I can finally see!

Since the 7th grade I’ve been wearing glasses and contacts. Without them I was blind.

When I hit my 30’s my eyes began to change. I would normally wear my contacts during the day and put my glasses on at night however, my eyes began to rebel against my contacts. At times I felt like it took an extra second for my sense of place to catch up with where my eyes were actually looking…if that makes any sense at all. The best I can describe it as a little eye dizziness. They also became more dry than normal which started to cause headaches.  I opted to wear my glasses all the time except if I was going to exercise or to an event.  Even at that, my glasses began to hurt my head.

Brooke Walker, who hosts the Studio 5 show where I share lots of my DIY projects mentioned that she had PRK (similar to Lasik) to correct her far-sightedness and was really pleased.  I decided to make an appointment with Darcy Wolsey of the Eye Institute of Utah for a free consultation to see if I was a potential candidate for Lasik eye surgery so I would no longer have to wear glasses or contacts.  The appointment lasted about 45 minutes where they did all kinds of comprehensive tests on my eyes.  After a thorough conversation it was determined that I was okay to go forward with Lasik if I so wished but PRK would probably be a better option.

If you’re not familiar with with Lasik or PRK, they are both eye surgeries using a laser that re-shapes the cornea.  With Lasik they cut a thin flap to access the area be re-shaped.  With PRK they remove the epithelium tissue on the eye to access the area to be re-shaped with the laser.

On the day of surgery I was a bundle of nerves.  Everything bad went through my mind…we’re talking about my precious eyes here.  A lot at stake.

I barely slept the night prior out of nervousness but I was ready for surgery if it meant no more glasses, contacts or eye disorientation.
With my designated driver by my side I was ready get my eyes done.

PRK eye surgery is pretty routine and takes less than 10 minutes, surprisingly.

You are awake the whole time but you feel nothing.  The hardest part is just getting over your nerves (which they gave me their resident teddy bear to hold on to).

Dr. Wolsey and her team were an absolute dream.  I’ve seen some not-so-great doctors in the past so I know great when I see it.  Not only does she have thousands of very successful surgeries under her belt but she also has the best bed-side manor.  Totally cool, calm and collected.

The Mr. was able watch the entire thing.  Minutes after surgery I could already see remarkably better.  Things were still blurry and my eyes had obviously gone through a major ordeal but I could tell right away things were going to be world’s different.  The next three days were recovery in bed.  It wasn’t awful but not gonna lie, it was no walk in the park either.

 Stinging, burning, light sensitivity, dryness and eyes shut for three days…scary pic, I know.  Looks more like I got in a brawl fight. My eyes would go in and out of focus and on several occasion I questioned my decision.   Luckily, my friend also had PRK on the same day so we were able to communicate and compare recovery notes the whole time.  That was huge to know that everything we were both going through was totally normal.  Day 4, I woke up and my eyes felt amazingly better.

At my one-week check up I was already seeing 20/25.

6 weeks later and my eyes are at 20/15.  I’m seeing better than before with glasses and contacts!  Holy cow people, after 20+ years of having worn glasses / contacts it is amazing to wake up in the middle of the night and be able to see my alarm clock without knocking everything off my nightstand to find my glasses.  It is a miracle to see perfectly when I’m at the pool.  It’s wonderful to not have to fool around with contacts, solutions, glasses, special microfiber cloths … all that stuff is no longer a part of my daily routine.  I’m SOOO glad I went through with the surgery.  Over time, the surgery will pay for itself if you add up the cost of everything glasses and contacts entail.

If you’re considering Lasik or PRK I would highly recommend Dr. Wolsey and her team at the Eye Institute of Utah 200%.  I even talked to a couple of her nurses who said they had their eyes done some where else prior to knowing Dr. Wolsey and wished they would have had their eyes done by her instead.  One of the things that makes the Eye Institute of Utah different is you usually don’t have your follow ups and exams done by the surgeon.  Dr. Wolsey does your exams as well as your surgery.  She really is a first rate doctor.

Now for some really exciting news…The Eye Institute is running a Mother’s Day Giveaway… 4 moms will receive Lasik for free.  To nominate a deserving mom go to The Eye Institute of Utah website. If you’re interested in having Lasik or PRK done you can schedule a free consultation exam by calling 800.760.4171.  To learn more about Lasik or PRK visit their site here.