A decade ago this would have sounded like a miracle and people would be wondering how such a feat could be possible. Nowadays regaining perfect vision is quite common and can be done over the weekend with a simple surgical procedure called LASIK, or as its commonly known, "laser surgery." That’s right, in another triumph of science myopia can now be eradicated with new technology that treats the corneal bed of the eye to correct the refractive errors and aberrations thereby restoring vision to the vision-impaired (like me!).
Sound impossible? I actually thought so too and for years I’d been delaying laser treatment for fear of any possible side effects. I figured bad vision was better than no vision. But, as the years continued to pass and my eyes continued to get worse I began listening to the advice of friends and family who had undergone the procedure and came out with a whole new perspective. So many of them kept telling me that laser was one of the best decisions they’d ever made and, I have to admit, I was starting to get jealous of their freedom from glasses and contact lenses.
I was really teetering on the verge of a decision when the final straw came in the form of yet another eye infection. I admit, I’m rather stubborn and I’m one of those people who wears disposable contacts until my vision blurs and I can no longer take it. I don’t even remove them when I sleep which  yes, I know  is a big no-no! This, of course, has led to countless eye infections over the years including eye ulcers (yes, it’s possible) to inflamed eyes to scratches and bruises on the surface of my eye. These have all healed, of course, but to say it was painful and inconvenient would be an understatement and I have spent many days under the covers putting eye drops in every hour and hiding from all forms of light. When my latest bout with dirty lenses left me in bed and mourning my sorry state, laser surgery suddenly seemed like the perfect answer.
So, pushing the fear aside I finally made a decision to do it. I headed over to the Asian Eye Institute in Rockwell for a consultation and to schedule a screening to see if I was a viable candidate for the surgery, for while everyone may want to undergo laser treatment not everyone can actually do so. Every patient must undergo a long and comprehensive screening process to test whether or not their eyes can handle the surgery. Each patient undergoes tests such as your level of myopia, your eye’s surface thickness, your level of astigmatism, the dryness of your eyes, and many other things as well. I have to be honest and say it’s a long process and you’re not even sure, by the time it’s over, that you still want to go through with the procedure.
Yet, on the up side, the screening does prepare you somewhat for the surgery to come. In some of the tests performed the doctors and nurses have to touch your eye with different medical instruments. In order to do this, they administer anesthesia, which numbs the entire eye. It’s the same type of anesthesia used during the operation and so you get a taste of what it’s like to see items being inserted in your eyes without feeling them. It was both scary and oddly intriguing at the same time.
Finally, after the screening process was over my test results were handed to my amazing doctor, Dr. Robert Edward Ang, who is both a corneal and LASIK surgeon and a glaucoma and cataract specialist. He looked over my results and told me that I was indeed a good candidate for laser surgery. I felt mixed emotions when I heard the results. On one hand, I was really happy and excited to finally get my vision back; yet on the other hand, I was terrified of the surgery. Despite having a series of tests run on me I was still not too keen on having a laser used on my eyes while I was awake. This fear was exacerbated when Dr. Ang calmly explained the entire procedure to me in detail. Basically, Asian Eye Institute (AEI) uses the latest in laser eye technology  the Bausch and Lomb Technolas 217 Z100 excimer laser with the Iris Recognition Software. The procedure begins by creating a flap in the cornea using an instrument called a microkeratome, which basically cuts a thin layer of your eye. The layer or flap is then lifted and laser treatment is applied to the corneal bed and corrects all the refractive errors and aberrations thereby restoring vision. The flap is then returned without any stitching and is left to heal. All this is done while you are wide awake under a mild sedative and local eye-drop anesthesia.
I remember the terror that ran through my entire body when Dr. Ang mentioned "cutting a flap" in my eye! I thought it was bad enough having a laser in there I didn’t even know about the blades. I thanked the doctor and got ready to leave the screening thinking I would have some time to think about it and muster more courage but no sooner did that comforting thought appear when Dr. Ang ask me if I would like to schedule the surgery within a couple of days. I’m sure I looked bewildered because he quickly explained that once the screening is finished the surgery must follow as quickly as possible as the machines use the same measurements and results that were obtained at the screening and it’s possible that these will change if too much time passes. I decided to just go for it and scheduled the procedure quickly before I could change my mind.
The day of my surgery finally arrived and I spent the entire morning worrying and biting my nails. When I arrived at the 10th floor of AEI 30 minutes before my scheduled time I was fitting in a hospital gown and comfy slippers and moved to the prep area where I sat while waiting for the surgery. What was comforting was seeing all the people in the room with me. I figured that if they could do it then I could do it and that gave me a little strength. I was finally moved to the comfortable chair right outside the operating room where I was given a mild sedative and local anesthesia and after only a few minutes I felt the sedative start working as I began to quickly relax. Finally, all the waiting was over and I was moved into the operating room.
Dr. Ang quickly set my mind at ease as he explained what would happen and how quickly it would be over. I swallowed my fears and climbed onto the operating table, which was under a bunch of lights surrounding a blinking red and green light. One last drop of anesthesia and the surgery began. It wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. Dr. Ang put something over my right eye that seemed like an upside-down cup. He then told me I would feel suction and everything would go black. Afterwards, I heard a sort of whirring and then he lifted the cup and I saw him kind of lift something (the flap). After this he told me to stare at the red light and he told me I would smell a kind of burning (which I did) and while this was happening I kept hearing the nurse say calling out percentages  "19 percent… 34 percent… 78 percent…"  all the way to "100 percent." And then it was over. A bit of rest in between and then the same thing on the other eye. It was amazing. And it was all over in 25 minutes. When I finally let go of the nurse’s hand (which I kind of squeezed to death) I was surprised to notice that I could actually already kind of see, though it was blurry. One last quick check and then Dr. Ang sent me home.
So what’s it like now, a full week after the surgery? Well, I’ll be the first to say it’s a modern-day miracle because, as I mentioned above, I can finally see again! The first three days after the procedure were a bit rocky as my eyes adjusted. I had a few headaches and some discomfort but the eye drops helped along with the natural tear formula that Dr. Ang gave me to help me battle the dryness (which happened quite a bit initially), but still all that was worth it to finally have my vision back! I highly recommend it to everyone with myopia and other eye problems. Don’t delay, because it’s never too early to be free of eyeglasses and contact lenses. And I would also highly recommend the Asian Eye Institute. They were professional, courteous, and very, very helpful. Dr. Ang, in particular, really helped put me at ease throughout the entire process and made me feel as comfortable as I could despite the fear.
So now that it’s over I’m truly happy I decided to go through with it. Allow me to break out into song once again and sing: "I can see clearly now the rain is gone…" Because that’s certainly how I feel!