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I remember the good old days....when I would wake up in the morning and not be able to see the clock. Or the days when I ran out of contact solution and had to make a mad dash to Wal-Mart before bed. Or the days when I needed to figure out exactly where I left that damn glasses case.
The good old days ended for me on February 9th, 2005. That's when I decided to go through with my PRK surgery and rectify those issues which now seem rather trivial to me. I went to a respected doctor in NY for the surgery, one that even my sister had successfully recommended. I kept hearing from others how wonderful LASIK/PRK surgery was, the enhancement to their lives, and why anyone would choose to continue to wear glasses/contacts when other treatments were available.
Fast forward to 2 1/2 years later. Yes, I have 20/20 vision, which unfortunately is not the only success criteria. I somehow acquired two irritating floaters out of my left eye, that my doctor insists is "coincidence" and is merely a vestige of age (although I was 33 when I had the surgery). I keep reading the experts and my doctor say that floaters can be "forgotten" and are not really a big deal if they are small in size and only show on the rare occassions when you are looking at a white background. Let me tell you first hand, as I am sure anyone with floaters knows, you just don't forget them and they are a big deal. In addition, whether it is called red eye or dry eye, I now have it in spades. The corners of my eyes are red almost 24/7. Yes, there is no pain, but that is a small consolation. Psychologically, to have to deal with family, friends, co-workers constantly saying, "are you tired?" or "did you get enough sleep?" or "what's wrong with your eyes?" is extremely difficult. I've tried a number of treatments for the dry eye. Restasis made things worse, the plugs had little impact, no change out of Omega 3, and now seeking other alternatives. For the floaters, I've been essentially told to shut up and deal with it.
So Texaseyes, I am with you. I hope I did not ruin my life also. But know one thing that you did help me by sharing your story and getting me to talk about mine. While that may not necessarily help you cope with your pain, it did make a difference to me.
The good old days ended for me on February 9th, 2005. That's when I decided to go through with my PRK surgery and rectify those issues which now seem rather trivial to me. I went to a respected doctor in NY for the surgery, one that even my sister had successfully recommended. I kept hearing from others how wonderful LASIK/PRK surgery was, the enhancement to their lives, and why anyone would choose to continue to wear glasses/contacts when other treatments were available.
Fast forward to 2 1/2 years later. Yes, I have 20/20 vision, which unfortunately is not the only success criteria. I somehow acquired two irritating floaters out of my left eye, that my doctor insists is "coincidence" and is merely a vestige of age (although I was 33 when I had the surgery). I keep reading the experts and my doctor say that floaters can be "forgotten" and are not really a big deal if they are small in size and only show on the rare occassions when you are looking at a white background. Let me tell you first hand, as I am sure anyone with floaters knows, you just don't forget them and they are a big deal. In addition, whether it is called red eye or dry eye, I now have it in spades. The corners of my eyes are red almost 24/7. Yes, there is no pain, but that is a small consolation. Psychologically, to have to deal with family, friends, co-workers constantly saying, "are you tired?" or "did you get enough sleep?" or "what's wrong with your eyes?" is extremely difficult. I've tried a number of treatments for the dry eye. Restasis made things worse, the plugs had little impact, no change out of Omega 3, and now seeking other alternatives. For the floaters, I've been essentially told to shut up and deal with it.
So Texaseyes, I am with you. I hope I did not ruin my life also. But know one thing that you did help me by sharing your story and getting me to talk about mine. While that may not necessarily help you cope with your pain, it did make a difference to me.
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