The Eyes Have It

It’s now been three days since I had my eye laser surgery. As I’ve previously noted, I did not have LASIK, which has been the standard in refractive eye surgery for decades, but a fairly new procedure called Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE), which is a more minimally invasive laser vision correction surgery. It promises quicker recovery and an even smaller potential for complications or post-operative eye dryness.

If laser eye surgery is something you’re considering, I highly recommend SMILE if you’re a candidate.

My recovery has gone extremely well, despite some time away from this amazing community here at PJ Media. In addition to the 3-hour post-op nap, I definitely benefited from some time away from screens during the first full day of my recovery.

Progress has continued today. During my surgery, my surgeon put a bandage contact lens over each eye due to a slightly tougher than expected extraction of the lenticules created by the laser. They were getting annoying by Sunday afternoon, and downright irritating by Sunday night. I normally can’t wear contact lenses more than eight hours without desperately wanting to take them out, so three straight days of wearing those was a long, long time for me. Of course, I’ve been taking my prescribed drops and artificial tears as directed. Once the bandage contact lenses came out, my vision met DMV requirements for driving, though I won’t be officially cleared for driving without corrective lenses until my Friday follow-up.

Even since then, my vision has become clearer, as my eyes have adjusted to not having the lenses in. Tonight is also the first night I don’t have to wear goggles to sleep to protect my eyes… which was anything but comfortable. So, I’m hopeful that I’ll have a decent night’s sleep tonight.

Despite all the stories you hear from people about how wonderful laser surgery is, it is still a shock to experience it on your own. Your vision isn’t immediately clear after the procedure—it takes time and healing for that to happen, and when it does, it’s impossible not to be in awe of clear vision without the aid of glasses or contact lenses for the first time in decades. Three days in, I’m already floored by the results.

So, I fully expect to be back to my usual writing schedule on Tuesday!