I was hoping to give you a play by play on this whole process but I got distracted and then ran out of time, sorry! But in case you haven’t heard I totally went for it and got Laser Eye Surgery last Saturday aka Lasik and now I have new eyes. YAY! 🙂
OBVIOUSLY you should consult your own doctor before you sign up for anything of this sort BUT since so many people have been asking me about it, here’s a quick “Lasik for Dummies” guide to answer a few basic questions if you’re considering it 🙂 xoxo
Hmm, where do I begin…
What is Lasik?
LASIK (Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis), commonly referred to as laser eye surgery, is a type of refractive surgery to fix your eye sight. Performed by an ophthalmologist who uses a laser to reshape your eye’s cornea which (for most) provides a permanent alternative to glasses or contact lenses.
Can EVERYONE get it done?
No, you have to “qualify” that means the eye-doc will perform a series of tests to confirm that you have enough eye tissue for the surgery to be safe for you to undergo. My doc told me I was an excellent candidate because I have small pupils and a FAT cornea. *LOL* (I confess, I couldn’t help giggling that he called my cornea fat for like three days.)
If you wear contact lenses make sure you don’t wear them for at least 3 days BEFORE your eye test. My doc told me if I qualify I could get it done the next day so I stayed off my lenses Monday to Friday, got tested Friday and had my surgery Saturday morning! (Shroff Eye Clinic also does the surgery on Wednesdays FYI.)
Where do you go?
I know there are a bunch of places in Bombay but I went to Shroff Eye Clinic in Bandra because a) it’s in Bandra and b) Dr. Anand Shroff did Nowshad’s eyes three years ago and c) he has this awesome German laser that’s one-of-a-kind apparently!
Plus he was super nice and even gossiped with me through the whole procedure to keep my mind off the surgery. #WIN
What does it cost?
The actual Lasik procedure for both eyes cost me 78,000rs. Yup, not cheap but I figured with the amount of daily disposable lenses I was buying it’s going to save me a lot of money and hassle in the long run!
I feel like inserting a Mastercard add here:
Lasik eye surgery 78,000rs
Waking up with everything in focus for the first time in three decades… PRICELESS!
Does it hurt?
Ok so I am a MASSIVE chicken about these things so let me say this: everyone I know who has gotten it done before told me it doesn’t hurt AT ALL, so I went in expecting that. They put these anaesthetic eye drops to numb your eyeballs (ewww I know) and that also removes the urge to blink. The doctor does one eye at a time and uses a gentle clamp to keep your eyelids open – that stretches a little and is a bit uncomfy. In my first eye I didn’t feel a thing – and the doc talks you through the whole process, what color light to look at, when it will go dark for a few seconds, the blinking lights you’ll see, what percent of the lasering is complete etc. He then warned me that it’s a natural tendency for the brain to readjust expectations and the other eye can sometimes feel more uncomfy and that’s exactly what happened to me. It didn’t HURT, hurt but I deffy felt like maybe my anaesthetic was wearing off and I felt a little poking in my eye which made me go “ouch” out loud. But really not that bad at all.
How Long Does recoverY take?
The actual procedure takes like 4-5 minutes per eye. But they ask you to come in, prep you and teach you post care (make sure you take a buddy, no driving allowed!) so the whole thing takes about an hour total. The first few hours, when you go home are pretty awful. Your eyes feel grimy (like you have sand stuck in them) and all you can do is sleep. So download some audio books/music (I recommend the Ender’s Game audiobook and The Great Gatsby OST!) and nap a lot. You’ll also need someone to put in your drops every hour and basically pamper you all day. The clinic will give you all the drops and these nifty dark glasses to wear while you sleep (and when you’re out in the sun for the first few days.) Personally, I thought I looked like Robocop, but I think my Lasik pal Akash Jain (who also got his eyes done the same day) deffy won that battle!
Recovery time for everyone varies and your distance vision may be a little fuzzy for a few days (like mine is now) but you can go back to work in 48 hours. Just remember to put in your drops 4 times a day for the next week and take frequent breaks from any digital screens. I find I am most fuzzy when my eyes are dry (that’s why they also give you artificial tears to used for the next 3 months.) Also avoid swimming for about a month.
The nice thing is Dr. Shroff will call you personally the same evening to see how you’re doing which makes you feel very cared for and everything 🙂
What about Vanity?
Yup I checked! You can wear eye make up after like 4-5 days, which is exactly my plan when I rock my new peepers for the GQ Best Dressed Awards tomorrow night, woohoo 🙂 a word of caution though your eyeballs are still healing so be gentle whatever you do!
If you have any questions leave them in the comments below and I’ll try my best to answer them! xoxo