Surgery done in the blink of an eye
Editor's note: This is part five in a series of articles following Truth Reporter Bridget Levitz through the LASIK procedure at Boling Vision Center. She'll be sharing her experience from her consultation with the eye doctor to the days following her eye surgery.
ELKHART -- The morning of my LASIK surgery I woke up early. I didn't have to be at Boling Vision Center's Mishawaka office until 9 a.m., but anticipation woke me up much sooner.
I'd mopped the kitchen floor, put dishes away and had several loads of laundry washed, dried, and folded all by the time my mother-in-law, Diana Levitz, arrived just after 8 a.m. She was my "surgery day" ride since I wouldn't be able to drive myself home following the LASIK.
During the drive, I mentally checked off a list of pre-surgery tasks to be sure I hadn't forgotten something that would hurt my chances at successful LASIK. For two days I'd been taking Vitamin C tablets and using eye drops Dr. Boling had given me. Both were meant to prevent possible inflammation of my eyes as a result of the surgery. I'd used the provided eye swabs that morning and the night before to be sure there were no traces of eye makeup on my eyes. Realizing I hadn't forgotten anything, I breathed a small sigh of relief.
We pulled into the Edison Lakes Parkway office, parked the car and rode the elevator to the second floor. My mother-in-law gave me a hug in the waiting room and wished me luck -- it was time.
Kathy Boling gave me a Valium to calm surgery-day jitters, and told me two of the tests done the week before would be re-done to make sure they had the most accurate prescription possible for my eyes.
A technician tested my eyes manually and with the WaveScan machine. The WaveScan results are key to Dr. Boling's LASIK technology.
The machine puts microscopic beams of infrared light into 25 different points of the eye, creating a map of the entire eye and identifying the prescription level at each of those points.
During the LASIK procedure, the laser registers itself 60 times a second, and if the prescription changes from point to point the laser can correct it.
The results of both tests were consistent, and the staff was ready for me in the first of two laser suites I would be in that day.
The initial step in the LASIK procedure is to create a flap in cornea so the underlying part of the eye can be reshaped for clear vision.
As I lay looking up the intimidating IntraLase machine, I reminded myself it was all being done with lasers and there was no cutting involved. Before the procedure began, I was given numbing drops in both eyes.
This creation of the flaps was the worst part, Dr. Boling told me. He warned I would feel some pressure, and I automatically worried. Normally when a doctor says that it translates to "you'll actually feel a significant amount of pain."
I braced myself.
While the corneal flap was created I stared up at a bright white light, and felt only a small amount of pressure. Surprisingly, there was no pain. If this was the worst part of the day, then I could definitely handle the next step.
After both eyes were complete, the technicians sat me up and warned me things would be blurry. Everything was so muted and cloudy I could barely make out colors, and was probably the scariest moment of the day for me.
The blurred vision comes from bubbles that occur between the newly created flap and the eye. It only takes about 15 minutes for them to be absorbed by the eye. During that time I was taken to another room where I relaxed in a reclining chair.
While I was waiting, a technician came to retrieve a patient named Michael. It was time for the second part of his LASIK surgery. Up until that point, I believed I was sitting in the room by myself -- that's how limited my vision was.
Finally, it was my turn. Things still looked foggy but I could see again. Dr. Boling examined my eyes and used a sterile surgical pen to mark 90 degree angles directly on my eyes.
"This is the angle that Dr. Boling uses as a base line to make sure the patient is aligned," Kathy said. There are mirrors on the lens of the laser that reflect on your eye and if they do not line up, he realigns your position."
When a patient lies down for the procedure, the eye can change location. In the past, a laser technician would manually adjust the measurement. Now Iris Registration automatically take those measurements to ensure the LASIK is performed on the correct area of the patient's eye.
The 90 degree markings Dr. Boling made were only for backup in case the Iris Registration couldn't lock on, Kathy said. This only happens 2 percent of the time, and didn't happen in my case.
I was taken into the second laser suite where my vision actually would be corrected. Dr. Boling placed small devices on my eye to keep me from blinking, and more numbing drops to keep me from feeling pain.
As the laser worked, Dr. Boling told me to stay focused on the red light above. I don't think I breathed once during this part of the LASIK. I was determined to watch the red light directly, afraid moving my eye would result in less-than-perfect vision.
It turns out, that was a silly fear.
According to Kathy, while it's important to look at the red light, the laser does most of the work for you.
"The laser takes over and keeps you safe," she said.
Boling uses a mechanism called Active Track that follows the tiniest motion of the eye instantaneously. So if my eyes moved slightly, the LASIK surgery wouldn't be messed up.
It also will move with the eye if a patient is nervous and breathing heavier then usual. If there's too large a movement, it automatically shuts off.
"If you are not centered, the laser immediately stops the treatment," Kathy said. If the treatment is stopped, the patient is re-centered and the laser resumes exactly where it left off.
I was surprised how quickly it was all over. It lasted only minutes. I was even more surprised that I could tell an immediately my eyes had approved. The clock on the opposite wall, which I wouldn't have been able to see before, read 10:08 a.m.
Just after the LASIK was over I experienced some burning, tearing and sensitivity to light.
Dr. Boling examined my eyes again, said everything looked great and sent me on my way. I was given a goofy looking pair of clear plastic goggles to wear for the next 24 hours and while sleeping throughout the next week.
My instructions for the rest of the day were simple -- go home and go to bed. The top layer of the cornea heals in 12 to 18 hours, and sleeping helps the process because you're not blinking over the regenerating cells.
I slept until about 6 p.m. that day and when I woke up there was no tearing or pain. My husband, Roger, rented movies for us and we relaxed on the couch the rest of the night. The next morning, I drove back to Mishawaka for my follow-up appointment. It was just 24 hours later and I had 20/15 vision. It was unbelievable.
It's been a week since the LASIK and I keep needing to remind myself that I'm not wearing contacts.
I have my second follow-up exam on Tuesday and I'm eager to learn how my eyes are healing, and to have my vision tested again.