Considering Lasik Eye Surgery?

About a year and a half ago my wife had laser surgery to correct myopia (nearsightedness) and astigmatism. Her vision was bad (-10.5); legally blind. Her corneas were too thin for the traditional lasik, so she had to go with PRK instead. In PRK the top cellular layers of the cornea are scraped away before the laser reshapes the cornea. After surgery a temporary contact is placed over the eye which serves as a bandage while the upper layers of the cornea heal, or grow back. My wife’s experience was very positive. Eighteen months later she sees 20/20 in the left eye and 20/30 in the right eye. This is a very good result considering her prescription, and she is very happy with the results. My wife had Dr. Imperia of Medford, Oregon. He comes highly recommended from others in this area, and we would also recommend him.

My prescription was (-5) before surgery. I was able to go through traditional lasik surgery. A day after surgery my vision was 20/15. The surgery was more pleasant than the PRK my wife went through. Her healing time was about two or three days before the discomfort (scratchy eyes) went away, and about three months before she had crisp vision. (She says this is a little unusual in that most people see better faster than she did). She also experienced large halos around lights at night and double vision, which delayed night driving for two or three weeks. I had little pain or discomfort during the surgery. This is day three after the surgery. The halos at night have not completely gone away yet, but I see very clearly during the day and night driving is not at all a problem. It is a pleasure to walk outside and look off into the distance to see the twigs of the tree tops crisp and clear. I still reach for the glasses on my night stand, but am pleasantly surprised at seeing clearly in places where I am not accustomed to clear vision; like the shower.

I went with Clearly Lasik in Medford, Oregon for my surgery. Dr. Kahn performed the surgery. He specialized in corneal surgery, though less experienced, he was very professional. I would recommend Dr. Kahn also.

Postscript: I watched my wife’s surgery on a large television screen through a window in the door of the operating room. On her right eye the microkeratome (a miniature automated scalpel) scalped the upper layers from her eye. For the left eye Dr. Imperia scraped the upper cells of her cornea by hand with a tiny scalpel. (The surgery does not hurt because of anesthesia drops that deaden all feeling in the eye). As I watched, the impression I got was of a 20 inch eye, lids held back with clamps, and a giant butter knife scraping clear putty from the eye. Don’t let that scare you though, it looks much worse than it feels. My wife talked to the doctor the whole time, as did Eye.