The big difference this time was that they didn't need to use the Intralase machine to create a corneal flap because I already had one (well, technically two -- one for each eye). I must say it's slightly unnerving that 11 months after my first procedure, the flap is still "loose" enough to repeat the surgery. Normal, but unnerving all the same.
I arrived at around 9:30 am for my appointment and was out the door by 11 am.
- The first hour involved prep work: sterilizing the area around my eyes, getting the aforementioned eye drops, and taking a Valium.
- I don't remember getting one last time.
- I'm not sure it had much of a difference for me me given that I'm generally a low-anxiety, high faith kind of personality.
- The system makes a pretty loud turbine-like whine when it's "warming up" -- not sure whether I found that reassuring or disconcerting. :-)
- This time, they didn't make a map of my eye using the wavefront device. All they needed was the standard eye chart and the gizmo optometrists use to check your prescription.
- The actual procedure took probably 5 minutes, most of which was consumed by the doctor getting you into position, mounting some kind of contraption to keep your eye steady, and lifting your corneal flap. Of course, she had to do this twice.
- The excimer laser that reshapes the cornea was on for less than 1 minute for each eye.
- The laser system (manufactured by Alcon) actually talks, mostly I think for the benefit of the patient. You can imagine the chatter as a last-minute failsafe. Among other things, it announces:
- Your name
- A series of numbers which I'm guessing correspond to the correction it's about to do
- It has a lock on whatever part of the eye it recognizes ("acquired")
- How much time left in the procedure ("17 seconds remaining").
- The system has a single blinking red light that you're supposed to focus on throughout the procedure.
- It was wild watching the light (1) move and (2) go in and out of focus as Dr. Faktorovich lifted up the corenal flap.
- I'm guessing the light helps you keep your eye steady, though the doctor also uses some gizmo to keep your eye from moving around -- and has your head in a headlock during the time the laser is actually firing.
- The blinking red light is surrounded by 6-8 very bright (halogen?) bulbs which presumably help the doctor see what's going on. Despite the fact that you're flat on your back during the procedure, it makes you feel a little like you're onstage. The afterimages I saw because of the light's intensity varied in color: purple, orange, red, black. Fascinating.
- After the reshaping laser had finished its business, Dr. Faktorovich carefully applied two contact lens-like objects onto my eyeballs.
- She didn't do this the first time.
- Because this is the second time they're lifting the flap, it apparently causes the eye some irritation.
- The lenses help the eye heal.
- "Kind of like little Band-Aids for your eyes," they explained.
Recovery time -- that is, the time to non-blurry, mostly in focus vision was much speedier this time. It's only been three days, and I'm just about seeing normally with the exception of a few lapses in focus.
I could see things coming into focus in my left eye, even by late afternoon after the procedure. I could tell the left eye (which didn't have much of a correction to do) was seeing much more clearly than the right eye.
More later...
