Bye bye glasses - Things people don't say about Lasik

After thinking for 2 years, I have finally made up my mind.

Why the above title? Well, I guess generally, those who have undergone Lasik would be so overwhelmed with happiness than anything else. So much so that they forgot to give the actual experience prior and during their Lasik.

After all, for those who are still pondering hard about whether to do it, I am sure they would love to find out more about what exactly would be done and how. No?

Well, like it or not, I am going to describe in detail about my recent Lasik surgery. Like anyone who have done it, I would say the same.

A decision I did not regret making.
A surgery that is worth spending your money on.
The feeling of opening your eyes and suddenly be able to see the world is indeed indescribeable.

This article also serves as a diary entry for myself. Enjoy...

I emailed Roseo in New Zealand asking her about the surgeon who performed Lasik on her. Dr Lee Hum Ming, she said. She swears by him. I googled his name and was straight away convinced that he would be a good doctor for me too. I found that he was working in TTSH as a Senior Consultant. I picked up the phone and made an appointment. Gee, the 1st available date was almost 1 month away. How popular he is!

22 March 2007 was my check up appointment. I have been warned to set aside 3-4 hours for the procedure. They had to thoroughly check my eyes to ensure that I was an eligible candidate for Lasik.

Actually, the whole thing could have been done in 1 hour if not for the waiting. Well, I went through it anyway.

The checks were indeed very thorough. For the pondering ones, the checks include the following.

1. degree-measuring machine, looking at image of green meadow. This is the same machine that any optical shop would have.

2. looking at alphabets and at clarity of dots, green and red colour (again, similar to what an optician would do when prescribing glasses for you).
3. measurement of cornea by looking at a black hole machine. It has yellow & black concentric circles which measures thickness of the front and back of cornea.

4. measurement of pupil size with infrared. I just have to focus on the red light.

5. anaesthetic eye-drop into both eyes. It takes effect in just a few seconds.

6. next, a pen-like instrument which can more accurately measure the pupil thickness using ultra sound. When the pointer touches the eye, there was no feeling at all.

7. measurement of eye ball with cup-like tool, touching eye with red dot
8. measurement of eye pressure with air puff that will be blown into each eye

9. another eye drop to dilate pupil and relax eye muscle.

I was warned that after this eyedrop, I won't be able to see near objects and vision would be blur for the next 4-6 hours. And since I can't see near, reading or sms-ing were difficult. So what else can I do??

Half an hour later, Dr Lee was ready to see me.

Guess what his welcoming words were!

"Hello, Lini. Are you ready to say goodbye to your glasses?"

Woo hoo!! I have the green light to go ahead! I was asked by the doctor whether I would like to go by "Microkeratome" Option of "Intralase" Option. In layman's terms, I was to choose between the Blade option or the Laser Option. Before I go into details, I would just share with you what TTSH Lasik Centre charges per eye for their Lasik surgeries - all in layman's terms.

Blade Option

Senior Consultant's Price

Low degree*: S$1,590.

High degree: S$1,780

Consultant's Price.

Low degree: S$1,280

High degree: S$1,470

*Low degree means below 500 I guess, or thereabouts. Mine was around 800 on the left, 600 on the right, with astigmatism of about 150 for both eyes.

Laser Option
Senior Consultant's Price
Low degree: S$2,090

High degree: S$2,280

Consultant's Price.
Low degree: S$1,780

High degree: S$1,970

Basically, as long as you opt for the Laser Option, it would cost S$500 more per eye, S$1000 more for both eyes. What is the difference between the two?

You see, a Lasik procedure involves 2 steps:

1. Folding back a thin layer of corneal tissue (corneal flap)
2. Next, removal of a thin layer of corneal tissue with the light from an excimer laser.

After removal, flap is replaced and bonds back into place without the need for stitches.

Now the difference between Blade or Laser Option lies in Step 1. For the creation of the flap, do I want to cut the flap using a blade or laser. 2nd step for both options is the same, which is using excimer laser.

Being the more expensive option, of course Laser would be the 'better' option. The cut is cleaner, more precise. But better by how much? I asked the doctor. How many %? He didn't really answer my question. "Laser is a little bit better than blade. Of course our blade technology is very good too, that is what we have been using all this while" was his answer.

I thought since the doctor could not quantify the % difference confidently, I would just take the risk and opt for the S$1,000 cheaper procedure. Of course I am not saying you should choose the cheaper option too. It's entirely up to you. After all, we know that sight is the most important of all our 5 senses. So what you choose should be the best for you.

So, a decision is made and the dates are set. I opted to have the surgeries for both eyes to be done over 2 days. Most of the patients would have done it in the same day. To me, I chose the more conservative method.

3 May 2007: Right eye (Master eye, the eye with a lower degree)
4 May 2007: Left eye.

I asked the nurse if I could start with left eye first since that is my 'worse' eye. She said no because that's how the doctor always does his procedures. Right first, then left. So I rest my case. Right eye first it shall be then. The doctor should know better.

It is more than 1 month later from the check up date to the surgery date. Can't be earlier the doctor said. The reason was because the doctor was going private. He would be moving to Gleneagles Hospital. So although my pre surgery check up was done in TTSH, my actual surgery would be at Gleneagles. But the good news is, he would still honour the price of TTSH :) I guess it is because of the hassle of movement that the surgery cannot be done any earlier.

So the awaited day has finally arrived. Bur, who has bid "Con Te Partiro" and is now living the life of a tai-tai, has generously offered to accompany me for both days. It was very nice of her since Chup is teaching and could only afford the time to pick but not wait for me.

It was a long long wait before it was finally my turn. Bur said the clinic does the operations like cutting cake. It was literally one patient after another. One out, next in. Non stop. Even when Bur had to go, it wasn't my turn yet!! I was quite anxious. I kept telling Bur what if the nurse keyed the figures wrongly. After all, there are so many patients, so an error is possible. What if during the move, they misplaced my file and used another patient's file instead? Bur assured me all my worried were unfounded. I hope so...

More than 2 hours after my scheduled appointment time, my name was finally called. I was ushered into a room and was 'prepared' for the surgery.

1. The nurse asked me to put on the operation robe and cap.

2. I was given a pill to make me calm and not anxious.

3. Anaesthetic drop was dropped into my right eye (my better eye!)

4. The doctor marked my eye with a surgical marker. This extra step is done only if you are suffering from astigmatism. Again because of the anaesthesia, there was no feeling at all.

5. Another nurse brought me into another room to 'sterilize' my eyes when Dr Lee stepped in again to say hi and don't worry.

He told me that he is going to operate on my right eye today. Then he looked at the file and noticed that right eye is my master eye. He then said he would then rather do the left eye first. He wanted to do my 'worse eye' first! I cursed that nurse back at TTSH silently.

So I was brought back to the previous room and Step 3 and 4 above were repeated. This time on the left eye. My worry reappeared. See?? Now the nurse would have keyed in the right eye, not knowing that the doctor wanted to do the left eye first! But again Bur was right. My worry was unfounded!

So back to Step 5. The nurse cleaned the LEFT side of my eye with iodine to completely disinfect the area. I was not to touch anywhere near the left eye after that.

Next I was brought into the operating theatre. I have to put on the slippers provided. The room is white, bright and felt very sterile and clean. Well, it has to be. It is my first time inside an operating theatre. Well, a minor operating theatre since this is a minor operation :) But still, it is my first time.

I was made to lie down on a bed which had a concave hole at the end for me to rest my head. The bed then rotated on its centre axis placing my head right below the operating equipment. More eye drops followed. It was to constantly lubricate and sterilize the eye.

Again, the doctor said don't worry and just relax. He told me to just concentrate on looking at the red light later.

Next my other eye was covered with a bandage.

The doctor then had to use this instrument to ensure that my eyelids remain open throughout the entire procedure. No wonder he said I won't blink when I asked earlier "What if I blink?". Gee, it felt like he was gonna tear open my eye! I thought that was the maximum my lids could open, but he just kept on prying them wider!! I attach a picture (not of myself of course) which gives an idea on how that instrument looks like.

Basically I was fully conscious. I could hear every single thing that is happening around me. The only thing was, my eyeball was numb, that's all. I figured the patient had to be conscious so that she could concentrate on looking straight into the light and not roll the eye up a sleeping person would.

More eye drops. Doctor said I would hear some loud noises but that's normal. Just keep looking at the red light and don't move my eye.

"But there are 2 red lights. Blinking and non blinking. Which one?"

"The blinking one", the doctor said. (Actually I can't remember now whether it is the blinking or non blinking, so you better confirm again when it is your turn to be lying on that bed!)

He later mentioned something about "suction on".

Wah!! What suction?! I thought. My heart raced like a horse in the Woodlands Turf Club.

The next thing that happened was very uncomfortable. It was as if my eyeball has been grabbed. Later I learnt from the doctor that this suction is to hold the eyeball in place so that the blade/laser can cut a flap. Once the flap is created, I heard a reassuring "Suction off". More eyedrops.

"Good good... I have a very nice looking flap now" said the doctor. I could see him opening up the flap with an instrument. "Now don't move your eyes and keep looking straight".

"But I cannot see the red light now!"

"That's correct. During the process, you won't be able to see for about 1 minute. Just keep looking straight", said the doctor.

So I did as told. I could feel myself falling asleep but the doctor kept reminding me: "Look straight, and don't move your eye".

And as warned, I heard many loud noises. It sounded like those purple coloured fly-catching machine that gives an electric zap when a fly is caught. Just that for this one, the noise is continuous for 10 seconds or so...

I could hear the nurse counting up several times, one two three four...

It burned and it paused for 1 or 2 seconds. Then burned and paused again. I smelt BBQ smell of my own eye!! I tried to hold my breath. I can't imagine smelling my own barbequed eye!

And at the last part, the nurse finally counted down. Four, three, two, one, zero...

And all the noises stop.

Doctor replaced the flap and I could see him smoothening the flap like a Yakun man would when spreading butter on his charcoaled toast.

It's finally over! The procedure which took only several minutes felt very long to me. I wished there was one nurse who would hold my hand and consoled me. Then I probably wouldn't have been so tense. But it was finally over.

I was ushered back to the sterilizing room for me to take a half hour rest. My eye teared like no tomorrow. But that was normal. I could hardly keep it open. Keeping it closed was the most comfortable position for my eye at that moment. Occasionally when I opened my operated eye, I could see the wood grain of the door of the room! Something normally impossible unless with glasses or lenses. Yes, except for the heavy tearing, the eye could almost see immediately. It was, like told by many, a really really amazing feeling!

For the next 5 nights, I was supposed to put the eye shield when I sleep. It is to prevent myself from accidentally rubbing my eye at night. I was given 2 types of eyedrops. One to prevent redness, the other is antibiotics to prevent infection. One is 1 hourly, the other is 2 hourly. So confusing. Chup was my alarm clock for the night. Whenever he asked me to put eye drop, I would just ask the 1 hour or 2 hour one? After that I would quickly go back to sleep. No reading and computer work allowed. So what else could I do except to sleep.

Next day, the eye was no longer red. And I could already see without problem although not completely clear yet. Focussing on near objects was also difficult. I couldn't put back my glasses because my almost-perfect eye would then feel funny. So I was walking around half blind that day.

I went back to the clinic and repeated the whole procedure for my right eye. After it was over, I gathered the courage to request for a photo taken with the doctor. It was granted by the friendly doctor without any hesitation. He even offered me to take the photo in the operating theatre but then he realized it was not possible because another patient was already in the operating theatre waiting for his turn.

This was how I looked with both eye shields on. I secretly only wore them for 4 nights cos they were very comfortable as I have the habit of sleeping facing the side and this caused the shield to push against my pillow.

So that was it. My Lasik was over! More follow-up checks would be done 1 week later, 1 month later and 3 months later. This is to ensure that the flaps are healing well. So far so good. Doctor says he is very happy with my recovery.

The check shows that everything (myopia and astigmatism) is below 100 now, and it should get progressively better. So I am happy :) At night, I still get the halos when I look at lights. But the halos have since become smaller. They should get even smaller in the next 3 months I believe. No dry eyes problem for me. But I just use the eyedrops anyway since I have paid for it. Especially for mornings. I'd put eye drops rather than rubbing my eyes to keep awake.

Alright now. Enough details of my lasik. Hope the entry will help you make up your mind for the pondering ones.

Just for my own record, I am going to list down all the costs involved for my Lasik.

22 Mar 07 S$ 196.15 (pre-surgery check up)

03 May 07 S$1,869.25 (left eye + miscellaneous)

04 May 07 S$ 70.15 (post-op check on left eye)

04 May 07 S$1,755.00 (right eye + miscellaneous)

05 May 07 S$ 70.15 (post-op check on right eye)

15 May 07 S$ 60.15 (post-op check on both eyes)

15 Sept 07 S$96.67 (Final check + Certification)

TOTAL S$4,117.52

...the one who can now wake up and see the time on the living room clock without grappling for glasses first

...the one who doesn't have condensation on my glasses when I get out of aircon car or when I eat hot soupy noodle

...the one who doesn't have to buy lenses or lenses solution anymore