Fix your eyesight, avoid wrinkles

Most people with good vision take it for granted. Poor vision, on the other hand, is hard to forget. Glasses, contacts and eye strain are constant reminders of eyesight that’s not 20/20. But just weeks after laser eye surgery, when everyone is asking what it’s like not having to wear contacts anymore, I have to say that the best part of vision correction is not thinking about it at all.

Each year more than one million people worldwide opt to go under the laser. Lasik MD, where I went, performed 50,000 procedures in North America last year alone. When compared with plastic surgery and even some laser skin enhancements, laser eye surgery — from the patient’s point of view — is pretty simple but contrary to popular belief, it’s not the eyesight equivalent of botox. All those people filling waiting rooms aren’t just popping in on their lunch hour. Although having perfect vision really does feel natural and I think less and less about my eyes each day, the weeks leading up to the procedure definitely require some serious thought.

First of all, is laser surgery right for you? After a three-hour consultation where the professionals determine if laser eye surgery will correct your vision and which procedure is the right fit, you have some decisions to make. Obviously whether you’re going to go through with it at all is a big one — risks like dryness, increased need for reading glasses and regression or need for touch-ups (among other more serious side effects) have been documented. Affordability is definitely an important factor as well and can depend on the type of procedure you choose. Yes, at some clinics and depending on your prescription and eyes, you may have a choice of price point, the option of financing and the type of procedure.

At Lasik MD, there’s basic Lasik (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis), where a flap of corneal tissue is cut and the laser is used to reshape the cornea. Advanced Custom Wavefront Lasik is basically the same procedure but with greater accuracy for higher prescriptions, thin corneas or big pupils. PRK (photorefractive keratectomy) is also for people with less corneal tissue or those involved in high-impact activities that may disturb the corneal flap. There is no flap created during PRK. Instead, a surface layer of corneal tissue is removed and grows back in three to five days. An advanced, more accurate version of PRK is also available.

I chose an advanced form of Lasik and once my decision was made, the worry went away until the day before the procedure. I had been given step-by-step descriptions of what I was about to experience (Lasik MD will connect you with former patients who had similar prescriptions so you can get all the details from someone who isn’t a doctor) but I’ll be honest: while laser eye surgery is not at all horrifying or even painful, it’s certainly a little more traumatic that you expect it to be (although the anti-anxiety pill that’s often offered can help). As comfortable as you may feel touching your own eyes after years of wearing contacts, having someone else press cold, hard foreign objects against your eyes is more than uncomfortable. But when you’re resting at home the day after surgery and look at the digital clock across the room and you can read it, the anxiety and discomfort all seem worthwhile. And weeks after when you’ve forgotten what it’s like to remove your glasses and have the world go blurry, you’ll be willing to go through it all over again.