The big day!

Friday was one of the best days ever! I never thought I'd be able to say goodbye to contacts and glasses. My whole LASIK experience was fantastic from beginning to end. I went to Hoopes Vision which was a great decision.

I want to write about my day. Sorry if it's not too exciting but I want to remember it. First of all, a big thank you to my dad for tending the kids so Matt could stay with me the whole time. We checked in at Hoopes and I was given a quick check up. They took my vitals and gave me a Valium. I've never had one before and I'm not sure if it did anything but I didn't freak out under the laser so I guess that was the plan. Then I was given some antiseptic drops in my eyes. The procedure was explained to me several times so I would know what to expect. I met Dr. Hoopes and he made me feel great about the whole thing.

The procedure is done in three phases. I was awake for the whole thing but my eyes were numbed. The first phase is to make a corneal flap on each eye. The IntraLase method is really cool. It is done without a blade. The laser creates millions of tiny bubbles just under the surface of the eye. Phase two is the really good part. You get to sit in a massage chair for 20 minutes and wait for them to dissolve.

After the bubbles dissolve, the layer separates and there you have your flap. Phase three is where the actual reshaping of the cornea takes place. I was taken to a different laser and told the only thing I had to do was focus on the blinking green light. Easy enough. I don't know if I should describe the next part because it might gross some people out. So that's your warning. The doctor then peels back the thin flap and the laser does it's thing. Then they replace the flap, smooth it out, and it begins to heal right away. It was so fast. Both eyes probably took 3 minutes total to correct. That's it! 20 years of being dependent on glasses or contacts and that's all it took to change that.

After I was done under the laser I was taken down the hall to relax in a chair. I could already see clearer but it was foggy. Another doctor checked out my eyes to see how it was healing. He said it looked great. I was given all my drops and some very stylish sunglasses to wear. I just rested and took it easy that evening. At my one day check up, he said my eyes were showing some dry patches so I need to use my artificial tears more often but that's it. I am healing just fine and he said I was already seeing about 20/25. That is the same if not a little better than I saw with contacts. And the most exciting part is that he said over the next couple of weeks my vision will stabilize and get even better. YAY!!! I can't wait. I also can't wait to be able to wear eye makeup again. That's vain, I know. But really, the blonde eyelashes and dark circles don't do anything for me. :)

I feel so blessed to have had this done. It was completely painless. Honestly, the most unpleasant part of it is taking off my eye shields that are taped to my face each morning.

So there you have it! It has been wonderful and I know it will be life changing.

I have the whole thing on DVD. That's probably strange to some people but I think it's fascinating. If I can figure out how, I'll post it on here if anyone else wants to see it!