LASEK Patient Testimonial
Satisfied patient Kate Bowe writes:
I got LASEK surgery done almost two months ago. I’m still recovering, but I’d love to tell you all about my experience. I started wearing glasses at the age of 9, but quickly switched over to contacts, as I was figure skating and glasses have a tendency to fly off the face in spins and jumps. Contacts were not without problems, and even though I was a responsible child, I still got pinkeye 1-2 times a year. In addition, my vision deteriorated until my final prescription of -8.5 was achieved. Once I was in high school, I heard about LASIK being used to permanently correct a person’s vision. I knew that I wanted the surgery as soon as possible, but I wasn’t a candidate, as my vision was still changing. In addition, I had a number of conditions that didn’t make it desirable to choose LASIK (poor night vision, halos, dry eyes and a high prescription). I was really disappointed and thought I wouldn’t be able to get refractive surgery.
When my vision finally stabilized at age 23, I started more aggressively researching refractive surgery and looking to see if I could find a surgeon willing to treat me with the lowest risk of adverse side effects. LASIK was out of the question, PRK seemed to be too painful, but LASEK seemed to be the best choice, given my previous conditions. I then found Dr. Chynn’s website on a Google search and emailed Dr. Chynn. He responded back right away and answered my questions and concerns about my previous conditions. I decided to call into the office, and was invited to a seminar about 2 weeks later. The seminar was extremely informative, and we were able to see an actual procedure being done. Dr. Chynn explained everything that was going on in the OR, and we were able to ask the patient questions. The seminar gave me more information about LASEK than I was able to find on my own after a year of researching. I highly recommend going to one of Dr. Chynn’s seminars if you are even thinking about refractive surgery. I scheduled my free consultation a few weeks later, and it was determined that I wasn’t a good candidate for surgery yet. Dr. Schaefer (one of the other Dr’s at the office) wanted to treat my dry eyes and give my corneas and eyelids a rest from all the contact wear over the past 15 years. I stayed out of my contacts for over 2 months, got punctual plugs, and used artificial tears religiously.
By June, I was ready for surgery. I scheduled my surgery for June 12, a Thursday. My mom drove me into Manhattan, and was my coach for surgery. I remember very little after I had two Valium, but I do remember lots of antibiotic eye drops, and lots of numbing eye drops. I remember that it took all of my concentration to stare at the blinking red light while the laser took off bits of my eye. Dr. Chynn put in the protective contact lenses and before I knew it, the surgery was done and it was time for There was a very extensive regime of drops and medications that I needed to take. I used my gel tears every few hours, and went to see Dr. Chynn for my post op. He said that I was healing well and to continue doing what I was doing. I remained home recovering for the next 6 days, and I tried really hard to keep my eyes closed as much as possible, which was close to impossible. I finally got my bandage lenses off at day 7 and continued with my medication regime. I was able to go back to work on Wednesday, but it was really difficult for me to see the computer screen. Every day got a little better, and before I knew it, I was able to see just as well as I did wearing contacts. At this point, I’m seeing 20/20, and my night vision is even better now than it was before surgery. I only see halos when I’m tired, and my eyes are still a little dry, but they are getting better every day.
Thanks,
Kathleen
