2 Months!

Monday, May 9, 2016

Since I haven’t updated in awhile, I thought it would be helpful in case anyone is reading.  I had my 2 month check this morning.  According to the doctor, I am now seeing 20/15.  I believed going into the appointment that I would be at least 20/20, so I am happy with the outcome.

I don’t seem to have any negative side effects at this point.  I only use the drops once every few days, and I confess that I am not still using the eye ointment every night.  I believe I am seeing just as well as I did with my glasses and contacts.  No irritation, no dryness.  Life is just normal again.  I go back one more time in a month for my 3 month check.

All in all, I am very happy with my decision to get PRK.  Life is normal, and it is great not to have to fumble around for my glasses in the dark, or worry about them falling off with too much exercise.  My main advice is to stay positive and stay patient.

Day 25: Normalcy

Monday, April 4, 2016.

I think it is safe to say that life is normal again.  I started going back to the gym last week, played my first post-PRK soccer game yesterday, and most importantly, feel like I have “normal” vision when working on the computer again.  No zooming in, no blurriness.  I realized yesterday that, for the first time, I feel like I am seeing just as well now as I did with glasses or contacts.  At night, I’ve tried to take my glasses off more than once.  My last steroid drop was almost a week ago.  The improvement was not as dramatic afterwards as it was when my bandage contacts came out.  I think it was so gradual that I didn’t even notice until I came into work and started working this morning.  It feels wonderful.

When researching PRK, one of the constant themes I encountered was the need for patience.  I don’t think that can be overstated.  I have my one month check next week, and I hope it confirms what I feel today.  I will provide an update with those results  Beyond that, I will probably do 3 month, 6 month, and 1 year posts, since I don’t anticipate having much to report in between.  However, if anyone is reading this and has questions, I am happy to answer as best as I can.

Day 18

Monday, March 28, 2016.

Not too much has changed in the last week.  I’m not sure how much progress I’ve made.  I don’t need to zoom on the computer, but it’s also not as clear as it was with glasses.  I am totally functional, but the sharpness is still missing.  I’m down to just one steroid drop per day for the next couple of days, then I’m done.  Hopefully once that is done, the sharpness will return.  Otherwise, no discomfort to report.  I think I’ve gotten the hang of the eye ointment as well.

Despite the lingering blurriness, I don’t have any regrets (yet).  Just have to be patient.

Day 11: Second Follow Up

Monday, March 21, 2016.

Not much has changed since I last posted.  My left eye seems to be progressing ahead of my right eye, but the sharpness is still missing.  I noticed while driving yesterday that I can read street signs, so I know my sight isn’t that bad, it just isn’t as sharp.  Using the computer is still mildly uncomfortable as the text gets blurry pretty quickly.

I went back for my second follow up appointment this morning.  I was at 20/25, but the text on the screen was even blurrier than I thought it would be.  The doctor said that she was happy with 20/25, and everything on my eyes look okay.  She thinks the blurriness is probably because of the steroid, so I will taper off of it more quickly than originally planned – I’ll be free of it in 10 days.  She also suggested that I might be overusing the Blink drops.  I need to use them at least 4-6 times per day, but at this point the ever hour/other hour might also be slowing my progress.  My next check up will be at the one month mark.

It’s hard not to be disappointed some mornings, given how drastic the difference was last Monday night into Tuesday morning, but it seems important to remain patient.  I am completely functional with my current vision – I work, drive, enjoy life.  I am hopeful that tapering off the steroid will help.

Day 7: One Week Gone

Thursday, March 17, 2017

Wow!  I can’t believe how quickly this week has flown by.  I realized that it had been a week when I was getting ready for work.  I know I still have more progress to make, but I can’t help but be amazed with how much different life feels from just last week.  As I walked to work this morning, the world seemed to look exactly as it should.  Life felt normal.

Once at work, I was reminded pretty quickly that my eyes are still a work in progress.  Even though the world looks almost normal, I noticed that the computer screen appeared blurrier sooner than yesterday.  Maybe it’s just because it’s getting towards the end of the week and I have now worked 2.5 full days on the computer.  I felt like I was using the Blink drops about every hour while at work.  I know my vision won’t be consistent for a few months, so it’s just important to be patient.

Today marked another milestone – my first real night drive!  My dog can be kind of a jerk sometimes, so I’ve been taking him to a “reactive dog” class on Thursday nights.  Thanks to daylight savings time, it was light out on the way, but the sun had set by the time class was over.  To my surprise, night driving didn’t seem all that different than it had before.  The lights were maybe a little brighter.  I wished that I had brought some drops with me because I felt like I could have used them.  But, overall, the experience wasn’t too different and was actually easier than I expected.  Now that I can check that off the list, the only things that I have not returned to normal is wearing makeup and playing soccer.  At the one week mark, I believe I can wear makeup and at least exercise, but I don’t see much harm in waiting to be cleared by the doctor, since I have my next appointment on Monday anyway.  Soccer will have to wait another week, I think.

Day 6: More of the Same

Wednesday, March 16, 2016.

No major changes today.  My vision seems on par with yesterday.  My unscientific eye tests today showed that my left eye is about equal, and sometimes a little better than my right.  I learned during my initial consultation that I am right eye dominant, so maybe it’s just a little more tired from looking at the computer screen.  Or maybe my left eye just happened to be lubricated at the time.

I am now done with the antibiotic and have decreased the steroid drops to 3 times per day, instead of 4.  With my heavy computer use, I am using the Blink drops very liberally.

Drove again today a short distance.  I did notice when driving that I was much more comfortable than when I drove on Monday.  Things are starting to feel normal again!

Day 5: Oh Hey, There’s the World

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

The doctor wasn’t kidding about “rapid healing.”  I felt like I was almost seeing normally when I woke up.  I’m still not sure I put the eye ointment in correctly, but my eyes aren’t dried shut, so I’ll take that as a good sign.  You are supposed to pull down your bottom eyelid, look up, and somehow squeeze a little under your bottom lid.  How you’re supposed to look up and have remotely decent aim is beyond me.  I’m not loving this new part of my routine.

Even though I did drive last night, and my vision is better today, I am glad that I can be completely reliant on public transportation to get to work.  I took my shuttle to the train station, and the train into the city with no issues.  It felt good to be able to see.  I still can’t wear eye makeup, which feels a little weird, but at least I’m out in the world again.

I got a full day of work in today.  I no longer need to be zoomed in at 250%, but I kept it at 150% just to make it easier.  I did notice my vision fluctuating throughout the day.  It is better just after putting in my drops.

After work, I drove my roommate and I to meet some friends at a bar for trivia night.  I was happy with how normal everything felt.  My vision is still a bit blurry, but I could watch the games on tv, and just hang out like a normal person.  Since we left just before 11pm, I had my roommate drive us home so I could get a safe glimpse of what night driving would be like.  It didn’t seem too bad.  The headlights didn’t seem much brighter than before the surgery.  The cars with halogen lights that look like brights are still obnoxious, but I probably could have driven without issues.  Phew.

Day 4: Slow and Steady

Monday, March 14, 2016.

8:00am

Happy Pi day!  The world is still a blurry place, but I can now read my phone, am not bothered by lights, and I do not feel any discomfort.  My Mom will pick me up for my follow up appointment in a couple of hours, and I will hopefully have the bandage contacts removed.  It’s actually surprisingly easy to forget that I’m wearing them.  I have a little hope that the world will be clearer then, but most of the anecdotal evidence suggests things will be even blurrier.  But, I can hope because I would really like to be cleared to drive.  As of now, there is no way I should be behind a wheel…whomp whomp.

The doctor said that everyone heals at different rates, but I have to believe the bandage contacts will come out today.  I have not even opened the numbing drops that would slow down healing, I have been taking my 1000 mg of Vitamin C and fish oil, and I’m young/in good health.  My very unofficial test of reading a post across my bedroom makes me think that my right eye is doing a smidge better than my left, but the variation is smaller than I expected. I am slightly optimistic that I will be able to work a few hours this afternoon.

1:00pm

Huzzah!  My bandage contacts are gone!  According tot he doctor, I could make out the 20/30 line.  It was very very blurry, and I felt like I was guessing, but I must have gotten enough correct.  The doctor explained that it is legal to drive at 20/60, so technically, if I’m comfortable, I can drive now.  I am definitely not comfortable, but good to hear.  She said that reading the 20/30 line is actually better than most at this point, despite the blurriness.  I also noticed that the letters had a bit of a drop shadow, which the doctor called “ghosting.”  She said it was pretty normal and should decrease.  Apparently, the steroid drops can contribute to it.  If it is still an issue the following week at my next appointment, she may have me taper off the steroid more quickly.  I will continue the antibiotic drops today and tomorrow, but then I will be finished with those.  Now that the contacts are out, the doctor said I will start “rapid healing.”  I feel like a phrase like that is just setting me up to be disappointed, but we’ll see.  She also instructed me to take 1000 mg of Vitamin C every day for 3 months, which I was doing anyway.  Finally, she told me that I needed to put eye ointment in at night for 6 weeks, recommending Refresh PM.  I am also to use my Blink drops at least every 2 hours.

I had lunch with my Mom afterwards.  The world was blurry, but at least I could read the menu.  She laughed at me on the drive from the doctor as I tried and failed to read license plates.  I swore that I was 20/30 a few minutes ago…

After lunch, I powered up the computer and started making an attempt to work.  I can see what I need to see…as long as I’m zoomed in 250%.  My goal is to get 4 hours of work in today and to head to the office tomorrow.

7:00pm

The good news is that I squeezed in 5.5 hours of work.  I was going to make it 6, but decided that I’d exceeded my goal and that there was no point in stressing my eyes more than necessary.  I did venture out onto the road briefly to pick my roommate up from the train station.  It was still light out when I left, and while things were blurry, I could definitely see the other cars.  It’s only about a mile up the road, so I figured it would be a good test drive.  The sun went down by the time we were heading home, which was more difficult.  The headlights weren’t too bad – the halos are far less pronounced than they were that first night.  My perception felt a little off.  When I had to merge back onto the main road, I had a little difficulty determining which lane the cars were in, but I could see well enough not to cause any accidents.  I have to take my dog to a training class Thursday night, so here’s hoping the night vision improves over the next few days.

Day 3: Hey, Where Did the World Go?

Sunday, March 13, 2016

It gets worse before it gets better.  Repeat that to yourself about a thousand times until you actually believe it.

So far, aside from my own poor decision making, this experience hasn’t been too bad.  My vision has been far from perfect, but I could function.  That all changed today.  I can barely read the paper I am writing this on, and I can’t read anything at all on my phone.  This morning’s light sensitivity was no joke. I felt blinded by the refrigerator and microwave lights.  When I took my dog down to our dog park at 7am with my super sunglasses on, during a morning with cloudy skies, one of my neighbors joked about how hung over I must be.

Having no poorly thought up plans for the day, I just gave in, took another percocet, and slept off the day. The light sensitivity was better when I woke up in the afternoon, but my vision was still too poor to make out anything on my phone other than the large clock.

I have my first follow up appointment tomorrow.  If I am healing nicely, they will remove the bandage contacts, and I’m really excited about that.  They aren’t awful, and I don’t really notice them most of the time, but I’ve heard that it feels amazing to have them out.  I’m also hoping my vision will start to get better tomorrow so I can drive, work, and generally interact with the world again.  The last few days has really put into perspective how much we rely on screens in our lives.  It has been harder than I imagined to be so disconnected.

I took Thursday and Friday off from work, but am really hoping that I can at least sneak a half day of work from home tomorrow.  Given that I can’t see anything right now, I’m not too optimistic.

Day 2: Poor, Poor Decisions

Saturday, March 13, 2016

Today was a day of poor decisions.  Let me explain.

This morning I had a lot more light sensitivity when I woke up.  I took my dog out for a walk, got some coffee and oatmeal, then laid back down.  Last night’s discomfort was gone, but my eyes were stinging mildly and I was having some trouble keeping them open. I woke up again at 10am feeling a lot better.  My vision is still a little blurry, but hey, it gets worse before it gets better.

Here’s where the poor decisions come in.  You see, I was given tickets to play for Christmas that I completely forgot about.  Turns out, the play was today.  Okay,  I thought, bad timing, but at least it isn’t looking at a screen.  In fact, maybe it would be nice to get out and sit in a dark theatre for a couple of hours.  Haha, that’s funny past me.  My roommate drove to the train station and we took the train downtown.  That wasn’t so bad.  We walked into the theatre and was greeted with a large sign – “This production uses flashing lights and fog machines.”  Awesome.  Whatever, it’ll be fine.  My vision was still a little blurry, but I could see well enough.  We sat down, they dimmed the lights, and the play began.  Ugh, are stage lights always that bright?  Did they really need to have the flashing lights facing the audience?  Basically, I kept my eyes closed for about 80% of the play, while my eyes watered and nose ran.  I’m sure anyone around me who noticed must have thought I had just decided to sleep/cry through the play.  Finally, I gave up on not looking like a crazy person and put on my sunglasses in the dark theatre.  I could kind of look at the stage that way.  Afterwards, my eyes stung pretty bad and I could not wait to get home.

When we got home, I caved.  Not on the numbing drops – I was holding my ground there – but I took a percocet.  After all, they gave it to me for a reason, right?  Ahhh, so much better.  We ordered some much needed comfort food take out, and I basically just laid in bed and let the percocet do its thing for the rest of the night.