I've only used the false tears once since the bloke at the clinic told me to wean myself off them.  That was on Saturday night on the way back from the pub when my eyes were very dry, the way they have always been in that situation.  I decided that since I had some in my pocket, I might as well use them.  I haven't really needed them other than that anyway.  My eyes are now exactly like they have always been in terms of dryness.  They are usually dry for about 10 minutes after I wake up and then they're OK.  I did wake up quite tired the other morning and my eyes were very dry for about three hours. My vision wasn't brilliant during this time but as the dryness subsided during the morning, the vision returned.  It is definitely at its best when I'm not feeling tired and I haven't been drinking the night before!

I still haven't really noticed any improvement in the haze around the street lights.  The haze around car headlights and indicator lights during the day is still there.  I don't really think about any of that much as I'm used to it now.  I sometimes think my vision isn't as good as it was a month ago but when I look at that burglar alarm box across the street I realise it is the same.  I think you just get used to it after the initial change.

I haven't really been thinking about eyesight too much recently as I've ordered a new motorbike which I'm getting a week on Thursday.  My current bike is a Honda CG125 and I'm getting a CB500S (if anyone is interested).  As I've only ever ridden a CG125 before which struggles to do 55 MPH I'm quite excited about the CB500 which will do 0 to 100 MPH in about 13 seconds!

Not sure when I'll next update.  If there is any significant change or I notice the haze problem getting better I'll let you know.  If no more postings appear it's because I've ridden the new bike straight out of the garage and into a lamppost!!

12th June 2001 Top of page

Went to the Isle of Wight at the weekend to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary.  For two mornings I found my vision wasn't that great, especially when driving.  It improved by the afternoon.  I think this may be due to late nights although I hadn't been drinking much.  This morning (back home) my vision was great again, better than it usually is in a morning.  I went to the gym and my vision seemed to be better although the fluorescent lighting still has haze around it.  We went to Meadowhall shopping centre this afternoon (the one where I always suffer dry eyes) and this time my vision stayed great and I was in there nearly an hour before noticing them getting dryer.  Normally it's a couple of minutes after walking in.  They do seem dry now typing this, as I would expect at this time of night (10pm), but overall things seem to slowly getting better.  I keep getting worried that the fluctuating vision will end up bottoming out at the worse vision.  But then, the next day it's great again.

The other thing I've noticed occasionally is a slight feeling of going cross-eyed.  I think this may be because of the long sight in one eye and short sight in the other.  It hasn't caused a problem and I don't know if it will resolve itself.  Still happy!!

15th June 2001 Top of page

I forgot to mention, while I was at the hotel in the Isle of Wight I went swimming.  It was great!  I dived in and deliberately swam the length of the pool underwater with my eyes open so I could see the wall when I got to it.  I haven't been able to do that in a long time.  OK, I suffered later with my eyes streaming from the chlorine, but it was worth it just to be able to surface and still see everything around the pool!

On Wednesday night we went to see Bon Jovi at the McAlpine stadium in Huddersfield.  It was one of those where you queue for an hour at 3pm (doors open at 4) and then you're standing for the next six hours.  Luckily my vision was at its best during the concert (it usually is in the afternoon).  It was most noticeably better as it got dark.  I could see the band members very clearly on the stage and could read the exit signs clearly around the stadium.  Normally, in contact lenses, my eyes would get dry as it got dark and my vision would get worse and my eyes uncomfortable, but not that night!  My vision was great right 'till the end!  There were lots of bright lights shining into the audience and there were still my minor star burst effects around them, but if anything they actually made the effect of the lights rather good.  The effects weren't really masking the band members or getting in the way of my vision as a whole.  Very noticeable but just not that off putting.  I don't know if anyone else would find the effects a problem.  Oh, it was a bloody concert as well!  Shame it took two hours to get out of the car park afterwards.  I don't think this stadium is geared up for 40 000 crowds!

An interesting thing I noticed about the star bursts was that if I looked at a light and moved my head, the effect was slightly worse at certain points.  I guess this is because there are small spots of tissue on my cornea which haven't healed as well as the rest.  This isn't a major thing at all, just an interesting observation I thought worth mentioning!  I expect these effects to get better over the coming months and of course I'll keep you posted!

Oh, I got the new bike as well and managed to avoid the lamp post!  Still see great at 80 mph even on a bike!  Can't go any faster until the engines worn in, not that I would anyway of course as the speed limit is 70 mph :-)

Picture of my old CG125
The new CB500S

Nothing to with laser eye surgery, but what the heck!

30th June 2001 - Nearly 3 Months Post-op Top of page

Not much to report in the last couple of weeks.  I've stopped paying as much attention to my vision now as I was before.  My vision in the gym has definitely improved.  The air conditioning doesn't seem to affect me as it did before.  The fluorescent lighting still has haze around it but not as bad as before.  I now think my eyes are noticeably less dry than they were before surgery.  I had quite dry eyes in the month before surgery after stopping the contact lenses.  Maybe my eyes were still recovering from the lenses but now I only really notice dry eyes when I'm out late in smoky pubs.  I used to get quite dry after work in an evening but this doesn't happen any more.  I haven't used the false tears at all since I last told you about them, probably about a month ago.  Now it only takes a few blinks when I get up and I'm OK - exactly like I've been for as long as I remember.

In terms of clarity of vision, my left eye is still brilliant, I've no idea if that +0.25 of hyperopia has gone or not, as I couldn't tell before.  The right is still not quite as sharp.  It fluctuates a bit more than the left but not as badly as a few weeks ago.  Mornings after too much beer are when my vision goes off noticeably.  This hasn't really changed, but it's a good incentive not to drink too much!

So how happy am I?  99.5%.  The initial excitement has worn off so I have to remind myself what it was like before.  I'm 110% happy with the vision in the left eye and 90% happy with the vision in the right.  If my left eye vision was like the right then I'd still be OK watching television, going to the gym and walking around town but I'd probably want glasses to drive, especially at night.  It's funny though, because I just can't tell that the right is worse than the left without covering the left eye.

I'm enjoying riding the new bike.  It's a great advantage not having to stuff glasses down the inside of my helmet or putting up with dry contact lenses as the air passes through.  It really increases confidence.  I've got a mirrored visor insert as it's so sunny at the moment it can be quite uncomfortable with the sun directly in your face.  I can't remember whether this was a problem before.  I never used to mind the sun in my face much.  I've noticed that when my vision is off (due to the night before drinking) I am definitely more light sensitive.  I feel I really need sunglasses if it's very bright outside whereas it's not so desperate if my vision is good.  Another good reason for avoiding the beer (he types as he's swallowing a mouthful from his glass of draught Boddies!).

By the way, thanks for the E-mails.  I hope I've been of some help to those of you who have E-mailed.  Don't hesitate to mail me if you have any queries on any of this, or you want me to clarify any of my experiences I have detailed here.  Don't forget that this is only one person's experience though.  Check out my links for others.

Just to make them famous - here's Neil and Dan on my bike!

Sorry, to go on about bikes.  My mate Tim suggested I just make this my general diary and forget about laser eye surgery!  I'll try to keep it to the point!!

15th July 2001 - 3 1/2 Months Post-op Top of page

Nothing much at all to report in the last couple of weeks I'm afraid.  Still haven't felt a need to use false tears.  Vision is still not as good in the mornings after late nights/beer etc., as is light sensitivity.  Right eye still not as good as left.  Left eye still very good.  Haze and star bursting much the same.

I went and donated blood for the first time in a year a couple of days ago.  I wasn't sure whether this would affect my eyes.  They said not, but I would be a bit dehydrated.  I usually feel a bit drained (quite literally!) for a couple of days after donating.  I did think my vision was a bit off the following day as I would expect after a late night.  No problem though.

Actually, the one thing I have noticed in the last couple of weeks is a slight headache which feels like it might be related to my eyes.  I'm not sure if this is due to the difference in focussing (one slightly short sighted, one slightly long sighted).  It doesn't happen that often and it's not that bad.  On the other hand it may be due to the high pollen count.  In the last two or three years I've started getting mild hay fever which tends to cause a lot of sniffling and sneezing first thing in the morning.  It may just be to do with this, difficult to tell.

I've added a couple of new links below.  There is a new bulletin board at Chicagolaser.com and I was reading TJ's diary which is well worth a look.  He's got a nice list of the benefits of successful surgery which really need weighing up with the possible complications.

20th August 2001 - 4 1/2 Months Post-op Top of page

Still nothing much to report I'm afraid.  Everything I said in the last entry still applies.  I was sitting outside the pub on Saturday night which is by a main road and the street lights still have haze around them and the car headlights still have the star bursting much the same as ever.  I'm not sure whether it's gradually getting any better or not.  I'm used to it now though so it doesn't bother me much but I'm still hoping it may improve.  My vision in the gym is now better though.  The fluorescent lighting doesn't have the sort of haze it did a couple of months ago so there is improvement there.  Still no regrets though.  The benefits far outweigh a bit of haze, I can tell you!

I've received an E-mail from Ultralase about some of the things on my site.  Since I have had E-mails from several people in the UK interested in Ultralase I thought I would relay the information (and, no, they aren't paying me for it - but I'm open to offers!).  They have addressed some of the negative points I have raised in this diary, such as the information received from the call centre (e.g. about the optician doing 6000 LASIK treatments).  The keratome blades aren't as pricey as I was told either.  It's funny, a couple of months ago I was looking at a site of a manufacturer who sells keratome blades for $20 (I must have been bored!!).  Counsellors are now Patient Advisors, which sounds like a much better title to me.

I'm going to be making my next follow up appointment for towards the end of September just as soon as I can find the phone number which I seem to have lost!  Chances are that I won't update the site until then so if you're interested in the results, look back then.

13th September 2001 - 5 Months Post-op Check-up Top of page

I've been for the 5 month check-up today.  I was quite surprised to find that there was a print out of my web site inside my patient notes file!!  Anyway, the optician checked out my eyes.  My vision was much the same as last time but my right eye was a bit better.  The 6/6 line was clearer than last time but I couldn't really read any lower.  I was able to read the 6/5 line reasonably well with the left eye and I could read most of the 6/4 line with both eyes together (I just couldn't tell whether one of the letters was a 'H' or a 'M').

I mentioned that I still sometimes get worse vision, especially in my right eye, which the optician thinks is probably due to dryness as I still have slightly dry eyes.  I told her I still have lots of haze and star bursting around light sources, although it doesn't bother me much it is still quite pronounced and I was hoping it would be better by this stage.  She said there may still be time for this to get better.  I told her I'd read plenty of accounts on the internet where people had had this sort of problem for up to 2 years before it got better.  As it doesn't bother me, there isn't any point trying to do anything about it (although I don't think there is anything that could be done anyway).  My eyes look 'perfect' under the slit microscope so that is the important thing.

In terms of refraction my left eye is now plano (whoo hoo!!), so no over correction left.  My right still shows at -0.25 which is the same as last time, although as I say, it seemed marginally better.  This is probably because it is slightly less dry than last time.  There doesn't seem to be any residual astigmatism which is great.

So all in all, very happy at this stage!  I won't be having my next check-up until March which will be my last appointment.  I don't know if I'll update before then, but if anything happens (such as the haze reducing) I'll make another entry.

22nd February 2002 - Nearly a year post-op  Top of page

Thought I'd add a quick entry to let you know how I'm doing now.  I'm booked in for my last appointment at Ultralase on the 11th March so I'll be making my last entry after that with my final prescription.

Nothing has really changed over the last 5 months.  I still have the mild haze at night which has not got better at all really.  I'm a bit dissapointed by this just because it would be nice to think my eyes had completely healed, but as I've said lots of times, it is a very small price to pay and does not matter to me at all from a 'seeing clearly' point of view.

I think my left eye will be zero prescription and my right will be -0.25 with no astigmatism when I have the eye test.  If my eyes remain like that for the next 40 years then I'll be very pleased with the results.  The -0.25 would help delay the need for reading glasses.  It remains to be seen how long my vision will remain this good, but here's hoping.....

My eyes are still dry later on at night but still no worse than before surgery.  I have noticed that motor biking into work over winter when it's been very cold (-8C on two mornings over Christmas!) has caused my eyes to stream quite a bit.  I don't know if the surgery had anything to do with this or if it would have happened anyway.  I didn't have heated gloves last year so never used the bike if it was under 5C!

Last entry after 11th March!

11th March 2002 - Final Check-up!!  Top of page

Well - that's it!  I've been for my final check-up today.  I got to the clinic half an hour early and barely managed to read a page of my book (Stephen Hawkins A Brief History of Time - heavy going!) before being called through.  A final Orbscan (eye topography) was made to see what the shape of my eyes are like now.  Also the internal eye pressure was measured by a strange machine which pumps a burst of air at your eye ball.  I hadn't had this before and was expecting a slight blow but it nearly made me fall off the chair!  This was done three times on each eye and made me jump every time!

After this I was seen by an optician (I think) who gave me an eye test.  I could read most of the 6/4 line (20/15 ish) with my right eye, although it was quite blurry.  I could read all of it fairly clearly with my left apart from an 'H' which could have been an 'N' or 'M', but I would have plumped for 'H'.  I was very pleased with that!

I told him about the haze I still experience and the reduced contrast sensitivity.  He had also had LASIK about 7 months ago and has had a similar experience.  He checked my eyes with the microscope and said the flaps had healed really nicely and everything looked really good with my eyes.  I do still notice the haze but it causes no problems and there is nothing wrong with the surface of my eyes so I'm not too worried about it.

Anyway, I've managed to wangle a copy of the Orbscan results if anyone is interested:

Left eye (I think is OS)
Right eye (I think is OD)

Unfortunately I can't get a copy of the 'before' pictures which is a shame.  The bottom right pictures showed the astigmatism before which was very obvious.  It was a bit like the blue patches you can see on the OD picture going across the eye but much more obvious, kind of highlighting the irregularity in the eye.  On the top left pictures before there was yellow colour turning to red which showed that the eye's surface was raised, which is the cause of short sightedness.  Now, the green and blue show that the surface is very regular.  I'm not quite sure what the pictures on the right show, but they certainly look colourful!  Answers on a postcard.......

I don't have any prescription left in either eye!  Well, actually my left is +0.12D and my right is -0.12D, but this is less than would be written on a prescription.  So it's all looking pretty good!

Anyway, I hope my site has been useful.  I was pleased to learn I have managed to amuse most of the Ultralase staff with my entry on 25th May, stating that the man I saw didn't seem to know much about LASIK - apparently he's their technical director!  I guess he probably does know a bit about LASIK then!!

Good luck to anyone who is taking the plunge and having surgery!  I hope all goes well.

Cheers.  Phil.
 

THE END!  (or is it??.........)
 

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