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I got LASIK surgery done as I had struggled with many eye problems due to having glasses and contact lenses. Here is everything you need to know.
The first time, when I was prescribed glasses, I was eleven. I came out of the ophthalmologist’s clinic feeling unnecessarily ecstatic. Finally, I would be a part of the ‘respected’ and ‘scholarly’ elite from my school…not in deed, but at least by facade.
Soon after, the painful truth about glasses kicked in and I was looking forward to the time when I would be old enough to be wearing contact lens.
And then, my father got me my first pair of lens when I was 18. It was exciting, the concept of it. But only till the time I actually wore one. Now I am talking about the times when lenses were nothing like they are today, air soft and practically like water.
Contact lens in the past century were made of some sort of plastic and they came in primarily three varieties of hard, semi-soft and soft (the type which are present today).
Most of us started with hard lens. They were painful and I always felt like something was pricking my eyes. Those horrible days are in the past now and medical science has progressed.
I soon graduated to soft lens but they were not bereft of problems. Contact lens are high maintenance and everytime you put an external object in your eye, there is always the risk of infections and irritations. I have plenty of those, and after a point, my body began to reject even the softest of contact lens.
Around the nineties, the concept of LASIK surgery was quite recent and not explored much. Not many people had much experience with it.
It took me 25 years to actually consider the option of eye correction surgery (LASIK surgery). One day, after a particularly tumultuous experience with my contact lens and after having my eye glasses misplaced for the umpteenth time, I decided that I had enough. I needed to see the world with my own eyes. So I took an appointment with the eye doctor and that was that. After some mandatory eye tests, we decided the date for LASIK surgery. A month later, I could see with my own vision.
From ugly glasses, painful lenses, infections and everything that came along with the bane of spectacles. Lenses solution drying up, flying away, grit in your eyes, the fact that you have to take them off at night no matter how sleepy you are, dry eyes and more.
The ability to see with my own eyes, without having to hunt for my glasses each and every morning, it was empowering. Thanks to LASIK surgery!
For years, it was cumbersome to use eye makeup. There wasn’t any point really, because it would be hidden behind my glasses. Also, even with lens, my eyes would itch, irritate and start to water. As soon as I recovered, from my surgery, the first thing I bought myself was mascara and six colours of eye kajal.
But I wouldn’t harp much on this one because wearing glasses is quite a fashion statement. Still, I would rather have no number and wear a frame with plain lens only for fashion, rather than have a number and wear them.
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Here’s a bit more information about LASIK surgery based on the questions I asked my own doctor as well as my own experience.
People can get LASIK surgery done whenever they wish – of course, depending on the condition of their eye, other medical conditions like diabetes etc. The ideal age for eye correction is after 18 years of age, but it can be done later too. Some people I know have got it done it after the age of 50 too!
No. LASIK surgery is done by laser. It’s over within 20 minutes. You can’t feel a thing and there is nothing to be worried about. Just that after the surgery, only for a day or two, there is a mild irritation, which goes away pretty soon, and you need to take certain precautions for some time.
LASIK surgery completely corrects your vision and brings it to 20/20. After that it stays that way. You will get reading glasses at your middle age but the short sight is permanently corrected.
Getting LASIK surgery done was one of the best decisions I took for myself. Perhaps, if you are fed up of your glasses, just like me, you should consider getting correction surgery done too. But make sure that you consult a good and reputed doctor who will explain each and every thing to you in minute detail.
Author’s note: This post is my personal experience with LASIK surgery. As mentioned in the article, please talk to your doctor before you take any decision.
Image source: pixabay
I write because I love to express myself through words. And I am a communicator. I run an advertising agency where we combine creative expression and try to add a sheen to the brands we read more...
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