Thursday, October 27, 2005
My Initial Consultation
Well, I 'bit the bullet' and had my initial consultation today.
In order to save some money, I got a referral from a GP which allows me to claim back about $60 of the $170 fee. This alone was a bit of a headache, trying to find a GP to give a referral. I first tried an optometrist, but he wanted to do a full checkup. Instead, I went to a Medical Centre (there's one in Chatswood in the same building as the Eye Institute) and got it done on Medicare.
What Happened
After a short wait, I went into a room with Arnie-like equipment that reminded me of Total Recall and The Sixth Day. They took some eye measurements (totally painless) and even blew a puff of air into my eyes. The output was a couple of sheets of colourful diagrams that described the shape and health of my eyes.
I then went through a pretty normal eye examination, the same as done at an Optometrist. One of my eyes is 20/20 (meaning I can see writing of size 20 at 20 metres), while my other is not as good.
Interestly, one question they asked was:
They then gave me me a list of potential complications that could result from the procedure. I understand that they need to do this from the legal perspective but, boy, that list is scarey! It covered things like:
However, the most scarey warnings related to the flap. Things like:
Fortunately, my personal research has shown me that IntraLase is safer than the old microkeratome method of cutting the flap. In fact, this is the main reason why I'm considering LASIK -- it's just a hell of a lot safer.
They then gave me some eyedrops to dilate my pupil, and a business/marketing person came into discuss all these dangres. She asked me if I had any questions on the topics listed, but as my eyes dilated I couldn't even read the sheet any more!
For some fun, I went and had a look at my eyes in the mirror and -- wow! -- my pupils were as big as an owl's eye! The black part of my eye had grown to occupy practically the whole coloured part of my eye. It was fascinating.
The Expert
My allocated surgeon, Dr Chris Rogers, was then ushered into my room and he put on something that could only be described as a miner's hat with a lamp on top. He looked into my eyes, did some measurements and declared that my eyes were good for LASIK.
I asked him about CustomCornea, a system that can perform custom LASIK tailored for individual eyes. He said that they'll definitely use it in my case (no extra cost). I've got plenty of corneal thickness, which is important for safe shaping.
That about concluded my visit. By this stage, I was having trouble focussing on anything. When I went to pay and sign the credit card docket, I couldn't even read the amount for which I was signing! I declined to book a date for the procedure because I still wasn't 100% sure that I'd go ahead, but I got the dates that Dr Rogers operates.
It's getting close to Christmas, and I don't want that to potentially interfere with any post-procedure complications. Then again, it's a good time to sit back and avoid eye strain at work. Then again, I don't want to miss out on holiday time around then, especially going into the water with my children. So many decisions! :)
I then walked to work, having been told that I'd be unable to drive. They were sure right about that -- it was a very sunny day and I walked for the 30-minute trip with both eyes closed, only occasionally squinting out to make sure I was walking in the right direction. Luckilly, when I got to work we had to watch a 1-hour video, which gave me a chance to close my eyes and 'recover'. (I don't think I snored!)
Just that little bit of eye stress showed me the importance of having sufficient recovery time if I go ahead. The eyes seem to be a very 'connected' part of the body.
Bottom Line
So, I took the first step. Now to see if I'm willing to continue. I'll discuss it with my wife.
-- Fabbo
Tags: LASIK Laser Eye Surgery
In order to save some money, I got a referral from a GP which allows me to claim back about $60 of the $170 fee. This alone was a bit of a headache, trying to find a GP to give a referral. I first tried an optometrist, but he wanted to do a full checkup. Instead, I went to a Medical Centre (there's one in Chatswood in the same building as the Eye Institute) and got it done on Medicare.
What Happened
After a short wait, I went into a room with Arnie-like equipment that reminded me of Total Recall and The Sixth Day. They took some eye measurements (totally painless) and even blew a puff of air into my eyes. The output was a couple of sheets of colourful diagrams that described the shape and health of my eyes.I then went through a pretty normal eye examination, the same as done at an Optometrist. One of my eyes is 20/20 (meaning I can see writing of size 20 at 20 metres), while my other is not as good.
Interestly, one question they asked was:
How well do you expect to see after the procedure?I wasn't prepared for this quesiton -- I had always assumed that I'd get vision as good as I get with glasses. Mind you, it'd be nice if I got better vision, but that isn't why I'm thinking of doing LASIK.
They then gave me me a list of potential complications that could result from the procedure. I understand that they need to do this from the legal perspective but, boy, that list is scarey! It covered things like:
- Light sensitivity
- Ghosting, especially at night
- Reduced tear production (most probably only temporary)
- General dangers of surgery
- ...and the fact that my eyesight might actually get worse
However, the most scarey warnings related to the flap. Things like:- Outer layer cells regrowing under the flap (ouch!)
- Unwanted stuff getting into the eye
- Free cap (where it fully comes off)
Fortunately, my personal research has shown me that IntraLase is safer than the old microkeratome method of cutting the flap. In fact, this is the main reason why I'm considering LASIK -- it's just a hell of a lot safer.They then gave me some eyedrops to dilate my pupil, and a business/marketing person came into discuss all these dangres. She asked me if I had any questions on the topics listed, but as my eyes dilated I couldn't even read the sheet any more!
For some fun, I went and had a look at my eyes in the mirror and -- wow! -- my pupils were as big as an owl's eye! The black part of my eye had grown to occupy practically the whole coloured part of my eye. It was fascinating.The Expert
My allocated surgeon, Dr Chris Rogers, was then ushered into my room and he put on something that could only be described as a miner's hat with a lamp on top. He looked into my eyes, did some measurements and declared that my eyes were good for LASIK.
I asked him about CustomCornea, a system that can perform custom LASIK tailored for individual eyes. He said that they'll definitely use it in my case (no extra cost). I've got plenty of corneal thickness, which is important for safe shaping.That about concluded my visit. By this stage, I was having trouble focussing on anything. When I went to pay and sign the credit card docket, I couldn't even read the amount for which I was signing! I declined to book a date for the procedure because I still wasn't 100% sure that I'd go ahead, but I got the dates that Dr Rogers operates.
It's getting close to Christmas, and I don't want that to potentially interfere with any post-procedure complications. Then again, it's a good time to sit back and avoid eye strain at work. Then again, I don't want to miss out on holiday time around then, especially going into the water with my children. So many decisions! :)
I then walked to work, having been told that I'd be unable to drive. They were sure right about that -- it was a very sunny day and I walked for the 30-minute trip with both eyes closed, only occasionally squinting out to make sure I was walking in the right direction. Luckilly, when I got to work we had to watch a 1-hour video, which gave me a chance to close my eyes and 'recover'. (I don't think I snored!)
Just that little bit of eye stress showed me the importance of having sufficient recovery time if I go ahead. The eyes seem to be a very 'connected' part of the body.
Bottom Line
So, I took the first step. Now to see if I'm willing to continue. I'll discuss it with my wife.
-- Fabbo
Tags: LASIK Laser Eye Surgery
# posted by Fabbo @ 4:40 pm 
