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March 01, 2006
Third week post-op visit
This morning was my third week post-op visit.
Well some progress since last week. This morning the opthamologist managed to do the refraction on my eyes to see how I'm seeing rather than just relying on the test machines. We couldn't do it last week because my left eyes were very blurry and couldn't be corrected with glasses.
The right eye, like my doctor said last week, is good. There's cyl 0.5 (astigmatism) reading from the machine but that's not a problem it should stabilise within the next few weeks. The left eye however fluctuated considerably from last week reading. The astigmatism is back to the same level as before the surgery.
He showed me many charts from the corneal topography saying that my astigmatism is back to the pre-surgery level. Well actually I can guess that because I'm seeing slightly double on the left eye. But that's not a big concern he said, since many patients vision fluctuate considerably on the first 3 months post-op.
I've developed a corneal haze on the left eye, a complication associated with PRK rather than LASIK. He said that should clear within the next week while the cornea continues to heal. Let's hope it actually does, because that's what causing the left eye blur more than the right. He said it most likely the delayed healing of the left eye. So since my reading is fluctuating but making progress they have just "sit on me" for the time being.
He didn't change anything on my drop the regime since it seems to be working and he again stressed the importance for me to keep my eyes lubricated. He decided to plug my tear ducts to try to stop the tears from washing away too quickly. He was going to do it only for the left eye before he changed his mind and he told me for optimum result let's plug the other eye as well.
While it sounds scary, plugging your tear ducts, the process itself is pretty much painless and quick. A bit shocking initially, when you feel something is poking inside your inner eye lids but it's totally fine. Apparently you can do it your self. It's not painful but certainly damn uncomfortable sensation. Once it's in you won't feel a thing.
So that's pretty much it. They spent quite a fair bit of time this time around taking a lot of measurement, and a good part of it is the refraction test. He called the opthamologist and explained to her a number of things (feels like I'm becoming a case study here) and said come to again in 4 weeks time unless my vision regress. He will then decide if the plug stays or go. Well, that sounds good, up from the weekly visit.
He said we have to wait at least for 3 months before deciding what to do if I still have that astigmatism on the left eye. I asked do I have enough corneal thickness to do another surgery? He said that he doesn't have the accurate data since of the test that we have been doing in the past few weeks can not accurately determine my corneal thickness. We will have to measure it again if we decided to do another surgery. However according to the old data I have 501 micron and the corneal ablation was 74 micron. So I should have over 400 micron left on my left eye, still don't talk about it now he said. He really doesn't think that I need it, and he thinks that the fluctuation will stabilise within the next few weeks and everything will be fine.
I personally don't really like the idea of another surgery, if it can be corrected with glasses so be it. I'm seeing really clear during the day now and with my own acuity test are doing better by day. I don't need to strain to read the Aristocrat sign on the building across the block and now extending my own acuity test to another sign 3 blocks away. So I'm hoping this fluctuation on the left eye will stabilise over the next three weeks.
I tried to use my laptop original resolution this morning and was quite pleased that I'm actually can read the letters. I tried that for a few minutes before the strain is too much and put it back to 1024x768 res. Kinda sucks, but I'm hoping that I can be back on the original resolution in two weeks time.
I can't wait to go surfing with my eyes now, it will be a whole different world! Imagine being able to actually see things that happening around you when you are surfing! I'm extending the recommended swimming ban by 2 weeks, just to be safe, so I think I can go next weekend or the week after.
About the plug, I liking it better by the hour. It does keep the eyes better lubricated and because of that I'm seeing better. Let's hope it's not permanent :)
So that's pretty much it, I think I'm seeing better than what the machines said (optimism at its best) and my doctor is now comfortable with the current progress. Good! It's getting better by day, and let just hope that left eye fixes it self in the next few weeks.
Posted by vhadiant at March 1, 2006 07:21 PM
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