What a difference a week makes. Not that things are super different but it's noticeable. Especially while sitting here typing this. Weeks ago I had my brightness down, font magnified, and I had to STAND and look down just to type a few words then look away. Oh the agony I had in my poor eyes. It was such a depressing, helpless feeling to not be able to see.
I'm down to one drop in each eye of prednisolone (steroid) a day (since Thursday) and am currently using the beta blocker drop to prevent my eye pressure from going up. I haven't noticed any side effects from the beta blocker drops yet. Maybe that my right eye feels dryer. I have been very tired lately however, I still wake up at least once a night and I have a lot on my mind.
I often get asked if I regret doing the surgery. I still answer that I am not sure, that I need more time. I will say that since going down to steroids once a day that things aren't as blurry, especially in the morning since I stopped using them at night. I am doing pretty good light sensitivity wise being on only one drop in each eye. We had snow and a pretty sunny day today and I could handle it with only wincing a little, which I would have prior to surgery just the same. I was able to make it through an entire church service without using re-wetting drops and no pain looking up at our Pastor under the lights. I am still seeing double (ghosted) images though and that is a little bit stressful because it is not going away. It only fluctuates in my left eye, and my right eye seems to be pretty much the same type of angle of ghosting. I am a little nervous about a touch up but I'm only 2 months post-op. I have four good months of continuous healing before I should make a solid judgement of what my vision should be. Right now it's pretty good with the exception of the ghosting/astigmatism. Without that it'd be phenomenal!
I've also started using the bottle Systane drops a few times during the day. I think that the preservative free gives me clearer vision long term because they are less oily and don't leave a film on my eyes. I'm trying to gradually switch. I'm definitely feeling like I need them less.
I'm driving! I can shop on my own! I can use my PC without eye strain! I can read my phone by mid-day and although challenging I can still read it. I do struggle with some reading but that has definitely improved. I am back volunteering in the school and able to be a part of that again!
This experience has changed me. I have a new found appreciation for my vision, my health, my life. I will never take that for granted again. I had such an overwhelming amount of support from my friends who took me where I needed to be. Told me I looked great (even if I didn't) and called so I had someone to talk to when I couldn't see my phone. God put those people in my life. I will always remember those days. My husband and children have been so patient and supportive. I am thankful for them each and every day.
I think I'm seeing pretty good. I have massive halos around all lights, and the star bursting sometimes is minor to major! My night vision is very poor. I never have enough light it seems. I hope this improves because I never lacked any kind of confidence while driving at night.
That's my update for now. I'll check in again in a week and hopefully I'll see more improvement. :)
I'm editing to add that I finally wore mascara yesterday and touching my eyes aren't bothering me as much now. What a difference that makes! Feeling a little more like myself. :) Also my left eye was twitching a lot yesterday and that's odd for me. Needed to make note of that.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Week 7
I thought I would update a little bit.
I started Betimol this morning. That is the eye drop that will help keep my eye pressure from rising any further. It's only one drop in my right eye in the morning. I have about 75 days worth of drops to use until I see my doctor.
This upcoming Thursday, I go down to one drop a day on the steroids. I will continue to use them until I see my doctor in May as well.
I find myself not focusing (pun intended haha) as much on my vision. I'm tired of thinking about it and just being patient. I do get asked a lot, "How are your eyes?" and sometimes I need to stop and think about how they are. I am definitely using less re-wetting drops, but I will use them more often when using computer work or trying to focus on my phone. The phone has been hard for me since the font is so small and there's no way of increasing it. I have found myself not using my texting as much due to the eye strain it's causing me. At least with my PC I can increase/decrease the font to suit my needs.
The light sensitivity is still getting better. I'm curious to see how that will do going down to one steroid drop a day next week.
The ghosting remains. Sometimes it's not bad in my left eye, other times it is. My right eye is by far the worse of the two and I am really thinking that I may need a touch up eventually. I'm going to push it to 6 months before I make a decision (that is if my doctor suggests doing so).
I started Betimol this morning. That is the eye drop that will help keep my eye pressure from rising any further. It's only one drop in my right eye in the morning. I have about 75 days worth of drops to use until I see my doctor.
This upcoming Thursday, I go down to one drop a day on the steroids. I will continue to use them until I see my doctor in May as well.
I find myself not focusing (pun intended haha) as much on my vision. I'm tired of thinking about it and just being patient. I do get asked a lot, "How are your eyes?" and sometimes I need to stop and think about how they are. I am definitely using less re-wetting drops, but I will use them more often when using computer work or trying to focus on my phone. The phone has been hard for me since the font is so small and there's no way of increasing it. I have found myself not using my texting as much due to the eye strain it's causing me. At least with my PC I can increase/decrease the font to suit my needs.
The light sensitivity is still getting better. I'm curious to see how that will do going down to one steroid drop a day next week.
The ghosting remains. Sometimes it's not bad in my left eye, other times it is. My right eye is by far the worse of the two and I am really thinking that I may need a touch up eventually. I'm going to push it to 6 months before I make a decision (that is if my doctor suggests doing so).
Monday, February 13, 2012
Week 6
Okay so I'm in my 6th week now of recovery and my vision is a roller coaster. I am finding that my right eye is definitely clearing up a bit but the ghosting double vision remains making things far away blurry.
This is what normal vision looks like:
This is what normal vision looks like:
And this is what my vision looks like and has looked like since day one:
The problem with the ghosting is that I see it in multiple areas giving me sometimes triple vision. It's frustrating but somehow I'm functioning with it.
I saw my surgeon on Thursday and he is concerned with the slow progress of my right eye along with the astigmatism. The lady tech (who I do not care for her bedside manner much) said that my ghosting was due to dry eye. The surgeon also is putting me on a pressure drop and told me that it's to promote healing. I called back and this was not the case. (I am starting this drop tomorrow morning since it wasn't available at the pharmacy...I wonder how much this one is going to cost?) It was more for eye pressure control since I'm staying on the steroids for 3 more months. If things do not get better, he said I would probably need eye plugs and he would need to bill my insurance. I guess he doesn't care to ask if I have a deductible and no idea that his "plug" plan is going to come out of my pocket. If that doesn't help I may need a touch up he said. I don't think I want to go through this again. Maybe in my right eye. I need one good eye to function. This surgery is getting costly in many ways.
Other than those set backs, I'm seeing 20/20 in my left eye and 20/30 in my right eye with both improving from last week. It's a squinty 20/25 but I'm definitely seeing a visual improvement.
Driving is interesting. I can do local driving since I know the road laws, where streets are etc. I have not driven very much at night and try not to since my depth perception is a bit off and it's hard to see well with my brights off. Oncoming headlights aren't too difficult to deal with and it seems like the star bursting varies day to day. Halos are still there in both eyes.
I am able to read my Kindle, watch TV, use my PC like I was able to before surgery (with the TV and PC being more due to the light sensitivity). I haven't been able to read my cellphone very well though for several days now and instead of straining and squinting, I do the best I can. (I guess if people want to get a hold of me they will make a good old fashioned phone call right? :) )I don't get eye strain very much but I do have to remind myself to blink and I add drops in my eyes every 30 minutes or so now. I can go an hour or so longer without noticing dryness but I try not going any longer. If I wake up in the middle of the night, I do put drops in. I can tell my eyes are dry, but they aren't painfully dry.
So all in all, I'm functioning a lot better and able to do things independently. :) It can get frustrating however when people seemed so shocked that my eyes aren't better or that my recovery is rough. I try explaining to them that I had LASEK (simillar to PRK) and not LASIK. They are two different surgeries to achieve the same result. And then I get, "Well why didn't you go for the easier recovery?" Etc., So now if anyone asks how my eyes are doing, I smile and say pretty good thanks! I'm tired of explaining it lol. Knowledge is power, and it makes me bananas when someone thinks that they know so much about something because their friend had it done, or they had it done and were just fine. Bozos... LOL
Monday, February 6, 2012
Week 5
I'm in my 5th week of recovery with this upcoming Thursday marking the milestone. Hmm not really a milestone because this has been the longest month of my life it seems, but things have definitely changed.
I stopped the steroid drops last Wednesday night and Thursday morning wasn't too bad. Thursday night was even tolerable with the exception of headlights being too bright ( I was again a passenger). Friday morning however I woke up with a lot of light sensitivity. Probably the most I'd had in about a week. I also found myself rewetting my eyes more with drops than I had previous days and my eyes felt gritty and irritated. As the day went on the sensitivity continued. I couldn't drive so my husband ran me around for errands (so glad he came home for the afternoon!). I called my doctor's office and explained that I was having the sensitivity again after being off of the drops for 2 days. At first she said I had to be seen by them before I could go back on them, and when I griped to her that I refused to go all weekend again with the sensitivity and that I had an appointment on the 5th, she said it was fine to use them until then. I did the drops that afternoon and not long after, my eyes felt better. Something has to give! I know that being on these drops is not good for my eyes.
This past weekend was pretty good vision wise. Saturday we went bowling with glo-bowl and my eyes were loving how dark it was. I could not see the score board very well and instead of 10 pins there were 30 pins...lol We later went to a hotel with friends so our children could swim. I tolerated the chlorine vapors for a long time and by the end of the night, my eyes were super great at a medium distance. I drove for the first time at night and it went very well. I am definitely going to have to stay local until my eyes are stable. Long distance vision is blurry right now and I cannot read any signs until the are right up near my car.
This morning my eyes were a little bit light sensitive while driving to go exercise. I'm thinking I didn't give them enough time to adjust (thank you snooze button) and they hadn't "booted" up yet. I am reading on other sites and blogs that a lot of people who are going through this process say their eyes worsen throughout the day, mine actually improve. This could totally be due to the daylight as well.
The ghosting is awful. I see everything triple when it comes to small things. It's very frustrating and I wish it would go away. My left eye isn't as ghosted this morning but my right one is still very bad. My right eye is also a little sharper. The right eye has also been experiencing the light sensitivity more the past couple of days. The right eye was my higher prescription eye, where my left eye required a lot more scraping of the eye due to scar tissue. I'm going to ask about this at my appointment Thursday.
We invested in a good pair of sunglasses for me, Maui Jim's. Where it's eating me alive the cost of them, they are by far the best pair of sunglasses I have ever worn. I keep coming across other polarized glasses and none of them hold a candle to these. My only complaints are that they were heavy initially (I guess my face adjusted and they aren't heavy anymore) and that they don't stay on top of my head very well, which is where my sunglasses have gone for years. I can have them adjusted so I might take them in to fiddle around with it. If you are going to get this surgery done, get a good pair of sunglasses. They make all the difference in the world. Also maybe purchase them before hand so you know what you look like in then!
I stopped the steroid drops last Wednesday night and Thursday morning wasn't too bad. Thursday night was even tolerable with the exception of headlights being too bright ( I was again a passenger). Friday morning however I woke up with a lot of light sensitivity. Probably the most I'd had in about a week. I also found myself rewetting my eyes more with drops than I had previous days and my eyes felt gritty and irritated. As the day went on the sensitivity continued. I couldn't drive so my husband ran me around for errands (so glad he came home for the afternoon!). I called my doctor's office and explained that I was having the sensitivity again after being off of the drops for 2 days. At first she said I had to be seen by them before I could go back on them, and when I griped to her that I refused to go all weekend again with the sensitivity and that I had an appointment on the 5th, she said it was fine to use them until then. I did the drops that afternoon and not long after, my eyes felt better. Something has to give! I know that being on these drops is not good for my eyes.
This past weekend was pretty good vision wise. Saturday we went bowling with glo-bowl and my eyes were loving how dark it was. I could not see the score board very well and instead of 10 pins there were 30 pins...lol We later went to a hotel with friends so our children could swim. I tolerated the chlorine vapors for a long time and by the end of the night, my eyes were super great at a medium distance. I drove for the first time at night and it went very well. I am definitely going to have to stay local until my eyes are stable. Long distance vision is blurry right now and I cannot read any signs until the are right up near my car.
This morning my eyes were a little bit light sensitive while driving to go exercise. I'm thinking I didn't give them enough time to adjust (thank you snooze button) and they hadn't "booted" up yet. I am reading on other sites and blogs that a lot of people who are going through this process say their eyes worsen throughout the day, mine actually improve. This could totally be due to the daylight as well.
The ghosting is awful. I see everything triple when it comes to small things. It's very frustrating and I wish it would go away. My left eye isn't as ghosted this morning but my right one is still very bad. My right eye is also a little sharper. The right eye has also been experiencing the light sensitivity more the past couple of days. The right eye was my higher prescription eye, where my left eye required a lot more scraping of the eye due to scar tissue. I'm going to ask about this at my appointment Thursday.
We invested in a good pair of sunglasses for me, Maui Jim's. Where it's eating me alive the cost of them, they are by far the best pair of sunglasses I have ever worn. I keep coming across other polarized glasses and none of them hold a candle to these. My only complaints are that they were heavy initially (I guess my face adjusted and they aren't heavy anymore) and that they don't stay on top of my head very well, which is where my sunglasses have gone for years. I can have them adjusted so I might take them in to fiddle around with it. If you are going to get this surgery done, get a good pair of sunglasses. They make all the difference in the world. Also maybe purchase them before hand so you know what you look like in then!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Day 24
Okay so I've decided I'm not going to post every day since I am past the three week mark. Friday I had some sensitivity in the morning and felt pretty discouraged as the day went on. I did get out with a girlfriend and did a little shopping. It was hard to read items and I kept switching between using my sunglasses indoors and not. We had some snow arrive but luckily in the morning. It was overcast. By the time we got home the sun peeked out and I had a raging headache. I layed down for a little until the kids got home from school.
My son had his school's variety show that evening and I still was struggling with sensitivity and a headache. The ghosting and blurriness was pretty bad and it was like watching a giant tv screen. We have been going to these shows for about 8 years now and I was a little let down that I wasn't enjoying like I usually do.
Saturday we stayed in all day. I made dinner for a friend of mine who has been driving me to my night classes and to shop if I need to. She's also been a good sounding board since we are taking the same journey together. We all stayed in our Pjs all day, had a nap in the afternoon and stayed up late watching tv. My eyes were sensitive in the morning but seemed to get better light sensitivity wise as the day went on. I was tolerating light pretty well by the e d of the night. I then made dinner again for another friend who has been picking me up in the mornings to take to church with me the next morning.
I woke up this morning feeling the sensitivity however it was snowing and really cloudy. I felt optimistic that I would be able to drive to church, which I did. It wasn't too bad with my eyes slightly closing. I am finding that the heat vents really irritate my eyes. Service was pretty good although I still have issues with contrast lighting and anything lit up really bothers me. I did do okay reading the words up on the screen during music and once all of the lights were on I didn't need my sunglasses. Vision wise I have noticed that my right eye I'd slowly improving. The ghosting is pretty annoying and that can mead to eye strain sometimes. It's pretty blurry distance wise and I would not be able to drive using just that eye. If I were to guess I'd say it's 20/80. My left eye is doing really well and sometimes I see better out of it than I did with glasses or contacts. I'd say 20/20 maybe. We went to a store today and I was able to not wear my sunglasses the entire time and everything was pretty sharp with lots of clarity. I was really enjoying that. We were in a craft store so the colors were very vibrant and pleasant being I have had things dim for a long time. I really enjoyed this new type of vision, even if it was just for those 30 minutes. I think I'm slowly getting past the sensitivity.
Dryness wise today, I've needed to use less drops than usual and my eyes only felt dry in the car or if I sat at pc for too long, and I mean only 10 minutes! I am slowly doing things more a little more each time. I am still getting a ride tomorrow morning just in case the sensitivity is bad. I never know what to expect when I wake up. Tuesday is my target driving myself to class day. We shall see.
Hope your weekend was great!
My son had his school's variety show that evening and I still was struggling with sensitivity and a headache. The ghosting and blurriness was pretty bad and it was like watching a giant tv screen. We have been going to these shows for about 8 years now and I was a little let down that I wasn't enjoying like I usually do.
Saturday we stayed in all day. I made dinner for a friend of mine who has been driving me to my night classes and to shop if I need to. She's also been a good sounding board since we are taking the same journey together. We all stayed in our Pjs all day, had a nap in the afternoon and stayed up late watching tv. My eyes were sensitive in the morning but seemed to get better light sensitivity wise as the day went on. I was tolerating light pretty well by the e d of the night. I then made dinner again for another friend who has been picking me up in the mornings to take to church with me the next morning.
I woke up this morning feeling the sensitivity however it was snowing and really cloudy. I felt optimistic that I would be able to drive to church, which I did. It wasn't too bad with my eyes slightly closing. I am finding that the heat vents really irritate my eyes. Service was pretty good although I still have issues with contrast lighting and anything lit up really bothers me. I did do okay reading the words up on the screen during music and once all of the lights were on I didn't need my sunglasses. Vision wise I have noticed that my right eye I'd slowly improving. The ghosting is pretty annoying and that can mead to eye strain sometimes. It's pretty blurry distance wise and I would not be able to drive using just that eye. If I were to guess I'd say it's 20/80. My left eye is doing really well and sometimes I see better out of it than I did with glasses or contacts. I'd say 20/20 maybe. We went to a store today and I was able to not wear my sunglasses the entire time and everything was pretty sharp with lots of clarity. I was really enjoying that. We were in a craft store so the colors were very vibrant and pleasant being I have had things dim for a long time. I really enjoyed this new type of vision, even if it was just for those 30 minutes. I think I'm slowly getting past the sensitivity.
Dryness wise today, I've needed to use less drops than usual and my eyes only felt dry in the car or if I sat at pc for too long, and I mean only 10 minutes! I am slowly doing things more a little more each time. I am still getting a ride tomorrow morning just in case the sensitivity is bad. I never know what to expect when I wake up. Tuesday is my target driving myself to class day. We shall see.
Hope your weekend was great!
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Day 21 - Three weeks after PRK
Today was interesting...
I woke up to some light sensitivity but less than yesterday. It's such a smidgen of a change that it still wasn't enough to drive. I noticed also that my right eye sharpened up quite a bit. The massive ghosting is still there along with some double vision. I had a couple of bought of nausea/motion sickness and think this new focusing is contributing to that.
I went to Zumba and the ride wasn't too bad. I even went to the bus stop this morning without sunglasses on at early sunrise. Througout the day I was able to see the tv better, see my face better and use my computer. Wow did my eyebrows need attention! I took care of those and really tried looking at my eyes. I have some pretty dark circles around them. Hubby thinks that.they are from lack of sleep since I'm up several times a night putting drops in my eyes. They've never looked like this so if that doesn't go away I'll ask my doctor.
I'm still on the steroid drops till Wednesday of next week. I think they are helping and each day it seems the inflammation is less and less. I'm also using less rewetting drops today. I can swear by the Systane Uktra in the vials. They are so soothing.
Worked out again to it and was able to keep my glasses off after doing so in the gym and for the ride home. Headlights were super bright but I just looked away.
Reading seems the same, maybe a little blurrier on my cell phone that past few days. I hope that doesn't get worse because my phone does a lot for me!
Hoping today is better too, even if by a little smidgen!
I woke up to some light sensitivity but less than yesterday. It's such a smidgen of a change that it still wasn't enough to drive. I noticed also that my right eye sharpened up quite a bit. The massive ghosting is still there along with some double vision. I had a couple of bought of nausea/motion sickness and think this new focusing is contributing to that.
I went to Zumba and the ride wasn't too bad. I even went to the bus stop this morning without sunglasses on at early sunrise. Througout the day I was able to see the tv better, see my face better and use my computer. Wow did my eyebrows need attention! I took care of those and really tried looking at my eyes. I have some pretty dark circles around them. Hubby thinks that.they are from lack of sleep since I'm up several times a night putting drops in my eyes. They've never looked like this so if that doesn't go away I'll ask my doctor.
I'm still on the steroid drops till Wednesday of next week. I think they are helping and each day it seems the inflammation is less and less. I'm also using less rewetting drops today. I can swear by the Systane Uktra in the vials. They are so soothing.
Worked out again to it and was able to keep my glasses off after doing so in the gym and for the ride home. Headlights were super bright but I just looked away.
Reading seems the same, maybe a little blurrier on my cell phone that past few days. I hope that doesn't get worse because my phone does a lot for me!
Hoping today is better too, even if by a little smidgen!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Day 20
This morning wasn't too bad for light sensitivity indoors so I thought I'd take a shot at driving. Where it wasn't as awful as trying on day 7, it was still very difficult to hold my eyes open long enough to focus. It was a cloudy day and all our snow has melted. I even drove soon after the steroid drops in hope to get out with no inflammation. By the time I got done with my last errand to treat myself to Thai food, I was feeling pretty upset.
So I don't think I'm ready to drive. My vision definitely is not 20/40. It reminds me of when I had to drive without my glasses once when I was 18. Pretty awful experience. Lucky for me I stayed local, know the speed limits, etc.
My vision was pretty blurry today and that really made me tired. I did sleep a little in the afternoon and that helped relax them. I was able to get my son off of the bus instead of sending my older son to get him, and I was greeted with the biggest hug. He was so happy that I could stand out there.
I am still really liking the Systane drops the best and picked up more today on my adventure. I've been taking Vit D to help my mood and flax seed oil 3xs a day, running my humidifier 24/7, eating right, getting enough sleep, staying active and doubled up on my water and Vit C. I'm doing everything I can to help my body heal and this light sensitivity cannot go away fast enough.
Hoping to work out and go to Zumba in the morning. Asking for a ride because driving was very difficult and I am not going to push it. Maybe I'll try driving again Saturday.
Time for steroid drops and hoping tomorrow is a better day. :)
So I don't think I'm ready to drive. My vision definitely is not 20/40. It reminds me of when I had to drive without my glasses once when I was 18. Pretty awful experience. Lucky for me I stayed local, know the speed limits, etc.
My vision was pretty blurry today and that really made me tired. I did sleep a little in the afternoon and that helped relax them. I was able to get my son off of the bus instead of sending my older son to get him, and I was greeted with the biggest hug. He was so happy that I could stand out there.
I am still really liking the Systane drops the best and picked up more today on my adventure. I've been taking Vit D to help my mood and flax seed oil 3xs a day, running my humidifier 24/7, eating right, getting enough sleep, staying active and doubled up on my water and Vit C. I'm doing everything I can to help my body heal and this light sensitivity cannot go away fast enough.
Hoping to work out and go to Zumba in the morning. Asking for a ride because driving was very difficult and I am not going to push it. Maybe I'll try driving again Saturday.
Time for steroid drops and hoping tomorrow is a better day. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)