Why didn't I do it when I was 26 years old? Well, I couldn't afford it then. It was more affordable to buy six boxes of contact lenses for $200++, which lasted for six months than to pay almost $5000-$7,000 for a 30-minute procedure. Another reason was I was skeptical. I was so afraid of the risk, side effects, and possible accident could happen. I could lose my eyesight forever. There are so many articles, comments, recommendations, blog posts on the internet. The more I read, the more I got confused. There are also so many types of Lasik surgery nowadays: LASIK (laser in-situ keratomileusis, PRK (photorefractive keratectomy), LASEK (laser epithelial keratomileusis), RLE (refractive lens exchange), EpiLasik, PRELEX. How would I know which one suits me? After months of researching, I decided to make an appointment with Dr. Tony Ho at Clearvision Eye Clinic & LASIK Centre. Lucky for you now, all you need to do is to read the detailed comparison that Dr. Ho wrote on his website to find out what option is most suitable for you.
Back to the surgery, Safe Sight TransPRK surgery is an all-laser, one-step, no-touch, non-invasive vision correction procedure that does not require the eye surgeon to cut a corneal flap. The standard LASIK (cut, flap, and zap) process might have flap-related medical complications, which are my ultimate fear. Thankfully, with the new technology, no surgical devices are touching the eye at all. Clearvision Clinic uses the Schwind Amaris 1050RS excimer laser machine with a zero-latency eye tracker and the ability to track all 7-dimensions of eye movements. The procedure on both eyes was much faster than I expected. I thought I would be lying in the surgery bed for at least 30 minutes. It turned out I was there for 15 minutes or less. First, I was asked to keep looking at the blinking green eyes. Then, the Schwind Amaris 1050RS machine removes the epithelium cells of my eyes. After that, the laser machine shapes the cornea to correct the eye's refractive power. Doctor Ho placed a transparent, high-oxygen permeability content soft contact lens over the cornea to protect the treated surface while the epithelium cells regenerate. The Corneal Cross-Linking treatment took additional two minutes to complete. Before I got comfortable in the warm bed, the nurse helped sit me up, and Doctor Ho asked me to smile for a photo. The surgery was over, just like that.
- I did not rub or squeeze my eyes, especially for the 1st week. I used eye wipes to gently clean my eyes every morning and night.
- I didn't apply any makeup and eye gel or lotion for nearly three weeks.
- I didn't go swimming or do any vigorous sports activities until after four weeks post-surgery.
- I wore UV protected glasses when I went out. I still wear sunglasses now whenever I'm out of the house on a sunny day.
Disclaimer: Although this blog post is partially sponsored by Clearvision Eye Clinic & LASIK Centre, all opinions are my own.