Milestones and Hurdles
The first thing you need to know after Visian surgery is that light is not your friend. I have never been so light sensitive in my entire life! Even with sunglasses on in the dark, it felt like the world was just too bright.
I managed to sleep for quite a few hours after returning home from surgery, which was much needed. I hadn’t slept the night before in anticipation of the surgery. My eyes felt a bit gritty when I woke up, but I wasn’t in any pain. I needed to follow a strict regimen of eye drops to prevent infection and to reduce inflammation. The antibiotic drops were prescribed for a week, while the steroid drops were to be taken for a month. I had typed up a chart in advance with the exact regimen I needed to follow so I wouldn’t miss any drops or forget which I had taken. I didn’t want to risk any complications.
The first night, I saw halos around every light source. I know this sounds weird, but they made the lights look really beautiful. Despite that, I hoped they wouldn’t continue since there would be no way I could drive at night if that was the case.
I was supposed to wear tinted goggles to bed to prevent me from rubbing or bumping my eyes during the night, which made for a completely sleepless night. I rose the next morning feeling as though the experience I had just been through was completely surreal. It still hadn’t sunk in that I could actually see. I felt like I was wearing my contacts or was seeing because of my sunglasses. Although I knew that wasn’t the case, it was hard to wrap my head around the fact that I wasn’t wearing corrective lenses.
My eyes were still painfully light sensitive as we made our way back to the doctor’s office for my one day follow-up appointment. They checked my pressure, which was great, and then it was time to test my vision. I knew I was seeing really well, but my vision was fluctuating a bit and the light issue was making it hard to truly really sense what my vision was like. In the dark room, looking at the eye chart, I read the 20/20 line with both eyes!! It was too good to be true. I hadn’t really expected that to happen not just in that moment, but EVER, since I had been told that I wouldn’t achieve 20/20 vision with surgery.
Despite my incredible excitement, I was still feeling quite anxious when I got home. I wasn’t sure what side effects were normal and which warranted a phone call. I was seeing flickering in my right eye and occasional flashes in both of my eyes, but not simultaneously. I knew that flashes were a red flag for retinal issues, and it really scared me. I was also exhausted from two nights of not sleeping and feeling very unsure about what to do. I decided to sleep on the couch that night, minus the goggles and hoped things would get better.
Now, two days after surgery, my right eye feels amazing and the light sensitivity is pretty much gone, as are the halos around the lights in my house. My left eye is experiencing a little pain with certain movements, but I’m hoping that will quickly dissipate. I’m beginning to think that the flashes are prisms creating shimmering glares from my iridotomy holes. I hope that I’m right.
Most importantly, my vision is unbelievable!! I can’t stop marveling at not only what I can see, but how vivid and vibrant everything is. I had read that having Visian lenses would be comparable to watching hgtv. That is an understatement! I wonder if other people can see the colors I’m seeing or if I’ve just been missing out my whole life. In particular, the greens are simply indescribable. Every blade of grass seems to pop out at me! On my two walks with my dog, I simply stared in awe at what seemed like a whole new world. There really are no words to describe the beauty and clarity. I’m seeing everything with a completely new perspective. As my father used to say, “it’s beautiful... simply beautiful.”
I managed to sleep for quite a few hours after returning home from surgery, which was much needed. I hadn’t slept the night before in anticipation of the surgery. My eyes felt a bit gritty when I woke up, but I wasn’t in any pain. I needed to follow a strict regimen of eye drops to prevent infection and to reduce inflammation. The antibiotic drops were prescribed for a week, while the steroid drops were to be taken for a month. I had typed up a chart in advance with the exact regimen I needed to follow so I wouldn’t miss any drops or forget which I had taken. I didn’t want to risk any complications.
The first night, I saw halos around every light source. I know this sounds weird, but they made the lights look really beautiful. Despite that, I hoped they wouldn’t continue since there would be no way I could drive at night if that was the case.
I was supposed to wear tinted goggles to bed to prevent me from rubbing or bumping my eyes during the night, which made for a completely sleepless night. I rose the next morning feeling as though the experience I had just been through was completely surreal. It still hadn’t sunk in that I could actually see. I felt like I was wearing my contacts or was seeing because of my sunglasses. Although I knew that wasn’t the case, it was hard to wrap my head around the fact that I wasn’t wearing corrective lenses.
My eyes were still painfully light sensitive as we made our way back to the doctor’s office for my one day follow-up appointment. They checked my pressure, which was great, and then it was time to test my vision. I knew I was seeing really well, but my vision was fluctuating a bit and the light issue was making it hard to truly really sense what my vision was like. In the dark room, looking at the eye chart, I read the 20/20 line with both eyes!! It was too good to be true. I hadn’t really expected that to happen not just in that moment, but EVER, since I had been told that I wouldn’t achieve 20/20 vision with surgery.
Despite my incredible excitement, I was still feeling quite anxious when I got home. I wasn’t sure what side effects were normal and which warranted a phone call. I was seeing flickering in my right eye and occasional flashes in both of my eyes, but not simultaneously. I knew that flashes were a red flag for retinal issues, and it really scared me. I was also exhausted from two nights of not sleeping and feeling very unsure about what to do. I decided to sleep on the couch that night, minus the goggles and hoped things would get better.
Now, two days after surgery, my right eye feels amazing and the light sensitivity is pretty much gone, as are the halos around the lights in my house. My left eye is experiencing a little pain with certain movements, but I’m hoping that will quickly dissipate. I’m beginning to think that the flashes are prisms creating shimmering glares from my iridotomy holes. I hope that I’m right.
Most importantly, my vision is unbelievable!! I can’t stop marveling at not only what I can see, but how vivid and vibrant everything is. I had read that having Visian lenses would be comparable to watching hgtv. That is an understatement! I wonder if other people can see the colors I’m seeing or if I’ve just been missing out my whole life. In particular, the greens are simply indescribable. Every blade of grass seems to pop out at me! On my two walks with my dog, I simply stared in awe at what seemed like a whole new world. There really are no words to describe the beauty and clarity. I’m seeing everything with a completely new perspective. As my father used to say, “it’s beautiful... simply beautiful.”
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