My very detailed account of LASIK in Taiwan. I hope this information can be of some use for those inquiring about the operation. My apologies, its long, originally written to start my blog.
Flashy advertisements, success stories from friends, and the constant annoyance of blurry vision has always kept the option of LASIK in the back of my head. On my recent trip to my home country Taiwan, I decided it was time to actually sit down and do some research on LASIK. Now, my eyes were never terrible and some may even consider them to be fine. My prescription was only -1.25 in one eye and -1.75 in the other. I could generally see everything with ease, but when it came down to reading words at a distance, blurriness ensued and I had to squint a bit. I began noticing my deteriorating vision in high school and by the time I was done with college, it slowly but gradually had gotten worse. I had glasses, yet my laziness and unwillingness to wear them saw to it that they were kept in their case for the most part and were used only in the instance of driving at night. Contacts were not an option.
As soon as I arrived in Taiwan, I promptly brought up the idea of LASIK with my parents. Being old fashioned, my dad had his doubts but was willing to let me go ahead and do what I wanted. After doing a little research and making some calls, my mom landed me a free consultation appointment at the 大學忠孝 eye clinic (supposedly one of the best in Taiwan with the most up-to-date equipment). Going in, I had no intention whatsoever in actually making a decision. I just wanted facts and answers.
I can’t say I was impressed when I first walked into the establishment. It was small, slightly crowded, and no signs of technology besides a mounted LCD replaying advertisements. It was nothing like those super clean hospitals with white floors and lights from shows such as House M.D. Yet one thing did stand out… the… um… girls. I was shocked to see so many young and attractive nurses dressed in blouses and skirts; honestly, I must’ve stood there staring for at least five minutes before I approached the front desk. Shortly after, I was assigned to probably the cutest nurse of the group who ran some tests, dilated my eyes, and all that good stuff before leading me into the consultation room where I was sat down and served warm tea. She answered all my questions after going through the basics: risks, procedure, post-surgical care, and of course fees. I already understood some of the risks and knew it was slightly a gamble which…come to think of it, ultimately only further inclined me to pursue the surgery. Nearly paying $2000 US per eye wasn’t a problem especially for the latest technology (I used the NAVEX machine) and an experienced doctor (70,000+ surgeries done). Quickly she pushed, “So… I’ll put you down for next Friday?” Attributing some knowledge of sales to my college business degree, it was easy to see how a free consultation could “persuade” some people to sign up for LASIK. I found this funny and had to bite my lip a bit from letting a little laughter slip out. I told her I was a little worried, after-all this was my sight. Almost instantly, she looked deeply into my eyes and said “Don’t worry, I had LASIK done too, see?” Good god, I couldn’t say no. I became one of those morons conned into it by a cute girl with irresistible eyes.
Of course for the next two weeks I did all the research I could on LASIK. It was their policy to allow cancellations up to 48 hours prior to the surgery date. As the days counted down, I became more and more terrified. But I told myself to suck it up. What were the chances of something going wrong with both eyes anyway? I rationalized it by telling myself I could live with one eye. Maybe it was all the success stories, the distant dream of becoming an air-force pilot, actually… come to think of it… probably the idea of seeing that girl again. Whatever the reason, I chose not to cancel and went for it.
Finally, after two dreaded weeks of worrying and thinking up what-if possibilities I was ready for whatever they were going to do to me. My appointment was at 6:30 PM, but I arrived about half an hour earlier, checked in, and signed some consent forms. I learned that they were behind schedule and waited nearly an hour; no big deal. Next, they moved me into a preparation room where I was fitted with an operating outfit and cap. Cautiously using a Q-Tip dipped in disinfectant, the areas near my eyes were wiped clean. It was time. I was lead into an extremely cold room; if I had to guess, I’d say it was around 60°F. This was the first time I had the opportunity to actually view the machine. It was this boxed shaped contraption with a mechanical arm extending outwards over the operating table. “Nothing too fancy”, I thought as I laid on the table. For some reason, the nurse kept repeating to not move my arms at all when the operation began. I originally thought that I’d be concentrating on not moving my head, so I guess keeping my arms still wouldn’t be a problem. Although she did give me a pillow to squeeze just in case I felt the need to grab something. All preparations were done and I was good to go.
The doctor stepped in and got straight to it. Unexpectedly, my face was taped up with a small hole allowing only my right eye to be seen. At first, this was a shock and breathing was a bit difficult but it was nothing too bad. A nurse began applying some eye drops which was anesthesia of some sort. Next, my vision turned slightly green as the doctor put a square film into my eye to prevent me from blinking. He took an object that I imagine to be a scalpel and slowly brought it to my eyeball. There was no pain, and it looked like he was cleaning my eye from one side to the other, left to right. I can only compare this experience to those window cleaners who use a giant broom-type thing to wash skyscraper windows.
The whole time I laid there, looking upwards, seeing nurses in my peripheral vision and the doctor working on my right eye. Finally the machine was lowered and began what other people’s testimony describe as suction. There was a little pressure, but not to the point where I’d phrase it as “sucking my eyeball out”. My vision slowly faded into blackness with a giant red light in the middle. The red light was a bunch of lines intersecting in different directions and at times it would be green. I remember a high-pitch sound and sort of a weird burning smell. Of course I wasn’t so excited about smelling my eyeballs being fried by invisible lasers, but what the hell, there’s no turning back now. Anyway, this entire time I was absolutely focused on not moving my head and definitely not blinking. It wasn’t much of a problem due to the green-box thing but of course my eyes were going crazy attempting to blink. It was over in a few seconds, and all very pain-free. My vision slowly returned as I could see light again. The machine lifted upwards and they removed the green-film enabling me to blink again. Easy…now for the other eye. The procedure was exactly the same. Green film, little scalpel washing/cutting, suction, and red lights. The entire process took no longer than 20 minutes. They removed the face mask and told me it was all done. My eyes were teary from the surgery and somewhat blurry. And I guess I was still a little shaken up because the nurse had to help me up after seeing I wasn’t moving from the table. The doctor checked my eyes before I walked out of the operating room to make sure everything was ok. Immediately, I could tell that it worked, I could see the distant TV advertisements much more clearly yet things up close were still blurry. I put on a pair of protection visors, thanked the doctor and nurses, and headed home. The whole surgery – pain-free and absolutely terrifying. Although now that I know the process, it would definitely be easier and not as scary to do it again.
Out of the entire ordeal, that night was the worst. After the anesthesia had worn off, about 4-5 hours later, my eyes were irritated. It felt like a piece of sand was stuck inside your eyeballs. I took the painkillers they gave me and resisted, with all my power, the urge of rubbing my eyes. The next morning was amazing. I truly could appreciate what they did just by looking out the window. Buildings, trees, and signs all appeared to be clearer than I remembered. I constantly tested myself by seeing how many things I could read from a distance all the while hoping that I gained some sort of super-power and would be able to see further than anyone else. So, the worst part was over…now just time and healing. Before leaving the doctors office they tell a few things that you must do in order for your eyes to heal properly:
-Do not rub your eyes whatsoever, it could get infected.
-No swimming for a month.
-Wear a mask while you shower.
-And eye-drops! (Artificial Tears) More than you’d imagine.
-Wear protective visors outside for a few weeks.
-Weekly check-ups for about a month. (Hey at least I get to see those girls again.)
-No computer or TV for first few days (Oh shit).
-Wear goggles at night to prevent accidental rubbing.
Minor annoyances but a small price to pay for a lifetime of corrected vision. I went in for a check-up the next day and absolutely aced the vision chart. For the first few days, I could make out anything in the distant with ease. Close-up vision was slightly blurry but improved everyday. By the 3rd day, it wasn’t a problem at all. There was a little red spot in my left eye but that went away in two weeks as well. Oh, post-op checkups take five to ten minutes at the most. They consist of a vision test (chart thing), and a few other tests the doctor/nurses perform just to make sure everything is normal.
I wish I could say that LASIK story ended there but unfortunately not. After about a week my right eye became increasingly dry and I noticed things looking “annoyingly different”, blurry in a sense. I confirmed this by alternating and covering each eye. My right eye’s vision would be blurred slightly up-close and in the distance. When I went back for my second check up, I informed them of this, and they explained it was normal. My right eye was healing slower than my left (which was perfect already) and should be fine in a month. They prescribed me a stronger type of eye drops to combat the dryness, and I left reassured.
End of second week, my right eye has become increasingly drier. The blurriness continues to worsen. My vision test for my right eye was noticeably worse than my left. Although not as bad as before the surgery, it was extremely annoying that things up close would be out of focus. The doctor prescribed me additional eye drops that supposedly would relax the muscles that control focus for my right eye. I was still worried that something had gone wrong.
End of third week, I wanted to believe that my eye was getting better. I’d constantly test both eyes. Left eye was still perfect, and is 20/15 according to the vision test. My right eye was better on the test, but is still a disappointment.
My fourth week check up is now coming up within a few days. I really want to believe my right eye is better but honestly, I can’t tell. I think the blurriness has subsided a little but that may be my imagination. Only time will tell whether my eye is really healing or something really went wrong.
I started with vision with a slight blur. My left eye is now 20/15 and maybe even 20/12.5. My right eye can see distant (20/15) but is a little blurred (slight double vision). Was it worth it? You decide. The risks are there, the numbers are there, it was a game of probability to me. Winning and losing tens of thousands of dollars is one thing, but these were my eyes I was gambling with. Would I do it again? Yes, in a heartbeat. But if you ask me 10 years later? Maybe if I could see those girls again.
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