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Helen,
This was very much of interest to me and, I am sure, a lot of us on the list.
You can provide us with a unique diver's perspective. Please keep us informed
of your recovery. Hope it is speedy and more comfortable.
Tom Baley
helen.johnstone@bt*.co* wrote:
> > How did the surgery go? And what is the difference
> > between LasEk and LasIk?
>
> Well, I had LASEK last wednesday, and today is the first day that I feel
> human again :-{
>
> LASEK is a.k.a. thin-flap LASIK. It's almost a half-way house between PRK
> and LASIK. My consultant said research is showing there are less
> complications and regressions with PRK than with LASIK, and PRK is more
> understood as it's been performed for twice as long as LASIK. PRK is far
> less invasive, as there is no deep 'cut' as occurs in LASIK. It's not so
> dependant on the surgeons skills as is LASIK, as there's no cutting. It's
> far easier to treat any subsequent infection, and we felt was a better
> option where diving was concerned. However, there is more discomfort than
> LASIK.
>
> Anyhow LASEK is where they use alcohol to remove a very thin flap off the
> front of the eye (epithelial layer - hinge at top), and then carry out
> normal laser surgery. The flap is then replaced and a bandage contact lens
> placed on top for a few days. There is no cutting as in LASIK, but only the
> use of alcohol. The advantage is that there is less trauma to the eye than
> PRK (where they simply laser straight thru the surface layer), there is
> supposedly less discomfort, and the recovery is quicker. LASEK was first
> performed in Italy a couple of years ago. There are a couple of consultants
> in the States who are now using LASEK ... not sure who tho, as well as the
> teams in Italy, UK, Ireland and other places. Altho a new procedure, it's
> based on the very stable and well-known PRK. The results so far have been
> impressive, according to my guy, and he thinks that this will become the
> normal procedure soon. The amount of LASIK he's doing is dropping quickly
> and he's doing far more PRK / LASEK now.
>
> Surgery took 10 mins. A number of eye drops, and lie back on comfortable
> couch. The surgeon told me what was going to happen, and we had a 'practise'
> run. Stare at a green spot for 25 secs whilst the laser did it's thing -
> without actually using the laser ... just the countdown and listen to the
> noises. Seemed ok. Eye clamp went on ... couldn't feel any pain, but was an
> odd feeling. He put a spherical thing on the eye and squirted in the
> alcohol. Left it for a few seconds, then very carefully pulled the surface
> layer flap away, using a hockey-stick-shaped tool. At this point, my
> eyesight went blurred. You could see the 'flap' as it was moved out of the
> way ... bizarre feeling but completely painless. Once the flap was away,
> things cleared up and I could see (badly) again. Then was the time for the
> laser. Surgeon held my head very still, and ... zap zap zap. He counted
> slowly to '25' whilst the laser worked. At first, the green spot was clear,
> then it went blurred. Slight smell of burning hair. Again, completely
> painless. Just odd. After 25 secs, the laser switched off, the eye was
> cleaned and the flap was put back. The bandage contact lens was put on and
> that was that. He checked my eye thu the usual eye check devices, seemed
> everything went well. My eye was a tad red, but that was all. By the time I
> got to the car, I could feel it starting to hurt. So I took some of the
> painkillers, and they seemed to work. (Co-proximal). Once home, I crashed
> out in a dark room. Real pain kicked in a few hours later .... outrageously
> painful! Took prescribed sleeping pills, painkillers and eventually slept.
> Next day, felt sick, dizzy, felt I had been kicked in the side of the head,
> pain in the eye that the painkillers didn't seem to cope with. My surgeon
> had warned me about this. I think I suffered from side effects of the
> painkillers, and that didn't help either. So, 2 days of outrageous
> discomfort..... I went back for a check up Friday. The flap had almost
> re-connected. By this time, the pain had almost gone, and I could see. :-)
> My eye still was trying to imitate Niagra in the amount of tears it was
> generating tho. Unfortunately, the bandage contact lens came off that day,
> and then the pain came back, and the vision went blurred. Saturday was
> uncomfortable, but I wasn't taking the co-proximal as I didn't like the side
> effects. It felt as if there was something in the eye (gritty feeling), and
> the general headache was calming down. Today, Sunday, only a little
> discomfort. I can open my eye. Vision is still blurred though, as expected.
> I still don't like bright lights so all the curtains are still drawn. I've
> got eye drops that I need to put in 4 x a day, and these will continue for a
> month. My next checkup is in 2 weeks time.
>
> I'm waiting to see how this eye turns out before thinking about the other.
> If everything works out, I'll have the other one done this October, once the
> diving season has finished in the UK. I've been advised no diving for 6
> weeks ..... I've not organised anything for at least 12 weeks just to make
> sure.......and even then, it'll be shallow stuff.
>
> Hope this is of interest to people?
>
> - h
> --
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