Well hello, bloggie.

While I did consciously make a decision to let this place be an archive of past memories, I just can't help to use it for significant milestones, can I?

And this time, it's for something that I (still) can't believe I ended up going through with; Refractive Surgery! (or LASIK, as it commonly is called).

Without going into it too much, I just felt I should pen (or blog) down some snippets of my decision-making process, as well as what I felt happened during the surgery and some time after that, for memory's sake. A long post follows!

I first toyed around with the idea of LASIK back in uni, knowing that I always preferred to wear contact lens than glasses. Only problem is, there was no specific toric lenses that can provide my eyes with the correction required for my myopia and astigmatism, and I was (and still am) too lazy to maintain my monthly contact lenses every day, knowing that it was difficult to put on my morning sleepy eyes and that my eyes would gradually get irritated over wearing contacts continuously for almost a week.

When I saw one of my schoolmates did it, I found out that the procedure cost around $7k for both eyes then (iirc), and knowing that it was way beyond my affordability, I shelved the idea.

Not long after I started working (I was 24 then), the idea came up again but I thought it was something that is more of a "want" and not a "need", and so I believed it was not time yet and might be better to save up first as a higher priority to build up my finances. The idea of LASIK stayed as such at the back of my head since then.

Fast-forward to the end 2021, close to 2 years after COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, the idea of LASIK came up again in a conversation, and it got me thinking and even before I consciously rationalised the decision to go through with it, I knew that in my gut feeling that the timing seemed right. All I needed was to find the right place and time (more specifically) to do it.

To put simply, the main impetus for me to go through with it is that this is the year I will approach 30 years of age, the age in which I've wanted to do LASIK by (before it is supposedly too late and not worth the time anymore!), other superficial reasons aside. Ha!

Background research and decision-making

Out of the 3 most common refractive surgery method (LASIK, Surface Ablation/SA, SMILE), I initially wanted to opt for Surface Ablation method, thinking that the no-flap procedure will be safer in the long run in case I ever get into an accident during basketball or TKD sessions, despite it having a longer recovery time before being able to get back to work (almost a week instead of 2-3 days for the other two).

It was a good thing I consulted a friend of mine with an optometry background (who did LASIK herself as well) and it was then I got to a conclusion that the chances of flap complications are only ever slightly higher if you are constantly hitting your face against something (e.g. boxing), otherwise, it doesn't mean that you will get your flap opened again during basketball sessions.

(The conversation with Dr. Marc Tay during my eventual pre-LASIK consultation also cemented my decision to go with the LASIK method, but more on that later.)

I consulted the same friend on my shortlisted clinics as well and eventually settled on LSC Eye Clinic in Paragon, based on her general opinion (even though she did hers at another clinic), the good reviews, option to have same-day assessment and surgery (not all eye clinics offer that!), and pricing. Yeah, so a balanced decision all in all. I think they have a referral code if you want to quote another patient (or quote me, haha), but I'm not sure how much the discount is now since I did not use it.

Disclaimer for self and readers (if any): Not a sponsored post and not a medical advice. This post is simply for my memory's sake :)

Day 0 - Eye Assessment and LASIK

Even when booking for an appointment at the clinic, I already knew I wanted to get the surgery on the same day, unless my eye assessment requires me to only do Surface Ablation procedure which will need me to be out of commission from work for a week and needs me to make some arrangement which would have me delay the procedure by probably another week.

I arrived for my appointment at 10:30AM, after a quick breakfast at home and morning shower and shampoo (getting ready to be without hair wash for 2 days). All the staff were very approachable and friendly, even when my eyes require multiple takes during one of the eye scans. The test itself involves assessing my eye degrees, eye pressure test, corneal scans, and eye imaging. After that, one of the staff dilated my pupils with some eye drops in preparation for the consultation with the doctor later, and proceeded to test my eyesight with lenses and screens like one would do when testing for your eye prescriptions (or what I would call the "optical shop test")

After that, I was asked to watch some information videos on the DOs and DONTs for the before and after surgery, as well as the surgery options available. I was then brought in for another "optical shop test". The staff and optometrists did not mention anything adverse during all the tests and I did not ask either, thinking I would get assessed by the doctor later on anyway. All I told myself during the assessment is to remember as much as I can and be honest on how my eyes felt during the sessions.

After around an hour of registration and eye assessment, I was then given around 1 hour for lunch. Came back at 12:30PM and the staff applied another eye drop to slowly reverse the dilation effect from earlier to prep in advance for the surgery scheduled around 2 hours later (this is a step that I think is done only if you undergo same-day surgery).

Waited for a bit and got my consultation with Dr. Marc Tay. who was warm and patient throughout. After a quick check on my eyes with some kind of microscope, he went over on my assessment record (which I recalled seem to be even more than my current prescriptions!). For comparison:

• Current prescription: R: -4.50, Cyl -2.5. L: -4.75, Cyl -1.00
• What I think I saw: R: -4.75, Cyl -2.5. L: -5.00, Cyl -1.25

The thing is, Dr. Tay mentioned that my eyes are all good for the procedures when I asked how my eyes are and I could even choose which ones I prefer. He then asked whether I had done some research on these and I explained that I was thinking about LASIK or SMILE method at the time, mentioning my inclination away from the long-recovery period of SA. He explained that generally speaking flaps are not that scary, knowing how human bodies operate and heal from his experience in performing surgeries all the time, and would usually recommend no-flap procedures only when the eyes require it (e.g. when the corneas are not thick enough for the standard procedures), or when the patients are really uncomfortable with the idea of flap-related procedures on the cornea, or if the patients have dry eyes as a pre-existing condition. Asking whether I have such condition and describing my experience with contact lenses, he mentioned that symptoms of significant dry-eye conditions would be something like having the need for eye drops even while wearing specs, meaning that since I can usually wear contacts for at least 4-6 hours a day, my eyes are not considered "dry eyes" per se.

Moving on, he then explained that the clinic offer two types of LASIK, Standard VS Customised. While the physical correction method of both are the same, Customised LASIK apparently uses a different software which takes into account the physical eye conditions in greater detail for different individuals, and (based on my research too), will be more effective in reducing potential night vision problems and is more effective for someone with higher degree of astigmatism. In his opinion, astigmatism of 0.00 to -1.00 is considered Low, -1.00 to -2.00 is considered Moderate, and beyond that he would consider it High. So he did mention that my eyes may benefit from the Customised method should I choose to go for it, and explained that one of the staff would discuss with me on the pricing for all procedures after the session. With that, he asked if I have any other questions, and the consultation ended. He also re-assured me to come back at any time before the surgery if I have any other questions. Nice gesture I would say!

Before going through the pricing, I went to call my mum right away (who is probably the most worried person and therefore the hardest to get a blessing from, haha), and she told me to get clarification on whether down the road I can only use specific types of eye drops or treatments after the surgery, which she said she has to after her ICL few years back. While I got some info from the staff after that there is no need for such, perhaps I can drop the question to Dr. Tay in my post-op review.

During the discussion about pricing, here is what I recalled on the pricing of the procedure, including the eye assessment and medication which are equal for all:

• LASIK Standard: ~$3.5k
• LASIK Customised: ~$4.5k
• RELEX SMILE: ~$5.7k

I think I made up my mind on Customised LASIK pretty much right away. Haha. I like how fast my brain and gut feeling works in weighing the costs and benefits.

There was a bit of problem getting my credit card through even though I wanted to pay by installments, which reminded me that I had outstanding bills to clear. Good thing it went through after, I was not fully prepared to wipe out my savings in such a short time like that..

At about 1:45PM (I think), I was brought to the operation area to get ready. Sat down on a nice 1-seater wingchair type of sofa and put on the medical shower cap, a pair of blue feet cover and a blue surgery gown of the same material on top of my attire.

One of the nurses explained the medication goody bag which includes a mini instruction leaflet and my Medical Cert, and dilation-reversing drops were applied on my eyes again, which slowly cause my far vision to blur more. I was also given a type of pill to relax myself, which I suppose would especially help those who are very nervous. Not long after, 2 more patients came in, who would be going for the procedure today as well. The nurse then explained what to expect during the operation, whereby there would be 2 machines; one to create the flap (I'll call it Laser 1) and one to correct the eyesight itself (I'll call it Laser 2). All we had to do was to stare at the green and red light on each machine respectively and no pain is expected. The relaxant pill started to take effect on me and I remember feeling a little floaty and utterly relaxed.

Another nurse then applied numbing eyedrops on my eyes, and looks like I was the first to go!

I was escorted into the operating theatre, and remember feeling a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and relaxation at the same time. The nurse set me down on the operating platform lying down. Dr. Tay covered my left eye first, taped both top and bottom sides of my right eyelashes and propped my eye open in place with a special tool. He calmly told me to just relax (which at this point I think the effect of the relaxant pill kicked in full force, feeling like I couldn't be physically nervous even if I wanted to) and stare at the green light as the operating platform moved me so that Laser 1 aims right above my eye. The laser scope went closer to my eye and I just focused on a green light in the middle as I heard a robotic voice "Suction on" and heard small amount of whirring as my eye gradually went all white (which was a little scary but expected!) for a few seconds before my vision returned. I then heard "Suction off". From what Dr. Tay sounded, looks like the procedure went all right and the machine moved me to aim on my left eye, as my right eyes got unpropped, eyelashes untapped, and covered (same preparation then applied on my left eye). ONLY THIS TIME, I significantly felt something grazing my eye in a circular motion after "Suction on" and before the white-out of my eye which I believed must be the flap being created on my eye surface. It was more exciting than scary though as I did not actually feel any pain throughout the process.

I remember numbing eyedrops being added after both my flap-creation procedures and I felt the operating platform where I was lying on being moved to Laser 2, which is next to Laser 1. As the laser scope aims for my eyes (after the same procedure of propping my eyes open and tapping my eyelashes occur), I remember seeing red lights but unlike Laser 1 where there was just 1 dot of light, what I saw in Laser 2 also include splashes of red light all around, and not just a dot of red light. I remember Dr. Tay mentioned that Laser 2 was going to do some focusing (or was it scanning? I can't remember now) which after that I presumed was related to the Customised LASIK software procedure.

I felt the cornea flap being opened and my eyes being rubbed with a hand tool, which I suppose was to reveal the underneath layer for correction, although again, there was no pain at all. As the procedure began, Dr. Tay calmly voiced out the percentage completion (20%, 50%, 80%, and completion) during this time, as I saw the red lights moving a little, heard the machine whirring, and smelled a burning smell (which reminded me of laser-cutting time in SUTD). It was very quick now that I think about it, maybe not more than 30-60seconds for Laser 2 to work on each eye. After that, I felt the same hand tool from earlier close the flap back, and another hand tool dabbing the corneal surface a bit, which I think was to set the flap in place to heal itself. Rinse and repeat for the left eye. The whole process felt very smooth and in order. Dr. Tay's operating hands, though very minimally involved during the overall procedures, were utterly steady and that was reassuring.

I must say that throughout the whole procedure for Laser 1 and 2, it was probably the peak of mindfulness for me, thinking about nothing else but focusing on whatever was going on. Haha. As much as I wanted to burn the whole experience in my brain, I also remember feeling the highest sensation of uber relaxed and floating just before getting up from the operating platform after Laser 2. I was then assisted to walk over and sit in front of an eye-exam device to get my eyes scoped and examined by Dr. Tay. He mentioned that everything was good and that I should just go home and rest as my eyes would tear up a lot and feel as if there are sands inside. With that, he gave me two thumbs up as I thanked him and was escorted to my wingchair right outside the operating theatre.

I remember the other lady patient (Patient 2) outside looking in both wonders, concerns, and curiosity (judging from how her eyes look behind a face mask) and all I could say was that it was quicker than I thought, and no pain! It was also then I realised that I could see much better than before right away, although my vision was not 100%. I verified the description of the process that one of the nurses described before I went in to the theatre, and not long after she was escorted inside and I remember wishing her all the best.

I was just sitting there and no one attended to me after a nurse applied the first drop of antibiotic eye drop so I thought I was just placed here to be monitored in case there was anything that got messed up. I had a pleasant conversation with another guy patient (Patient 3, the last for that day). I think he was a few years older than me at least. We spoke about our jobs (he was a structural engineer working on wind turbines), our decision for LASIK (he chose Customised as well), his degree (which I think was around half of my eye prescription), and EPL (he was a Liverpool supporter). I also remembered feeling more discomfort in my eyes gradually and had to speak to him with my eyes closed halfway our conversation. A nurse passing by mentioned that this was due to the numbing eye drops, which were applied during the operation earlier, starting to wear out.

Not long after, Patient 2 came out of the theatre as I was prepped to leave the clinic itself, and while it was a shame I didn't get to ask about her experience, I did get to wish Patient 3 the best of luck as I headed out. It was slightly past 3:00PM then. I was then told that the first follow-up review would be on Monday 21 Feb, and the timing will be advised to me.

As I was heading out, I remember feeling quite pleased as I could start seeing things more clearly right away. But oh man, as I arrived at the taxi stand waiting for the ride home, it was getting unbearable to keeping my eyes open and I couldn't reply any messages from my mum properly. When I arrived home, all I could remember other than withstanding the pain in my eyes were showering quickly (thank goodness the procedure still allowed me to clean myself from my neck and below), popping the first of the 2 sleeping pills prescribed, applied a dose of antibiotic and lubricating eye drop each, quickly taped the eye shield provided onto my face, and went to nap. I think that was about 4:00PM.

When I woke up next, I think it was about 8:00PM. My eyes were feeling much better and I was a bit hungry, so I made myself some quick cereal dinner, which I could still enjoy while watching a clip or two online! I kinda forgot what happened after that, but I popped the last of the sleeping pill prescribed, and headed to bed again, falling fully asleep around 12:00AM I think.

Day 1 - Post-Op Recovery

Throughout the night, I remember waking up at least a couple of times, until the last one when I saw the clock at around 9:00AM. I laid around in bed still with my eye shields on, but got out of bed around an hour later to apply eye drops and wiped my eyes with the cleaning wipes prescribed. It was a sight to behold (literally) when I realised I was seeing things clearly. In fact it was already clearer than what I would usually experience with contact lenses on. Having pretty much nothing else on my mind other than this surreal experience over the last day, I made a list of quick observations and notes that I wanted to bring up during my first post-op review for discussion with the doctor.

Throughout the day, I was still able to function normally, although I avoided things like dusting things off and was still within the boundary of my place. Looking at screens was not a problem too but I did find my eyes getting tired more easily and the brightness too strong so I wore the sunglasses provided whenever I used my computer screen. My right eye felt normal too but my left eye felt like there was an object stuck on it every time I blinked, which I hoped would be part of the usual process.

Later on in the day, I started to wonder if it was really necessary applying the lubricating eye drops every hour for the first month as instructed, as my eyes did not feel dry at all but that might be because I did it anyway and this was the intended effect. I went to bed at night without any issues and even started to get used to the eye shields. I was relieved I could sleep with them on my side, which is my default sleeping position.

Edit: Monday 21 Feb 2022

Day 2 - Post-Op Recovery and Doctor's Review

Woke up with my left eye feeling better than yesterday, but still with some slight discomfort remaining. I can now withstand seeing computer screens longer and without sunglasses, in a well-lit room. I made a point to look away and stare outside my windows once in a while though. The exercises of applying the eye drops and eye wipes continued. Feeling better overall!

Got my appointment for the review with Dr. Tay at 2:45PM in the day. I was told that the recovery process is well underway and nothing short of expected. Some of the things I covered during the consultation:

• My corneal flaps are healing well in place
• Vision is about 75%-80% now and will recover further in 1-2 weeks time
• The sunglasses provided can be worn as and when I feel uncomfortable with lights or if my eyes get sensitive at high brightness, but otherwise the procedure didn't mess up my eyesight or anything like that
• No dietary restrictions required i.e. continue to eat seafood all I want (not that it's my thing)
• Healing process for each eye can be different i.e. the higher level of irritation on my left eye is normal
• Seeing floaters more clearly is normal as my eyesight is also getting more clarity
• No issues to start tapering down the dose of the lubricating eye drops and just use it depending on my comfort level, i.e. no need to keep using it every hour for the 1st month as originally prescribed
• No restrictions on specific type of eye drops to use in the future
• No issues if I want to use muscle relaxant to sleep in the future, if necessary
• Take regular eye breaks and minimise strain on the eyes

Well, so far so good, and the next review will be in 2 weeks time to check on my corneas again.

All in all, I'm now feeling that I should've done this years ago!! Already feeling like it's a worthwhile investment.

Edit: Monday 07 March 2022

Day 16 & 2-Week Post-Op Review

At Day 14, I remember observing that the halos and starbursts are very minimal, although seeing direct sources of light like car lights strain my eyes. My right eye feel like it performs less clearly than my left. Dry eyes are getting rare too, so I've been using the eye drops sparingly, around a couple of times a day.

No Dr. Tay during the review today, just with one of the optometrists in the clinic. Generally no issues, although I still felt my eyesight is not 100%. Some of the things I covered during the review today:

• Vision is ~80% now. Eyesight is at least 20/20 or 6/6
• Vision will heal up further up to around 1 month
• Flaps healing well
• Will not dislodge the corneal flap unless it's caused by a major hit or accident, in which case this will be a bad pain to the eye, so much so that the eye can't be opened, or so I was told. In that case, a visit to the clinic will be warranted
• Recommended to continue using the lubricating eye drops 4 times a day for the first month. At this point, the stock of preservative-free eye drops given to me was almost wiped out despite me using them more sparingly
• After that, can continue to use the normal, non-preservative-free ones if desired