Today I’m going to speak about my experience with laser eye surgery PRK: I put on my first glasses for myopia when I was 12 years old and now I’m 30 years old and I still use a pair of glasses that I can’t renounce to put on because it’s difficult to go to the swimming pool, do a perfect make up etc. My Myopia is about -7.00 (right) e -6.50 (left) eye. For this reason, I decided to go to the Clinica Baviera, a clinical center that I have considered ’cause they offer a medical examination to find out if I was suitable for the laser eye surgery. My first medical examination with Dr. Antonio Todaro was on 2th August 2018: before I met him, I had a lot of examinations to my eye such as its focus , the pressure, cornea and many other things that I do not even remember!
The clinical trials weren’t that annoying, except for two that were a little bit invasive, but I did not feel anything because they put the anesthetizing in my eyes: at first, a man used a sort of pen on my eye (1st exam) and then, for the second examination, he used a cone with laser light to point in the center of the eye and with water that was sprayed inside it (the cone has been positioned inside the eye).
After all, I met my doctor Antonio Todaro and he told me that PRK laser eye surgery was suitable for me, that it is the worst between the three kind of surgery. Unfortunately, with a thin cornea like mine It was only possible undergoing this type of operation. My operation has not been anymore a mirage and the appointment finally came on 30th August!
The day of laser eye surgery PRK
The day of laser eyes surgery PRK in Milan has arrived and I’m shaken because I’am afraid for the post-operative. I chose comfortable clothing – as suggested by the doctore – wearing with a tracksuit. In addition, during that morning and the previous days I used wipes as they suggested me for taking care of my eye with the cleansing routine. When my time came, they did again 2 examination to my eyes and then they asked me if I have taken a sedative: I didn’t get one, so they gave it to me. Later, they called me and a gentle lady accompanied me to a room where she made me wear a green lab coat, hairnet and shoe-covers. She led me to another room – the one before the operating room – and told me wearing other shoe-covers. At this point, then, she leaved me alone and with my bag, with glasses in and the eyewitnesses wait, with music on background I didn’t like so musch : -D
The wait never seemed to end and another girl arrived who would have undergone the operation after me. We start speaking together, but suddenly came my turn ! I said goodbye to the girl even if I see nothing without my glasses and I only was able to recognize the doctor from his voice and then I sit down on the couch. At this point, I put the anesthetic to the right eye, the dilator (which is what most bothered) and shortly after minutes he started to do the laser eye surgery: a sort of ring has been placed over the eye and in less than say, after pouring the solution with alcohol, the doctor removed the epithelium with a toothbrush, without scratching or making other gestures. The eye, then, has been washed with cold water that almost maked me jump in the air. At this point, the doctor used the laser (I saw a red dot in the center and green around it).
I do not feel anything, except the noise, but I do not even smell the chicken smell of which some others have spoken about! In the meantime, with the other blindfolded eye, the procedure has been completed by placing the therapeutic lens. The same operation has been done to the left eye, bandaging the right, but in this case, after the removal of the epithelium and the beginning of the laser I did not see anything! Anyway, once the operation has ended I saw well, I saw the doctor too! I sat down and he immediately checked my eyes and then they sent me to a semi-dark room where I relaxed for about 20 minutes, putting on my sunglasses and closing my eyes, then I added the treatment. Then I came back home!
My first 6 days after laser eye surge
During these days I followed the prescribed cure, useing the dark glasses to sleep (I was afraid of scratching my eyes) and used a lot of artificial tears during the night
Day 1: I felt some pain in the late evening, with cramps and a slight puffiness. At night, I wake up 4 times to put the eye drops (with the help of my partner, because I can not turn on lights and I can not see well).
Day 2: Again, I felt cramps, puffiness, burning and tearing so before lunch I take a painkiller (I chose the strongest, since I red of atrocious pains, the Tachidol) and put a gel mask for a few minutes over the eyelids . In the evening, I get an annoying burning and I take another strong painkiller, wrong, ’cause I vomited (sorry for the detail).
Day 3: start slightly to open the shutters, letting entering in some light, but the photo sensitivity was very strong. I spend my days sleeping and listening to radio on the sofa; I did not even want to eat … maybe because I do not see well and I do not want to.
Day 4: the photosensitivity is still strong and I can not look up to look in the face while I talk to my partner, because the light is too bright. The shutters, however, are a bit more open and I tried to go out on the balcony with sunglasses.
Day 5: I completely opened the shutters and I used sunglasses and hat to go out in the afternoon. I used very little my smartphone for the first time and I can not watch TV yet.
Day 6-7: from time to time, I feel cramps around the eyes, the eyes dried a little more due to the light and then I used a bit the smartphone. At the end of the evening, I watched a film for about 2 hours and my eyes was burning before going to bed.
First medical exam (6 September 2018)
I am ready for the first medical exam in Varese with my doctor Todaro, because finally the lenses have to be removed after about 7 days, ending to be afraid that they can fall from my eyes. After an examination of my eyes, he removed me the lenses with the aid of a tweezer and he asked me to read with my two eyes! The reading is perfect up to 8/10, but struggling a little I read up to 10/10, except for the last wrong letter. The following days pass quickly, but working on the computer was not that easy: I really saw bad the letters, as if they were doubling, but it is normal (they told me) because the potential of the eyes will be recovered in 1 month and half. On 19th September, however, something changed and I started (finally) to see better and to work part-time: at the end of the day, I fell my eyes a bit tired!
Second medical exam (8th October 2018)
Also the second check up is done, but I don’t know what I can say you 😀 I was able to read some small letters and then some ones bigger, but sometimes I wasn’t also able to… I did not use the artificial tears properly and, therefore, eyes were tired. So the doctor advised me to use again in the right way the artificial tears, because working so hard with the pc is the reason I got my eyes too much tired. I have been stupid because I knew work also in the morning before I met the doctor for the medical exam! 🙁 Okay, now we’ll see the next appointment in December how things will change!
Third medical exam (6th December 2018)
Finally I finished all checks and I can see well! Yes, I can read also the letters on the last line – except for a letter that always misleads me … I exchange the G for an O – and I’m really very happy. I can say that, if I can to go back, I’ll choose again the laser eye surgery PRK. Finally, I can go to the swimming pool without lenses, I can make a beautiful makeup and get out of bed without looking in the dark searching for my old forgetten glasses. The staff of the clinic Baviera in Varese has been very kind with me and the doctor is very attentive in every moment.
*it is not sponsored!
