Lasik

I'm on leave now and it's a whopping 12-day period. However, instead of going to some exotic getaway, I chose to 'zap' myself.

Well I'm not exactly doing the zapping, it's done by some doctor from Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC). Yes I took the plunge by allowing someone to shoot a laser into my eyes. For the sake of perfect vision, no less.

When I was asking around for opinions, I met up with many naysayers who were more ignorant then they were malicious. Many of them have the wrong concept and I don't know who gave them the misinformation.

They thought that it was painful and you would be temporary 'blind' and then your vision may be worse off. Some of these people discouraged me from doing it, others expressed their fears about it,while some admired my guts for doing it.

If I didn't do my research on the internet and ask around, I could have some reservations about doing the operation. Fortunately, I decided to collect as much facts as I could about the surgery, the pre-op and the aftermath.

I underwent a 3 hour eye test to determine whether I was suitable for the operation. They got me to do the Snellen's chart and some regular eye test, like you would by an optician. Then they applied some relaxing eye drop to dilate my pupils and subject me to a machine which would be able to digitally map out my eye for the doctor's referral. Other than blurred vision for a short while, there were no side effects from the eye drops.

The doctor in charge of my operation assured me that I am a suitable candidate and only highlighted to me that I would experience some irritation due to the fact that my eyelashes were tilted inwards towards my eyeballs.

Anyway, as I was wearing soft lenses (read:disposable), I was told to stop wearing it 3 days before the operation.

For people who are interested to know the 'don'ts' before and after operation, they are as follows:

Before
soft lenses users: Do not wear them 3 day before ops
Hard lenses users: 1 week before ops
Girls: No Mascara on ops day (in my opinion, no makeup at all would be best)

After
No rubbing of eyes, No makeup for a week, No swimming for 1-2months, Do not allow shampoo or soap to get into eyes. Avoid contact sports. Keep sunglasses on and avoid direct sunlight. Keep eyes lubricated as much as possible with the eyedrops. Sleep with the googles on to avoid accidental scratching

During the operation day, I got my girlfriend to drive me, so I didn't have to worry about transport.

I was lead into a room where a staff nurse explained to me the details and tried to answer any queries I had. She also briefed me on how to take care of my eyes. Then she gave me a shower cap to wear as well as 2 covers for my sole. She also applied some antiseptic eye drops. I was to wear a operation jacket ( those worn by patients)

Afterwhich I was lead into the operating theatre, where my doctor and 2 other assistants were waiting for me. Instead of the usual E.R operating table, there was a huge contraption waiting for me. As Dr Evil would say, it is the "Laser" machine.

I was told to relax and focus on a red dot project by an infra-ray. The doctor said that it was imperative that I kept my focus on that dot. He also said he was going to blackout my eyes. I wondered how?

A mini-cramp forced my eyelids open and there was no way I could blink. Then he pressed something onto my eye. I felt the pressure and true enough, everything became pitch-dark. Only for a while though. When I could see again, he activated the laser. It was loud and I could see the light; it was a bit like lightning but it was painless. In less than 5 mins, it was done and he continued with the other eye.

After the operation, I already felt the improvement to my vision. Although it was a bit cloudy, he told me that it was gonna clear up. The vision will only stabilise within 6 mths. It was normal to have clear vision one day and not so clear vision the next.

I went home and took a nap. When I woke up 2 hours later, I felt the vision had clear a bit. The eyes were still dry and I did what I was told and took care of my eyes. I threw away my contact lens and casing. I was free at last!

Finally I want to thank the staff at SNEC, they were very professional and courteous. never have I experienced such professinalism with staff in the govenment sector. I think they should be a role-model for all staff in the nursing industry in Singapore.

Now it is time for me to shop for proper sunglasses....:-)