Wow, congratulations!!  That must be so much fun- waking up and seeing things clearly without glasses!  Your snorkeling comment reminded me of what my husband said was the best part about the surgery- going to the beach.  He said he used to have to take out his contacts to swim, and then he was so blind he would get lost right in plain sight of all his friends.  But not anymore!

We've had some good news here too- my hubby's eyes aren't fixable, but they might not be deteriorating :) :) :)  What a relief!!

 So, my procedure was done last Friday. I was at the surgery center for about 2 hours total; everyone was very friendly & professional during my operation. The lasering itself was fairly fast & painless, but my eyes were pretty sore by the time we got home so I took one of the painkillers they prescribed for me & went to bed. I woke up about 4 hours later with no more pain at all. And I could see! I could read the bedside clock & even watch TV & read the channel numbers & everything! Wow!

The next day I went in to have to doctor check out my eyes & remove the stupid goggles I had been wearing since the day before. That's the worst part about the procedure IMO: those goggles don't make sleeping any easier. I missed one letter on the 20/20 line of the eye chart, so basically I'm seeing 20/20 for the first time in my life. Now, I do need to get used to reading glasses, but I'm trying to use the computer without them (like right now.) It's a little fuzzy typing this, but I'm hoping that may improve.

I do have a slight "abrasion" (that's what the doctor called it) on my left eye, so I'm using drops every hour or so to help with the inflammation. It doesn't hurt, it just feels like there's a small fluff in that eye. I haven't even had the need to use any artificial tears yet. It's just amazing; I guess I'm one of the lucky ones!

I can't wait to go buy my first pair of nice sunglasses. The doctor included a cheap pair in my optical kit just to get me by. Anyway, so far so good. In fact, I'd say it's great! It's like the first time I saw HDTV; the details I'm experiencing are awesome!

*oohchild sings: Suddenly I see, I see....I can see clearly now, the rain is gone....I can see for miles & miles & miles...*

Any songs I'm missing?

;-)

(oops, can't wink yet. Just wait a few days!)

ETA: I'm also looking forward to snorkeling again. The last few times I went I couldn't see much underwater. It's going to be fantastic!

Both my dad & my doctor have had it done. They both say that they wish they had not done it. My dad says that his eyes constantly feel scratchy like they have sand in them, and that sometimes he can see fine but other times his eye sight is blurry. I have also heard similar stories from other people.

Yeah, that's what it is- his cornea is deteriorating.  Keratoconus- I think it's called?  But after the surgery his eyes were great for several years, so it was definitely worth it.  It's just scary because he drives for a living, and if it can't be corrected enough he'll lose his license.  But at least I can make decent money if I go back to work (with a little re-training!) and we have a back-up plan for him.  He'll just need to go to school for a few years and I'll make the money.  That's a common arrangement these days anyway.

Yikes, madkow! I really hope your hubby doesn't go blind!

My brother had RK (radial keratotomy) done years ago, when it was first introduced. It didn't stick with him, either. He was back to wearing glasses within a few years. That's one reason I've waited so long before investigating a surgical remedy for me.

My hubby has a pretty bad case of astigmatism, too. He was surprised when they told him he qualified for LASIK. They said his corneal "tissue was very thick"; I just think he liked hearing he had very thick tissue!

;-)

My husband has lasik several years ago.  It was when they still cut the eye with a scalpel, not all laser, so he said it was really weird feeling.  He went from like 20/21000 (or some ridiculous number like that- practically blind) to like 20/25 or so.  But recently he went to the eye doctor and his vision is getting pretty bad again.  It's just the nature of his problem, not that the operation was a failure.  (I think he has a really bad astigmatism... I can never remember the different eye problems.)  So he had some tests done and we're going back to the doctor in a week to see what the prognosis is.  Basically, we're hoping to find out when he's going to go blind so we can plan for it.  It's a really scary thought, but we can deal.

Thanks you guys! Countygirl, I get where your hubby is coming from. In talking with the staff yesterday, they said that my procedure will take about 50 seconds per eye. They also said I get a Valium before I go under the laser. Yay!

I'm so sick & tired of having those nasty little indents on the sides of my nose. I'm also looking forward to buying my first pair of "regular" sunglasses - I want to look like a rockstar!

;-)

Yes, please let us know how it goes. I don't know anyone who has had this procedure done either, but my husband is really interested in it. I think it would be really good for him, but he's still on the fence about it. It makes him nervous. I hope everything goes really smooth for you and you are extremely happy with your outcome. Good luck!

I don't know anyone that has had this procedure done but I am excited to see how it works out for you. It is something I've always thought about having done but have never acted upon. Hope it all goes perfectly for you, keep us posted :)