PRK Laser Eye Surgery for Travelling

I have been thinking about laser eye surgery for a few years now, especially since I’ve been travelling so much and it’s a pain to lug around my glasses, sunglasses, contacts and lens solution. Two and a half weeks ago, I went ahead and got PRK laser eye surgery done.

On Wednesday morning I got to Coal Harbour Eye Centre in downtown Vancouver, paid the $2,499 CDN and signed all the paperwork. From then and for the next two hours, my eyes were tested and re-tested as I got increasingly more nervous.

Finally they called me into the pre-surgery room to wait a bit longer. My mom was with me and she was told to slip into an adjacent room where my eyeball would be up on the TV screen for her to watch the procedure. Ew.

While doing much deep breathing, I settled onto the operating table and followed instructions:

• Relax
• Keep still
• Stare at the red dot

Then Dr. Kirzner gave me warning that an eyelid holder would be placed in my eye (ala A Clockwork Orange) and that I would feel a tugging. That was just the beginning of the weirdness of laser eye surgery.

PRK Laser Eye Correction Surgery
Many drops were put into my eyes, although it was more like a flood than a drop, and I stared at that red dot with all my might. The trouble was, the dot quickly turns into a blob and then bleeds out into a green smudge.

Then the laser sounded and the smell, either of the machine or of burning flesh, tickled at my nostrils. But about 30 seconds later and it was all over. Onto the next eye.

There’s one point where my vision went completely dark, which was an eerie moment of what it would be like to be blind: my eyes were open but all I could see was darkness.

What I Liked:

• After the surgery, I walked to the adjoining room to see a blurry vision of my mom wide-eyed. “I just watched it all on the TV!” she said, amazed.
• If you’re extremely nervous, they can give you a sedative.
• They check you out before you leave and then send you home before another check up the next morning, to make sure there are no infections. Go home and sleep, then rest and rest some more.
• There is a sheet of paper with which drops to take at which time throughout the following days. At Coal Harbour Eye Centre, they colour code them (because you can’t read the bottles!) so you can match them up. It’s best to have someone there to help you out for at least the first day.
• I take my first trip sans glasses on January 8th- I can’t wait to see how much easier travelling is!

Tags: Coal Harbour Eye Centre, contacts, Dr. Kirzner, eyelid holder, glasses, Laser Eye Surgery, lens solution, PRK, PRK Laser Eye Correction Surgery, sunglasses, Travelling