Having blurry vision is no doubt one of the greatest inconveniences in life. Not a lot of people are fond of wearing eyeglasses and, although there are contact lenses that stand as an alternative to this, some have hesitations when it comes to using them. Contact lenses take a bit of time to put on. I would not recommend it for people who are always in a hurry.
The worst case that can happen when using either eyeglasses or contact lens is this: forgetting to wear them!
Imagine going through your entire day blind as a bat! Now you wonder, is there a much better way to see things clearly without the use of the two?
The answer? Yes! This is possible with LASIK eye surgery!
Read on about the LASIK surgery experiences of four Singapore bloggers and find out if this is the treatment you need to be finally free from the hassles that come with using a pair of eyeglasses or contact lenses!
1. LASIK experience with W Eye Clinic by The Zonghan
The Zonghan opted to turn to LASIK so he can ditch wearing glasses and contact lenses. He mentions in his blog that putting on contact lenses took time and his eyes are prone to irritation. The lenses would make his eyes dry and irritated. There is no difference with wearing spectacles. His ears ached with extended use of eyeglasses. So, he was off to seek LASIK for relief!
Zonghan shares that the first thing that he did when he got to the clinic was to undergo a pre-assessment with the doctor. A pre-assessment is essential to see whether his eyes are suitable for the LASIK surgery or not. He mentions that the assessment cost him SGD25. The pre-assessment alone took two hours to complete.
He further advises that the results of the pre-assessment are effective only for three months. It is important for those who are suitable for LASIK to schedule their surgery within this time.
Zonghan’s doctor advised him to take the Interlase LASIK surgery.
The Interlase LASIK surgery is composed of two parts: first is the flap creation, then the application of the laser beam. Zonghan narrates that most of the first part of the procedure was dedicated to preparation. He does not expound on the steps taken during the flap creation. Though he mentions later in the blog about his anesthetic wearing off, so it can be assumed that his eyes each got a dose of numbing drops to take away any sensation from the eyes during the procedure.
On the second part, he says that it took only a minute for the laser procedure to treat each of his eyes. After the session finished, he recalls feeling no pain at all, although his eyes felt a bit dry and itchy. The eyes were also very red, which would last for three long weeks. His doctor explained that this was due to the suction that was used during the creation of the flap.
The day after his LASIK procedure, Zonghan shares that his vision became perfect. He shares that he was also advised by the doctor to visit the clinic during the weeks as his eyes healed to ensure that there was no infection.
For aftercare, he was advised to apply eyedrops often in order to speed up healing. He was also told to avoid rubbing his eyes and avoid places that are dusty. Three months later, Zonghan shares that his eyes did not feel dry and were both in good shape.
You can check the entire LASIK experience of Zonghan, plus a video of his treatment on his blog.
2. LASIK –The best decision I made by Roanna T
Roanna’s decision to undergo LASIK surgery was brought about by the inconvenience of wearing spectacles that often slid down the bridge of her nose, no thanks to her oily skin. She also mentions that she resorted to using contact lenses mostly, but this proved to bring more harm than good as she contracted eye infections several times. She says that her extended use of contact lenses every day, which usually lasts for ten to twelve hours, made her eyes very dry. For ten years of putting up with the hassles of wearing specs and contact lenses, Roanna finally threw in the towel and headed to an eye clinic to get her eyes fixed with LASIK.
A valuable tip that Roanna includes in her blog is about researching for the right clinic to handle your LASIK surgery. She also shared her desire to undergo LASIK with her family and friends. It was her family and friends who recommended the clinic that handled her LASIK procedure.
During Roanna’s first assessment, she narrates that her eyes were not fit to get the LASIK eye surgery as they were too dry. Her corneas were found to be off shape.
Yes, not all eyes are suitable for LASIK and, I believe, a doctor that upholds integrity should be able to advice you on this.
To prepare her eyes for LASIK, Roanna shares that she had to avoid wearing contact lenses. She was prescribed with eye drops and eye gels that she had to religiously apply to her eyes in order to make them LASIK approved. After two months of the drops and gels, Roanna happily recalls that she was finally cleared for LASIK surgery! Of course, this came with a warning from her doctor that her eyes will experience dryness again after the LASIK treatment.
Roanna share that she underwent the IntraLase Method. This LASIK surgery is divided into two parts: first, the creation of cornea flap, followed by the correction of Myopia.
During the initial part of the treatment, Roanna recounts that a machine with suction was placed over her eye to keep it open. Once this was in place, the IntraLase laser was used on her eye to create a flap. She mentions that this stage was done swiftly and there was no pain involved.
To correct her Myopia, Roanna says that her eyes were kept open by a device, after which the flap that was created in the previous step was opened. Her doctor then asked for her eyes to “trace the path of a ray of green light.” When done, Roanna recalls the doctor used a spatula that resembled like a small brush to move the flap back to its place.
When the LASIK procedure ended, Roanna shares that her vision was not cleaer instantly. She comments about how seeing was “almost like there was a sheer white veil in front” of her. Recovery time is different between people, she adds. Her vision perfected on the third day after her LASIK procedure. For aftercare, her doctor prescribed eye drops that were to be administered to her eyes at a given schedule. Six months after, Roanna joyfully exclaims that deciding to get LASIK eye surgery has been the great decision of her life that year.
Read more about Roanna’s first-hand LASIK surgery and watch a video of her eye correction procedure here.
3. My LASIK journey by Maybeline
For a lifestyle that consists of much travel, Maybeline found herself struggling with having to pack her eyeglasses and contact lenses every time she’s off to a new destination. To add to this inconvenience, she shares that her eyes have become drier and drier with using contact lenses on a daily basis. Sometimes, the lenses are stuck to her eyes for over eleven hours! Not wanting to continuously having to live her life under the mercy of contact lenses and spectacles, Maybeline looked into gettine LASIK eye surgery.
Maybeline mentions in her blog that she’s a “super scaredy cat.” She’s not normally keen on getting under the knife or invasive procedures. To start her LASIK journey, she says that she did some research and finally closed down her clinic choices down to two options.
Maybeline narrates that she went to both clinics to have her pre-LASIK assessment. In the particular clinic she chose to have her treatment done, she shares that the assessment only cost her SGD22. Whether her eyes were suitable to undergo LASIK surgery or not (there may be instances that doctors would not recommend LASIK id the eyes have concerns), she says that the amount is “only $22.” Somehow, an affordable amount that one would not fret about.
After her pre-LASIK assessment, the doctor gave Maybeline the green light to undergo the surgery. This, Maybeline recalls, made her super happy. The clinic that she chose had plenty of good reviews and a lot of people she knew had their eye corrections done in this same clinic.
Maybeline’s Interlase LASIK surgery was done in two parts: cutting of flap and laser. She does not expound on how each procedure was done, however she mentions that her procedure was done quickly. She tells that the entire procedure took less than a minute for each of her eye! A lot of the time that covered the procedure was spent on preparation and checks. Maybeline also shares that she did not feel any pain during the procedure and after.
Seven hours after the surgery, Maybeline recounts that her eyes achieved clear vision. She had to return to the clinic the next day to have her eyes reassessed. After which, she was given instructions for after care. One week later, she went back for another assessment and was told that both of her eyes achieved a 0.00 vision! Perfect!
Unfortunately, there aren’t photos to document Maybeline’s LASIK procedure. But you can follow this link to find out more about her LASIK eye surgery.
4. Post LASIK review by jemmawei
Among all the blog reviews featured in this post, jemmawei’s is by far the most extensive narrative that provides explanations and her honest opinion about the surgery. It is quite a long read, but a very amusing one.
Basing on this blog, jemmawei shares that her choice to undergo epi-LASIK took a bit of time to complete as two things held her back: money and her fear getting in the way. To cut the long story short, she received a sponsorship for her treatment—but, it still took her quite a bit of time to finally agree to undergo the procedure. A lot of researching and speaking with “LASIK survivors” (as she called them) were done for her mind to be appeased.
On the actual day of her operation, jemmawei recalls that she arrived at the clinic terrified. Nevertheless, she proceeded with her epi-LASIK treatment. Before the procedure, she was asked to fill up forms.
Following this, numbing eye drops were applied to both of her eyes. For the procedure, jemmawei shares that she lay on a bed and was not able to move. A device was popped on her eye to maintain it open. No blinking allowed! Her head was also held in place. Her doctor asked her to maneuver her eyes to follow a green light. This would only take 30 seconds per eye. To end the procedure, eye drops are applied to both eyes and bandage contact lenses are set in place.
Jemmawei tells that she was then ushered a dark room to rest. She was also handed a special sunglasses to wear. The nurses checked in on her and gave her eyes a dose of medicated eye drops every 15 minutes.
As compared to the other blogs, jemmawei mentions in her blog that she needed assistance after her LASIK as her procedure made her eyes very sensitive to light and caused her to tire easily.
Post-LASIK, jemmwei recounts that she mostly stayed at home as she did not want to risk anything getting in her eyes as she healed. She followed her doctor’s advice and minimised going out and being exposed to pollutants. On the first day after her treatment, she shares that she could not read books or emails, but was able to watch the television. She also recalls feeling a bit of discomfort with the contact lenses that was placed as bandage to protect her eyes. Twice she woke up feeling a sharp pain in her eyes, which was caused by extreme dryness. She also notes that her right eye healed a lot faster than her left eye.
Overall, jemmawei concludes her journey as a complete success. She also adds in her blog the cost of her epi-LASIK eye surgery, which at the time was at the rate of SGD 3,388 for both eyes. This included the pre-LASIK evaluation, the surgery for both eyes, medications, and checkups done for a month after the surgery.
If you want to read the entire LASIK experience of jemmawei, as well as her other opinions on the subject, you can click on this link.
