So, a little over a month ago, I had LASEK (pronounced in Korea as “la-shik”) surgery. If you read my 365s from the time, you know I went to Dream Eye Center in Gangnam, Seoul. It’s a fantastic clinic. I felt very comfortable there and very much at ease with the thought of the doctor firing a laser into my eyes. I didn’t shop around…it was the only clinic I visited….and probably paid a little more than if I had been a more “savvy” shopper.
In the few days leading up to my actual surgery date, I read quite a few blogs from other foreigners who had done eye surgery here. And proceeded to have a mini-panic-attack. What if something went wrong and I was rendered blind? I latched on to the thought of how comfortable I felt before and took the bus to Seoul.
Overall, the procedure was quick and painless. They mapped my eyes using some high-tech machines, gave me a basic vision test and prepped me for surgery. Basically, I emptied my pockets, put my hair up into a surgical cap and they smeared gooey, cold disinfectant on my face. Then they led me into the operating room with three techs (one to program the laser, one to hand the doctor things, and one to hold my hand….yes, one was there just to hold my hand) and the doctor. Less than 15 minutes per eye and then I was in the recovery room and already seeing without glasses or contacts.
Based on the blogs, opinions, misconceptions, and medical information provided, I have complied a top 5 list of what LASEK surgery really is and what it isn’t based on my personal experience.
1) The Laser Will Look Like it Does in Movies
It will not…NOT…look like it does in the movies. Where the laser centers over your eyes and you can see the red beam drill into your eyeball. That’s terrifying…it’s nothing like that. You are lying on the table staring up at a green light (that occasionally turns red) and that’s really it. You can’t see the beam.
2) The “Cornea-Scraping” Will Be Gross and Painful
They really numb your eyes. You can’t feel it…and, if you are as near-sighted as I was, you can’t really see what is going on. You can see the scraping procedure, but it doesn’t look like they are scraping away the surface of your eye. It looks like you are in a car wash and someone squeegees the windshield.
3) You Can Smell Your Eye Burning
This was huge in the blogs. Several people described smelling something burning during the procedure. That’s crap. Those people have obviously never smelled something that is actually burning. There is a slight smell of something being hot (think when you first turn on the heat in the winter) that lasts about 2 seconds. It is more the smell of the laser heating up…not your eyes being burned away.
4) You Will Be Able to See Instantly
Ok, so that may or may not be true. I was ridiculously near-sighted, so my “instant vision” was still quite blurry. They tell you at the clinic that you gain about 60% of your vision instantly and I think that’s a fair estimate. So maybe if you are less near-sighted then an instant 60% recovered vision may be pretty clear. I was still very blurry, but I spent the entire bus ride home looking out the window because, well, I could.
5) You Will Be in PAIN for Day After
Well, again, this could vary from person to person. For one, I have a pretty high tolerance for pain so I didn’t feel a huge amount of pain. None the first day just a little discomfort the next, which was more the sensation of constantly having something in your eyes. The third day was the worst for pain, but it was more light-sensitivity than actual “oh, my God, what have I done” pain. After a couple weeks the feeling that there was something in my eyes passed and now, a month out, there is no pain and only the mildest discomfort of dry eyes, usually only first thing in the morning.
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