While everyone's experience is different, if you are considering either nighttime contact lenses or Lasik eye surgery, it never hurts to hear other people's stories, so I will share mine with you.
Approximately five years ago, when the thought of somebody using a laser on my eye was a scary proposition, I saw a feature on the local news about a new type of contact lens. These contacts (called ortho-k or CRT lenses) are worn at night and they reshape your corneas while you sleep so that you can go without contacts during the day. Basically, these contacts would do the same thing that the surgery did, but it was reversible. Therefore, if you had problems, you just stopped wearing the contacts and your eyes would return to their normal shape.
The lenses are hard contact lenses, and normally last a couple of years. After a while, most people only need to wear them a couple of nights a week. I decided that this was the best solution for me.
Well, it took a while to find the right fit for my eyes, but once we did, I was quite happy with them. I never got down to less than three or four nights a week, but I thought they worked well. After my two years were up my doctor did a thorough exam of my eyes, as well as my lenses and said I was good for another year with them. I was very happy that I had a doctor I really trusted.
Unfortunately, when the contact solution I was using was discontinued and I called my doctor's office to get a recommendation on what solution I should switch to, I found out that my doctor had moved out of the state, and my files had been transferred to another doctor. So, I called the new doctor, and he wanted me to stop in so he could give me a sample.
I wasn't in the office for more than five minutes, when he started trying to sell me on getting my lenses cleaned, and started telling me about these great new lenses I should think about. He never even looked at my eyes or my contacts. All he wanted to do was sell. I took the contact solution sample, and never went back.
So, when it came time to think about getting new lenses, I decided it was time to revisit the idea of Lasik surgery. After much thought on cost and risk, I decided that if the screening proved that I was a good candidate for the surgery, I would go forward with it.
When I called to make my appointment, I was told that because I used lenses that actually changed the shape of my eyes, I needed to go three weeks without them. For me this proved a challenge because I no longer had glasses to wear, but I went the three weeks, and my screening went well.
The doctors and staff at the facility I chose were absolutely wonderful. Professional, friendly and knowledgable, they explained everything very clearly to me, and made sure I had no questions. On the day of the screening, they introduced me to the concept of, and strongly recommended monovision correction.
Because I had no problem with near vision, they recommended correcting the vision in only the dominant eye. By doing this, the dominant eye would take the lead for distance, and the other eye would take the lead for up close reading. This solution would slow down the need for reading glasses, or possibly eliminate the need altogether. I was told that if I went ahead and corrected both eyes, I would probably need reading glasses very soon. Not everybody can get used to monovision, but they can always do the other eye later if you cannot get used to it.
Still a little nervous about risks, this solution made so much sense to me. It was half the cost and it would keep me from needing reading glasses, at least for now.
I also opted for IntraLasik, which is a little more expensive, but is blade-free. Rather than the doctor cutting the flap, the flap is cut by a laser. It is more precise, and recovery is typically faster.
Because of timing with my flexible spending account, I scheduled the surgery for two days later. I had very little time to have any second thoughts. Of course, when they make you sign countless documents stating that you understand the risks and that your eyesight could end up worse than it is now....it does tend to make you just a little nervous.
The day of the surgery, I had my sister take me, because after the surgery I was not going to be able to drive. They not only let her watch the whole procedure from outside the room, someone stayed with her, and described everything as they did it.
Because of the InstaLasik, I had to work with two different lasers. The first laser cuts the flap, and the second corrects the vision. They numb your eye and then they place a suction cup on the eye to keep your eye in place so that it doesn't move during the procedure. The whole process for me was completely painless. They placed a shield over my right eye, the one that was not going to be operated on. This allowed the right eye to blink naturally.
After the flap is cut, they walked me to the next room where the second laser was. At this point my vision in that eye was, in their terms, like looking through bubbles. The flap that the first laser created is lifted by the doctor, and then the second laser does its job. Under both lasers, all I had to do was focus on the lights. Very easy, no pain. The doctor smoothed the flap back down and we were done!
The entire procedure took less than ten minutes. The doctors talked me through every step they took. They joked around, and made me comfortable. It went way more smoothly than I ever imagined it could.
After surgery was over, my vision was still very cloudy, and my doctor's orders were to go home and sleep for a few hours, and I was told that when I woke up, I would already see a difference. Well, when I got home, I tried, but I was too excited to sleep, so I just rested for a couple of hours. When I got up, my vision wasn't as cloudy, but at first I didn't really see a huge difference, and then I glanced at my DVR, and noticed how clearly I could read the time. So, I thought, let's see how good it is, and I turned on the television and brought up the menu, and I was AMAZED! Everything was so crisp and so clear.
As for the monovision, the first couple of days, I could tell there was a difference with the two eyes, but it didn't really bother me at all. After a few weeks, unless I really thought about it, I could no longer tell there was a difference. Most people do not get used to it that fast, I was very lucky. I was also fortunate in that I do not see halos, and have no problems with night driving. And as an avid reader, I am so glad that I can still read the fine print with no problems.
Today is exactly six weeks after the surgery, and I am just as happy today as I was six weeks ago. With 20/20 vision now, I have actually started taking my good vision for granted. Once in a while, when I'm packing for a weekend getaway, and remember that I no longer need to pack contact lenses and solution, I really take the time to appreciate the benefits.
Not everyone's experience will be the same, but my experience was a very positive one. There are risks involved, and everyone reacts differently, but I was confident in the capabilities of the doctors that I chose and I could not be happier with the results.
Source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1696977/my_experience_with_nigh...