It’s been just about a week since I had LASIK surgery to correct my astigmatism. About every hour each day I’ve been using Refresh Plus lubricant eye drops. And about every 3-4 hours I’ve been using anti-inflammatory eye drops (Prednisolone Acetate Ophthalmic Suspension USP) and anti-bacterial drops (Zymaxid) drops to prevent infection. I’ve also been taking showers using swimming goggles to prevent water from getting in my eyes and wearing an eye shield at night to prevent myself from rubbing my eyes when sleeping. It sound like a lot, but it hasn’t been that much of a nuisance to deal with.

Overall, this past week has seen my eye sight fluctuate from good to ok to relatively blurry and back again. It’s been somewhat of a roller coaster that has had me wondering if the surgery was a success or not. Apparently, after talking to a few people, I’m not the first to have a feeling of disappointment during the first few days after the surgery. Even with that slight disappointment, there was no denying my eye sight was much better than before. I didn’t need glasses or contacts to just use the computer, watch TV, or drive. I should probably heed the advise I gave my mom last year prior to having knee surgery… Patience!

On Wednesday I even ventured out for a round of golf with some co-workers at Oak Creek in Irvine, CA. Apparently the surgery didn’t help my golf game, but I did manage to sink a long chip in on the final hole. I’m guessing it was in the 60+ foot range, but I’m not sure. A range finder wasn’t implanted as part of the eye surgery. Again, it seems the cost of the surgery should result in a few side benefits, but apparently not.

Anyway, earlier today I had a check-up with the doctor to see how things are progressing. My visual acuity in each eye is about 20/25 and combined I’m about 20/20. What that means is I’m able to see at 20 feet with each individual eye what a “normal” person can see at 25 feet. With both eyes open I’m now able to see what a normal person can see at 20 feet. I’ve spent all these years trying not to be normal and here I am having paid almost $4k to be able to see normal. What was I thinking?! The doctor said my eye sight will continue to get slightly better over the course of the next week or two, at which point I should be at about 20/20 with each individual eye. That’s consistent with what I’ve read online, which noted eye sight will reach about 75-80% of maximum during the first 3-4 days and will then improve modestly for up to 3-6 months.

The doctor still recommends I take the anti-inflammatory drops for a couple more days. Also, he noted I should continue to keep water out of my eyes, sleep with the eye shields, and refrain from strenuous exercise for another week. My next check up is in 3 weeks. I’ll post another update (hopefully) after the check-up.