Laser Eye Surgery Diary| Consultation

It is not uncommon nowadays for people to wear glasses. In fact you’d be fairly lucky if you didn’t need glasses in some shape or form – whether that be reading glasses or permanently. Obviously there are also many different solutions to not needing glasses; you can opt for contact lenses which can be a temporary fix, or look for something a bit more permanent, like laser eye surgery. To some, any type of surgery can be nerve wrecking, which is a given. But for many, surgery can be viewed as a path to freedom .Yes, some may think I’m being utterly over the top here by saying it’s a path to freedom, as if it’s something that is holding me down. But in all honesty, if you have had glasses as long as I have, and watched your eyesight deteriorate with every visit to the optician, you will know how vital laser eye surgery is for someone like me. Having to wear glasses, and having the prescription that I do (which I will not disclose on my blog, as honestly, it’s embarrassing!) it does stop you from doing certain things. Contact lenses are supposed to counteract that, and allow you the freedom to do things, but there are restrictions! Nothing feels worse than setting off for your day only to have a burning sensation in your eye from contact lenses that need to be tended to. That’s exactly why I’ve been thinking of finally doing something about it, taking the plunge and researching about surgery.

On Saturday I made my way to Optical Express for a free consultation to see if I was suitable for Laser Eye Surgery. In most cases, you will be suitable for Laser Eye Surgery, however, there are dozens of tests that need to be completed before suitability is confirmed. If, however, you are not suitable, there are several other ways your vision can be restored. One of my biggest concerns, before I went to the consultation, which I also mentioned to the optical advisor who I consulted with was suitability. This was due to my high prescription, and most of the time I had been to the opticians, I was always advised against Laser Eye Surgery due to the risk involved. However, I was informed that I was a good candidate for laser eye surgery, irrespective of my prescription, as my eyes were in fact healthy! (woop!)

When I entered the Harley Street Optical Express it was actually fairly busy. I’m the type of person that is curious about everything, so I was quite keen to guess which of the patients were waiting for their surgery, or which were coming back post operation. You are given a simple health questionnaire to complete, this includes questions about your current health, what your hobbies are, and what your current lifestyle is like. There is nothing too daunting about this, the questions are more so the optimist can devise a recovery plan with you, for example, when you can go back to the gym – for me that would have been two weeks! Major wahey  from me, as it’s a perfect excuse not to go!

The consultation involves a number of tests conducted on your eyes, from the typical eye test to more advanced tests such as taking pictures of the back of your eye, measuring the circumference of your retina etc. Your eyes are also diluted with eye drops, which do not cause any discomfort at all. The only reservation I would have with the eye drops is that they affect your vision for a few hours – such as making your eyes more sensitive to the sun, however, if you wear sunglasses this should not be a problem. I was also advised that my vision may be slightly blurry after the eye drops, however, I did not have blurry vision at all. I have heard of others having blurry vision after the eye drops, so just keep this in mind if you are planning to go to a consultation. I was made to feel comfortable and relaxed, by being offered a drink and a seat on their sofas. The waiting area seems to be more like a lounge, as there’s lots of sofas, and TV’s – perfect to help calm the nerves.

You are encouraged to ask any many questions are you want about the surgery, even to the point of meeting the surgeon if you want to. I had done quite a bit of research before going to my consultation, so I already had answers to most of my questions. That is something that you really need to do before you even consider going for surgery, research. It is much better to research things for yourself, and getting opinions from people who have actually had surgery themselves rather than relying on information given to you from a clinic. Although they are experts, the opinions and views from 3rd parties is a lot more valuable.

After the consultation you are given a choice as to whether you want to go ahead with the surgery or think about it. As I had been researching surgery for your years, I wanted to just bite the bullet, so I booked myself in for two weeks time. I am the most indecisive person around, so I would have left it for ages before making a decision, then changing my mind again. It is well worth going to if you are thinking of being free from glasses. It’s definitely an investment, but in the long run it’s likely to be well worth the money.

As I decided to go through with the surgery, I was given a detailed information pack with instructions for before the surgery, on the surgery day and after the surgery. I was advised that I would need someone to accompany me on surgery day as my eyes would be sensitive to light. I would also need to bring non prescription sunglasses with me to ensure my eyes do not get damaged when healing. I was also advised that I would need to wear something comfortable – no big woolly jumpers, and to have something to eat before arriving for my surgery appointment. This will help me feel relaxed and at ease. I would also need to avoid wearing any makeup, or putting any moisturizer on my face. This is a biggie for me, as I tend not to go anywhere without some makeup on. So all I can say now, is bring on the surgery day!!

Catch up with me in a few weeks time after my surgery for my results! Have you had laser eye surgery before, or are you thinking or surgery? Do you have any advice/what was your experience like?