After wearing glasses for most of my life, two months ago, I underwent laser eye correction. Some of you may remember my posting about it. A reader asked how things are going with my eyes, so I thought I’d post an update.
As I’ve previously noted, I had a relatively new procedure called Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE). SMILE is a less-invasive laser vision correction surgery than laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), which has been the gold standard in refractive eye surgery for decades.
About 15 years ago, my brother got LASIK, and he’s been very happy with it. I just wasn’t ready to do it when he got it done, mostly because I couldn’t get over the idea of the “corneal flap” that needed to be made to perform the procedure. That freaked me out, even though everyone I know who has had LASIK has said good things about it and that it changed their lives. When I learned about SMILE, I knew it was something I would be more comfortable with. In addition to being minimally invasive, it offers a faster recovery and a lower risk of problems or post-operative eye dryness.
If laser eye surgery is something you’re considering, I highly recommend SMILE if you’re a candidate.
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So, how has it been over the past two months? It’s been great! I could drive within a couple of days, and it’s been weeks since I’ve had to do any of the post-op drops to aid in recovery. My right eye, which was slightly under-corrected to delay my need for reading glasses, has been healing faster than my left eye. For a while, I was using reading glasses because my left eye had some catching up to do, and it was troublesome to read my phone screen or my Kindle without them. But I haven’t worn any readers for a few weeks now, as my left eye has been catching up in the healing process. Though I’ve largely adapted to not needing any glasses, sometimes I still find myself reaching for them in the morning.
My vision continues to improve and, as with most laser eye surgery, it can take months for it to stabilize. I have another follow-up appointment in a couple of weeks to keep tabs on my progress.
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