Quik Thinking

Having worn eyeglasses since I was 12, I'd been meaning to get laser eye surgery for several years but was waiting until the technology had stabilized and I could afford it. About a year ago I decided to get it after I was done with Invisalign. Last week, not long after I moved to Montreal for the summer, I ran across a Lasik MD booth in a mall and scheduled myself for a free consult.

Meanwhile, I'd been doing a lot of research on the various options for laser eye surgery and the risks involved with each. At my consult, I discovered that my large pupils (8mm) meant I couldn't use the standard Lasik procedure, which has become very cheap. Instead I'd need the more expensive Wavefront laser. At least I had thick corneas so I wouldn't need to undergo the pain of PRK. I mulled over it for a couple of days, knowing that I could afford the surgery and the surgeon assigned to me was one of the best in Canada but also that there was a 1% chance of complications and a 15% chance of minor regressions.

The day that I finished the Invisalign treatment my glasses also came apart. That was the last straw; I got Wavefront Lasik two days later. The operation itself lasted only a few minutes and was entirely painless. They'd warned me that my vision might remain blurry until the next morning but I was actually able to see fine immediately afterward. That night, however, I realized that I was experiencing ghosting in my right eye when looking at light sources (like traffic lights and neon signs).

Upon my return to the clinic the next morning for a post-op exam, they detected that my right corneal flap had a microfold, which was most likely causing the ghosting. Apparently those are unavoidable and common. Fortunately, they are also easily fixed. The surgeon simply peeled back the flap and smoothed it out. My right eye had blurry vision for the remainder of the day but the ghosting had stopped.

When I awoke the next morning, everything looks great. I returned to the clinic once again for a check-up and was told I now had 20/20 vision. [The ability to burn through steel with my eyes would come later, they promised.] Apparently most people wait 5-7 days before getting to 20/20 so I've been fortunate to have recovered quite fast. Here's hoping I don't experience any regressions in the next few months.