So this post gonna tell you more about Part III - The Surgery
Prior to surgery, these are few preparations that you need to aware of
1. Stop wearing contact lenses for at least 1 to 3 weeks before surgery.
2. No make up, perfume, alcohol or hair gel before surgery.
3. Please wash your hair properly as you have to avoid water into your eyes after the surgery.
4. You are advised to wear thick clothes because it's quite cold in the OT (operation theatre).
5. Please bring someone with you on that day, to drive you home.
6. Do not forget to bring your shade since you really need it. (Your eyes will be very uncomfortable and sensitive to the lights).
So on the D-day, you are advised to arrive early. The staff will give you the consent form. Read all the terms and risks before putting your signature. Remember, think twice before signing the form. Once you do the surgery there'll be no return lol. The staff will also give you a brown paperbag with few eyedrops and eye shield inside. Soon, he/she will bring you upstairs via lift and you will be told to wait in a room. They will require you to put all your belongings (including tudung) aside and wear the surgery gown and cap. For muslims, since you need to take off your hijab, you can still wear your inner neck into OT for modesty purpose. However, you need to loose your hair so they may ask you to remove the hair band or hair clip. Then, you will be waiting in a room together with other patients, taking turn to be called into the OT. As your name is called, you will wait and be asked to sit on a sofa just outside the OT room. It's quite dark inside there, on the way to the OT. While sitting there, the nurse will drop some medication into your eyes. You will feel so nervous while waiting for your turn (since you are alone). Furthermore, you can even hear the sound of the machine. Next, as the doctor is done with the patient before you, you will be asked to go into the OT and the patient will give some sort of feedback, just to convince you that it's not painful at all.
NOW, IT'S YOUR TURN. 😜 The doctor will greet you and you will lie down on the OT Table. It was quite scary for me. I have been observing surgeries during my med school, but being a patient is definitely a different story. I finally understand how those patients feel. (Can use this experience for my PPD Reflective Writing lol). The doctor will ask you to stare at the green light. So all you need to do is to STARE at that green laser light. Each eye will take about few seconds to minutes. It was really fast but I could still remember how terrified I was. 😅 The doctor will sort of 'clean' your eyes, 'swipe' them before you do your part - STARE at the light without blinking. It was not painful at all, but sort of uncomfortable because you need to stare and could not even blink your eyes. In less than 15 minutes, tadaaaaa the surgery has come to the end. So you will wear the shades and here comes the 'Thug Life'. You will also be advised to sleep for about 3-4 hours after the surgery.
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| Picture courtesy of Mr. Google |
1. There are few medications which you need to drop onto your eyes. Some have different duration so you need to be aware. I had my mother to help me back then, so I was really grateful for that. She actually did a timetable to keep those medications on track and on time.
2. You need to avoid water from getting into your eyes during shower or wudhu. Why? Because tap water contains bacteria, so it may cause infection. I tried to avoid shampoo for the first week, it was really uncomfortable so on the second week my mom tried to modify the shower place into saloon shower so that she could help me with shampooing my hair. Yeah, my mom is so creative! 😂
3. And NO MAKE UP for at least 3 weeks!
4. Not to forget, no swimming or exercise for 3 weeks. Yeah, welcome to sedentary lifestyle. 😂
On D1 post op, right after I woke up from my sleep, the analgesic effect had totally worn out and I felt tremendous discomfort (I wouldn't say pain because it was not painful but it was more to discomfort, that sandy feeling in your eyes). It was really uncomfortable but I could not rub it. Furthermore, I could not really open my eyes with lights turning on although I was wearing my shade. I wanted to cry and shout. I was getting very cocky about the whole recovery thing so my mom actually called the doctor personally and he assured me that it was a normal process. They did prepare an anaesthetic drop for this kind of situation, so I used it for the first time. I really wanted to avoid it as it may lengthen the recovery process but I was literally rolling around in fits of 'pain'. I could feel tears stuck around both contact lenses (yeah, you have contact lenses put on your eyes post-operatively and they will be removed few days after that). Slowly, the pain subsided over the next hour but at one point the recovery will hit you again.
There's also this pair of eye shield that you have to wear for at least one week after the surgery when you go to bed. This reminds me of our medschool topic - Ophtalmology Emergency ( do not pad the eye, shield it. 👻)
In summary, my vision improved only about 40-50% for the first week. I was very sensitive to the light during the first week, so I wore shades indoor and I did not go out at all. The pain totally subsided after day 3 to 4, especially after the removal of contact lens. I could not watch TV, read my messages on the phone or read book. I COULD DO NOTHING BESIDES EAT, SLEEP, SHOWER.
The recovery had gotten better after one week, and in one month time my visual field started to improve to 6/6. I felt much better and my light sensitivity was almost gone. I refused to go out due to the horrific halos I had when looking at lights. Regardless it became easier to look at screens, though I was reading my text messages at distance. I still had to apply the drops regularly according to the instructions (please bear in mind that the eyedrops are quite a lot and for at least one month if I'm not mistaken). I am still using the Refresh Liquigel Lubricant Eye Drops now sometimes, just to avoid dry eyes especially after long hours of staring into the laptop screen or mobile phone.
I would say the experience varies individually. Some of the patients I met in the clinic recovered faster and some were even worse than me. It was definitely a journey that I would never forget, but I am grateful that I do not have to wear glasses any more (as long as I take good care of my eyes). I could read lines on the chart and words on the powerpoint slides without glasses, and I could not be happier with my results. The reason I am writing this is that, if you encounter the same experience as mine, do not be scared, it is normal. And I would advise anyone out there to prepare yourself before the surgery - physically and mentally. I could still recall how regret I was during the first few days after the surgery - it was all due to the pain and discomfort. Ultimately it is an individual decision, however I would recommend this to anyone on the fence or wanting to do it. So be prepared guys, and good luck! 😙
