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13 October 2008
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Your Stories

You are in: Gloucestershire > People > Your Stories > Laser Eye Surgery
Claire Sandys wearing glasses
Laser Eye Surgery

By Claire Sandys

After twenty years of wearing glasses and contact lenses, I've finally taken the plunge and had laser eye surgery. Read my story here.

A few years ago my mother, an ophthalmic sister in a hospital in East Anglia, heard about the increasing use of laser surgery to correct short-sightedness.

Working in the field she kept a close eye on the advancements of this technology with the hope that one day it would be an option for me (I have a mild prescription of -2.75 which is apparently perfect for this sort of surgery).
A slight haemorrhage in Claire's right eye

A small haemorrhage in Claire's eye

Finally the day came when she believed that laser surgery was widely used enough to be safe for her daughter and although the very long-term effects are yet to be known, there's no reason to believe that the sight would change once corrected.

So on Friday 5th October 2007, after booking the surgery and waiting only a few months, I ventured over to Cambridge to have my eyesight made new.
No cutting corners

I chose my surgeon carefully; he was experienced, had being doing this procedure for a long while and specialised in it.

He was more expensive than the average laser specialist on the high street, but when it comes to eyes my mother has always told me that there should be no cutting corners!

I had an initial consultation about 5 weeks ago to make sure I was suitable for the surgery and also to meet the consultant and go over my options (there are a few types of laser surgery).

On the day of the actual procedure you are told that you will need to be at the clinic for around an hour and you also need someone to drive you home afterwards – a job which my husband kindly volunteered to do.
No real worries or nerves

I was seen very quickly at 10am and had no real worries or nerves about the situation at all.
Claire Sandys

Claire in glasses - a thing of the past?

I was told exactly what would happen and then a nurse took me through to the laser room and laid me on a very comfy horizontal chair.

I was having a procedure called LASIK, where a thin flap of corneal tissue is folded away so the laser can do its work underneath.

You are not under a general anaesthetic for this procedure (i.e. asleep!), they just place some local anaesthetic drops in the eye being treated, or in my case, both eyes.
Not a pleasant experience

So as a result I was still able to see for most of the time, except when I lost my vision briefly while they made the incision in the corneal flap.

They covered my eye that wasn't being lasered with a clear eye shield to prevent me from being distracted.

They placed tape over my eyelashes to keep them out of the way and then attached a special clip to keep the eye open – this wasn't a pleasant experience!

Once everything was in place they cut the corneal flap; this is when I lost my vision for a few seconds.

Following this they swung my chair over to the laser machine and I was asked to focus on a red flashing light.

The laser makes a clicking sound as it's doing its stuff and then I was warned that I would smell burnt hair – which I did!
Uncomfortable at times

The actual laser treatment only took about 30 seconds (per eye) and then my corneal flap was put back in place and they repeated everything for my other eye. It was that quick!
The goggles Claire had to wear overnight

The goggles Claire had to wear overnight

NOTE: CLAIR IS A CLIENT OF LASER EYE SURGERY.

There was no pain throughout the surgery but it was very uncomfortable at times and a little scary. However, one of the nurses in the room very kindly held my hand and even as an adult, I was very grateful for this human touch.

Following the surgery I was sent home with three different types of eye drops and a gorgeous (!) pair of bed goggles I needed to stop me rubbing my eyes and disturbing the corneal flap.

If anything is going to stop you rubbing your eyes…these goggles will!
Sensitive to light

I wore sunglasses for the first day and sat in a darkened room as my eyes were very sensitive to light.

The first 7-8 hours after the procedure were the worst as I found it incredibly hard to even open my eyes at times – a bit like looking into an incredibly bright light.

It also stung quite badly to put the drops in for the first day as the corneal flap was healing.

However, I slept for around 4 hours during the afternoon following the surgery and when I woke up they felt much better.
Hazy round the edges

By the next day I could see perfectly but it was a bit hazy around the edges and the clear vision came and went quite a bit.
Eye drops

The 3 lots of eye drops Claire uses

The pain had gone when the drops were used and it was just a nice feeling to keep my eyes moist.

I had to go back the following day to see the surgeon for a check-up and to make sure that all was healing well.

He said all was well apart from a small haemorrhage in my right eye which looks a lot worse than it is. This should clear up in about a week and he said my eyes should be completely normal again in around 2-4 weeks.
Fantastic news

The consultant also did several eye tests and then declared that my vision should be 20/20 once it's all settled down!

It was fantastic news.

I made my appointment to go back and see him again for the final check-up in 3-4 weeks.

I still find that my eyes tire easily and feel dry, but this ease's with sleep/rest and also a little help from the artificial tears eye drops!

The feeling is very much like having my contact lenses in for too long - I can see just fine and my eyes feel dry, and I have to keep reminding myself that I don't have any to take out!
Perfect sight

It's a strange feeling really, not something that sinks in straight away and it was kind of sad to put my glasses in their case and know that I'll never need them again.

They've been a very necessary and welcome part of my life since middle school and so it feels ungrateful to just put them away forever!
Claire Sandys without her glasses

The new look! Claire without glasses.

However, being able to see clearly when I wake up in the morning and to walk in the rain without glasses will soon dissolve those feelings.

Right now the worst part is no make-up for two weeks! But that's a small price to pay for perfect sight.
Research

If I were to give any advice to anyone considering this procedure it would be to make sure you do your research and select someone that does this procedure full time and has experience in the area.

Don't be swayed by the price tag, if this type of surgery went wrong you'd pay a far higher price than anything that money can sort out.

______________________________________
This article is an external contribution and expresses a personal opinion, not the views of BBC Gloucestershire.

last updated: 08/04/2008 at 12:04
created: 09/10/2007
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