Lasik

I had the most amazing week in Florida last week.  I really think it has been the best idea getting an annual pass to both Universal and Disney this year.  I’m not sure I’ll have another fun and magical filled year after my passes expire.

I had this post all written up and ready to post on Saturday, but in all the craziness of not knowing if I'd make it out of Orlando in time, or if I'd have to stay through the hurricane I wasn't able to get this post up in time.  Luckily my flights went off without a hitch and I made it home safe and sound.  I'm praying for all those in Florida, and really throughout the world who have been affected by all the huge natural disasters that seem to be happening right now.

My review today isn’t really Disney related like my last few posts have been, it’s time to start getting back to reality. 

However the subject of my post did make my Disney trip that much more enjoyable… as well as just life in general!

Today I’m going to be reviewing my experience with getting Lasik on my eyes.

I had always considered getting Lasik… one day.  I just never really considered when ‘one day’ would be.  Then my brother Jeff got Lasik last year and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it! 

It got to the point where I was daily listing to myself all the things that would be better if I didn’t have glasses.  I don’t really know what the catalyst was to finally decide it was the right time, but I decided to call a couple of places on a whim to get an estimate and everything happened really fast after that.

I will be posting pics of my surgery, so if you get a little squeamish about that kind of stuff, maybe you should stop reading here. 

The moral of the story is if you have glasses and can get Lasik you should totally do it!!

So I called around to get a couple of estimates, it’s really hard to get an estimate over the phone as from what I have been told they go by what your prescription is, and everyone’s eyes are different.  I didn’t really want to “bargain” shop for something that could potentially have the side effect of blindness, but I also didn’t want to pay too much.

I read reviews and did some research and finally decided to call Joffe Medicenter.  They were able to fit me in the same day I called and even said they could put me down for Lasik the same week!

I was shocked and got excited thinking I could get my eyes done so quickly! This was at the end of June and I was going to Florida in August and kept thinking about how nice it would be to not have to deal with glasses while there! Also with my increased workouts my glasses were getting more annoying than usual because they'd constantly slip or steam up, as I would sweat.

Joffe had a promotional pricing deal going, which is why I called; I wanted to see if I would qualify.  I didn't qualify for the promotional pricing at Joffe (I sort of doubt very many people do).

I was really impressed with how outgoing and friendly every one was on the phone and in person at Joffe.  For some reason that can be hard to find at medical providers.

They didn't pressure me when I told them I'd have to think about getting Lasik done because I needed to work out the financial details (which they do offer several financing plans) they told me it would be ok if I had to wait.

Turns out I was able to work everything out to get it done that same week and I'm so glad!

I showed up for my appointment, and they took me right back and walked me through the procedure, they had a massage chair in the waiting room so I was able to sit and relax. They also offer some medicine to relax you if you feel you need it.  To be honest I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I should be, I did take the calming medicine but I don’t think I really needed it.

Once they were ready for me, they brought me into the room had me lay down on the table, Dr. Smith is incredibly kind and knowledgeable... he has amazing bed side manners... he talked to me the whole time letting me know what he was doing and how long it would last and would even count down how much time was left.

The whole procedure was about 15 min didn't hurt at all and once we were done I could see without my glasses... granted my vision was a little fuzzy.

I donated my glasses on the way out!

By the time I got home the numbing drops they had put in my eyes had worn off and I experienced some moderate discomfort in my eyes... I was told I needed to sleep as much as possible the first few hours after surgery, I had a hard time sleeping from the discomfort so I took Tylenol and a melatonin and I ended up sleeping until 11pm!!

I woke up and ate something, watched a little TV (WITHOUT GLASSES) and then took some more Tylenol and melatonin and went back to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning I still had some mild discomfort in my eyes but hardly noticeable!

I drove myself to Joffe the next day to have a follow-up where they told me I was seeing 20/20 with both my eyes and 20/25 in each eye.  Your eyes can take several months to totally finish adjusting from surgery, so they told me my eyesight would probably continue to get better.

At my 3 week follow-up I had been noticing that I couldn’t see as well with my left eye, when I mentioned that they took a look and said that I still had a slight astigmatism in that eye, I have another follow-up in a couple months to check on that, if it hasn’t corrected itself by then they said we may have to talk about some possible modifications, but they didn’t seem to be too worried because they said it can take several months for eyes to settle into their new normal.

I have since noticed that my eyes are doing really well.  I do get some blurry vision if I’ve been over straining my eyes all day, but as long as I stay on top of the eye drops I’m supposed to use I’m just fine

I was told Joffe is a nationwide provider, so if you are considering having Lasik make sure to look them up and see if there is one close to you, I highly recommend them!

They also gave me a free t-shirt, which I mean who doesn't love free clothes ha-ha!

Good Things About Not Having Glasses:

• Being able to see when I first wake up in the morning
• Being able to actually see what I'm doing when I try to shave in the shower ha-ha
• Being able to see what I’m doing when I put on makeup 
• Being able to actually wear eye makeup- My eyelashes are so long they smudge my glasses all day long mascara or no mascara
• Being able to lay in bed or on a couch and read without my glasses digging into my face 
• Walking outside and not having my glasses fog up because of the humidity
• Opening an Oven or dishwasher door and not having my glasses fog up
• Being able to wear sunglasses
• Walking outside in the rain and not having rain drops on my glasses
• Working out and not having my glasses slip down my nose because of sweat
• Or not having sweat drip onto my glasses
• Swimming without having to wear contacts
• People actually being able to see my eyes ha-ha

There are so many other things I love about not having glasses… it’s too hard to make a list!

So long story short I HIGHLY recommend getting Lasik!! Consultations are usually free so call around and get an estimate so you know what you need to save up for!