Warning: This post may be disturbing to those who can't look at red patches on the white of the eye after intralase LASIK! LOL!
Well, I wasn't informed that I'll have these red patches (due to the use of suction ring during intralase LASIK). It will only go off in 2 to 4 weeks (Not to worry, it doesn't hurt). Meanwhile, I just do not want to scare away too many people.. LOL. My cousin - Dr. Marc Wei (LASIK surgeon in Brisbane) assures me that it's perfectly normal to have these red patches -_-"
Day 1: OMG, I was so worried I went online to check if there's any picture showing how RED these red patches are supposed to be.. can't seem to find any picture to compare with..
Day 2: I consulted my surgeon (Dr. Shamala) and she said my eyes are doing fine. Still, I took pictures of my eyes and sent them to my cousin for second opinion. My vision was 25 (shortsightedness) for both eyes and 50/75 for astigmatism! It'll continue to fluctuate until the redness subsides..
Day 3: First day at work, and managed to scare SL and Charisma. HL, Mao and KK said they can.. accept the way I.. look :P
Day 4: Haven't been going out for dinner for many days.. asked Simon to buy takeaways for me!
Day 5: Went to the club house to visit Simon's parents with RED eyes..
Day 6: Birthday party at work, had to explain to many colleagues about my eyes but still managed to influence a few to go for LASIK :P
Day 7: Went for another eye check up.. supposingly 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 1 year after surgery.. Dr. Shamala said my eyes are recovering as expected.. My vision was 50 and 75 (shortsightednes); 75 and 100 for astigmatism!
Day 8: I thought my eyes look less scary today so I went to order food myself at a mamak store.
An Indian waiter, around 180cm of height, well-built, took my order:
Waiter: Makan apa? (What would you like to eat?)
Me: Maggi Goreng (Fried noodles)
Waiter: Kenapa mata you? (What's wrong with your eyes?)
Me: Err.. operation..
Waiter: Tengok mata you pun I takut (I'm so scared looking at your eyes)
I thought I should be the one feeling scared.. I mean his appearance is quite intimidating.. but can you imagine I scared off a guy who could easily crush my bones? LOL!
Day 9: My eyes were really dry and I bought GenTeal Eye Gel from Dr. Shamala..
Hopefully the redness will subside in another 1 to 2 weeks!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
What Technology Has Done To Us
Yoon Onn: Do you know where to get blackberries?
Me: Maxis?
Yoon Onn: .............................................
Yoon Onn: Fruit
Yoon Onn: Real one
Yoon Onn: Can eat one
Yoon Onn: -.-"
Me: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Me: Maxis?
Yoon Onn: .............................................
Yoon Onn: Fruit
Yoon Onn: Real one
Yoon Onn: Can eat one
Yoon Onn: -.-"
Me: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Saturday, June 13, 2009
What to Expect During LASIK
So, my cousin (another LASIK surgeon in Brisbane) recommended VISTA. I didn't compare VISTA with other LASIK centres though - just took my cousin's word for it. There are different types of corrective surgery: standard vs. custom; LASEK vs. LASIK; and different types of LASIK at different prices. I took custom Intralase LASIK ZY Aspheric.
My surgery (yes, even though no blade, we still call it surgery) supposed to start at 3:00pm on June 12 but I was asked to arrive at 1.30pm. A few minutes after I arrived, I was asked to go for some tests to make sure the scans they took is the same as the scans from previous tests (just to make sure the measurements or whatever is still accurate).
Then I waited an hour not knowing what I am supposed to do. Then, I was asked to go into another consultation room to mark my eye. Yes, basically staring into bright light and someone is there to MARK my eye with something which looks like marker pen. The staff marked both sides of my pupil (that's not my eye in this image obviously).
Then, I waited another 30 minutes before I was asked to wear the surgical gown, complete with cap and paper shoes. It doesn't really matter what you wear underneath, as long as it keeps you warm in the operating theatre.
Without my watch, so I didn't know how long I waited. There were so many patients we have to queue up for it. Then it's my turn to lie down on the bed of first machine which is used to cut a flap on my corneal.
Because they're using No-Blade technology, so the machine is used to shoot lil' bubbles right below the corneal to create a flap, the surgeon will then manually flip the flap over (for the laser beam to shoot in later). This flap creation process takes about 1 minute per eye (my estimation). To compare blade vs. blade-less (intralase), click here for further reading.
It's a bit scary because (after anesthetic - just eye drops - won't feel a thing) during suction (placing a tool on eye for machine to create a flap), vision will be greyish for 10 seconds (basically, blinded for 10 seconds). This is normal - you're not supposed to feel anything. If not, please inform surgeon to drip more anesthetic eye drop. They gave me a soft toy to hold on to and the surgeon and assistants kept talking to me to calm me in case I struggle. LOL. They covered one eye when they're working on the other.
Next, I was asked to move to the other bed with the LASIK machine. In this process, they covered my left eye, used a tool to force my eye open, then shoot laser into my eye. It has this loud clicking sound and smelled like something is burning. Less than 1 minute per eye (in my case, everyone differs depend on how much tissue you need to.. burn!) You'll be asked to focus on the red light. Again, it's painless.
After the procedure, I can see even the time shown on the clock, but everything is misty (I can't see anything near, very blurred). It'll take 4 hours to subside. I was given these medication to bring home. You MUST find a driver to drive you home, in my situation, it's impossible to drive without causing accidents. There are red patches on my eyes (due to the use of suction) and it'll subside only after 2 to 4 weeks (In my case, the red patches are so bad that I even wear sunglasses indoor - in McDonald's). It has not affected my vision or caused any pain. It's still tough to tell people how great it went when you have huge red spots in your eyes! According to this article, "red spots on the white of your eye are perfectly normal and those will usually fade over two weeks or so". I probably have to hide my eyes (with sun glasses, even indoor) for 2 weeks -_-"
I'm supposed to sleep with eye patches at night to prevent myself from touching my eyes accidentally, no eye make up, no eye facial treatment, no water sports for a month, and remember to put those eye drops on time!
Read what to expect before, during and after LASIK surgery here.
Q: What are the difference between custom and standard LASIK?
A: Besides the obvious price difference (in VISTA, that's RM1400 difference for both eyes), it saves more tissues compared to standard LASIK. Custom LASIK builds on the revolutionary technology employed by conventional LASIK. For example, conventional LASIK only treats vision problems known as lower order aberrations, including myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. Custom LASIK, however, treats both lower order and higher order aberrations. Higher order aberrations affect your ability to see fine details in your environment. By correcting both types of aberrations, custom LASIK has the potential to provide you with better vision than you can get from glasses or contact lenses.
For further reading, click here.
Click here to read and compare LASIK and LASEK.
It's basically your choice to choose either custom or standard LASIK, if you can live with higher order aberrations, it's fine, basically just some glare/ starbust effect at night, I assume - which is normal in most human beings. If you compare the chart shown in my previous post, you'll know what I meant by BETTER vision at night with custom LASIK ;)
Updates:
After check up on Day 1, my vision is now 0.25 (nearsightedness) on each eye, and 0.50 astigmatism on right eye; 0.75 astigmatism on left eye. The vision will fluctuate in the first week and gradually decrease in the next 3 weeks (until the flap heals). Hopefully by then I'll get perfect eyesight! :D
My surgery (yes, even though no blade, we still call it surgery) supposed to start at 3:00pm on June 12 but I was asked to arrive at 1.30pm. A few minutes after I arrived, I was asked to go for some tests to make sure the scans they took is the same as the scans from previous tests (just to make sure the measurements or whatever is still accurate).
Then I waited an hour not knowing what I am supposed to do. Then, I was asked to go into another consultation room to mark my eye. Yes, basically staring into bright light and someone is there to MARK my eye with something which looks like marker pen. The staff marked both sides of my pupil (that's not my eye in this image obviously).
Then, I waited another 30 minutes before I was asked to wear the surgical gown, complete with cap and paper shoes. It doesn't really matter what you wear underneath, as long as it keeps you warm in the operating theatre.
Without my watch, so I didn't know how long I waited. There were so many patients we have to queue up for it. Then it's my turn to lie down on the bed of first machine which is used to cut a flap on my corneal.
Because they're using No-Blade technology, so the machine is used to shoot lil' bubbles right below the corneal to create a flap, the surgeon will then manually flip the flap over (for the laser beam to shoot in later). This flap creation process takes about 1 minute per eye (my estimation). To compare blade vs. blade-less (intralase), click here for further reading.
It's a bit scary because (after anesthetic - just eye drops - won't feel a thing) during suction (placing a tool on eye for machine to create a flap), vision will be greyish for 10 seconds (basically, blinded for 10 seconds). This is normal - you're not supposed to feel anything. If not, please inform surgeon to drip more anesthetic eye drop. They gave me a soft toy to hold on to and the surgeon and assistants kept talking to me to calm me in case I struggle. LOL. They covered one eye when they're working on the other.
Next, I was asked to move to the other bed with the LASIK machine. In this process, they covered my left eye, used a tool to force my eye open, then shoot laser into my eye. It has this loud clicking sound and smelled like something is burning. Less than 1 minute per eye (in my case, everyone differs depend on how much tissue you need to.. burn!) You'll be asked to focus on the red light. Again, it's painless.
After the procedure, I can see even the time shown on the clock, but everything is misty (I can't see anything near, very blurred). It'll take 4 hours to subside. I was given these medication to bring home. You MUST find a driver to drive you home, in my situation, it's impossible to drive without causing accidents. There are red patches on my eyes (due to the use of suction) and it'll subside only after 2 to 4 weeks (In my case, the red patches are so bad that I even wear sunglasses indoor - in McDonald's). It has not affected my vision or caused any pain. It's still tough to tell people how great it went when you have huge red spots in your eyes! According to this article, "red spots on the white of your eye are perfectly normal and those will usually fade over two weeks or so". I probably have to hide my eyes (with sun glasses, even indoor) for 2 weeks -_-"
I'm supposed to sleep with eye patches at night to prevent myself from touching my eyes accidentally, no eye make up, no eye facial treatment, no water sports for a month, and remember to put those eye drops on time!
Read what to expect before, during and after LASIK surgery here.
Q: What are the difference between custom and standard LASIK?
A: Besides the obvious price difference (in VISTA, that's RM1400 difference for both eyes), it saves more tissues compared to standard LASIK. Custom LASIK builds on the revolutionary technology employed by conventional LASIK. For example, conventional LASIK only treats vision problems known as lower order aberrations, including myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. Custom LASIK, however, treats both lower order and higher order aberrations. Higher order aberrations affect your ability to see fine details in your environment. By correcting both types of aberrations, custom LASIK has the potential to provide you with better vision than you can get from glasses or contact lenses.
For further reading, click here.
Click here to read and compare LASIK and LASEK.
It's basically your choice to choose either custom or standard LASIK, if you can live with higher order aberrations, it's fine, basically just some glare/ starbust effect at night, I assume - which is normal in most human beings. If you compare the chart shown in my previous post, you'll know what I meant by BETTER vision at night with custom LASIK ;)
Updates:
After check up on Day 1, my vision is now 0.25 (nearsightedness) on each eye, and 0.50 astigmatism on right eye; 0.75 astigmatism on left eye. The vision will fluctuate in the first week and gradually decrease in the next 3 weeks (until the flap heals). Hopefully by then I'll get perfect eyesight! :D
Monday, June 08, 2009
Going for LASIK!
I've decided to go for LASIK after YJ went for that 2 years ago.. I've dry eyes and I can't wear contact lenses over 6 hours a day.. I could just wear glasses but I'm really quite tired with the fuss.. I've been wearing glasses since 10 years' old! So, I consulted my cousin (LASIK surgeon) in Brisbane and he recommended intralase at Vista! I went for check up at their Bangsar branch and the tests show that my eyes are suitable for LASIK!
This is what normal people see..
This is what people with slight myopia (shortsightedness) see.. In other words, they can see things which are near clearly, and things farther away blur.. E.g. my prescription says -3.00 for each eye. This mean I have 3.00 diopter of shortsightedness. In my case, I can see things within 30cm (from eye) clearly, anything beyond that starts getting more blurred..
To make matters worse, I have +2.25 diopter of astigmatism (normally referred to as 225, which is quite high).. which is making everything (even near me) blurred! Because it's over 200, I have to pay DOUBLE for my supply of custom contact lenses.. Which is equivalent to RM230 for every 6+1 pairs. That's about RM460 a year on contact lenses, and about RM300 every 2 years for new pair of glasses, not forgetting expenses on contact lenses solutions, saline, sun glasses every year.
[Click image for larger view] Although I could just opt for standard LASIK (TS Plus), but again, I have yet another problem.. my eyes are sensitive towards lights (My eyes feel tired after walking in Jusco for a short while).. So, I was "conned" into taking custom LASIK (ZY Aspheric), which supposingly helps to improve vision at night.
Therefore, I'll be spending RM5,996 for both eyes.. I'll take 12-month instalment ;) I've scheduled my LASIK on June 12 :)
This is what normal people see..
This is what people with slight myopia (shortsightedness) see.. In other words, they can see things which are near clearly, and things farther away blur.. E.g. my prescription says -3.00 for each eye. This mean I have 3.00 diopter of shortsightedness. In my case, I can see things within 30cm (from eye) clearly, anything beyond that starts getting more blurred..
To make matters worse, I have +2.25 diopter of astigmatism (normally referred to as 225, which is quite high).. which is making everything (even near me) blurred! Because it's over 200, I have to pay DOUBLE for my supply of custom contact lenses.. Which is equivalent to RM230 for every 6+1 pairs. That's about RM460 a year on contact lenses, and about RM300 every 2 years for new pair of glasses, not forgetting expenses on contact lenses solutions, saline, sun glasses every year.
[Click image for larger view] Although I could just opt for standard LASIK (TS Plus), but again, I have yet another problem.. my eyes are sensitive towards lights (My eyes feel tired after walking in Jusco for a short while).. So, I was "conned" into taking custom LASIK (ZY Aspheric), which supposingly helps to improve vision at night.
Therefore, I'll be spending RM5,996 for both eyes.. I'll take 12-month instalment ;) I've scheduled my LASIK on June 12 :)
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