If you research Laser Eye Surgery, you will probably discover that there are several different methods of surgery that you can have.  The type you have will be decided by your own personal eye condiction.

I was quite surprised that the actual treatment took less than 15 minutes.

I had treatment one eye at a time, but it is possible to have the operation in both eyes similtaneously.

You should talk through the options with your own surgeon.

Others have asked me about my the operation so I’ve prepared this brief account of my experience.  I hope that it will help you combat some of your fears or reservations.

I met with my surgeon  a few weeks before the treatment. He explained the surgery and explained what I could expect and he also covered the risks.

Although losing vision in the eye was always a risk to be considered, it was very rare.  Haloing was more common and this is where you can see a halo around lights especially at night.

Although I was very nervous on the day of the treatment, I was put at ease by the nurse and taken into the theater

You lie on a table on your back and a cushion was put beneath the knees which made lying down more comfortable.

You are given a paper hat to wear to prevent contamination from your hair.

After this the eye consultant was to clamp my eye open, which was quite a strange feeling.  It is unnerving not being able to blink.

Here the surgeon will thoroughly douse your eye with cold water and then apply anaesthetic drops so you will feel no pain.

The drops numbed my eye after that, so really the only thing I actually sensed was the cold water which was uncomfortable.

You will discover that you want to blink as the cold water is poured into the eye, but obviously, the clamp stops that.

Once your eye has been prepared, the laser is set up.

Everything is computer controlled so all he really has to do is press a button and make sure you keep your head still.

A nurse will hold your head to try to prevent movement.

As you lay on the table staring up at the laser you will see a red light.  This isn’t the laser, but the eye consultant will ask if you can see it.

Try to focus on this light and keep your eye focussed on it.  This will help the doctor when he turns on the laser.

This was not as easy as it sounds because your eyes will drift and if you do allow your eye to wander, you could impact the treatment.

My main reservation was the laser going off target and damaging my eye, but as there’s an automatic safety cut off switch which comes into play if your eye deviates, you don’t need to be concerned about this.

When the laser is activated, the eye consultant fires it in short blasts or pulses.

These only last a few seconds at a time and you can’t see or feel any pain when the laser hits.

But you will detect a burning smell as the tissue is burned from your eye.

This passes quickly, but I can still remember that smell after many years!

In my case there was around 3 or 4 pulses with the laser, then the procedure was finished.

All in all, the entire prodecure took less than half an hour.  Afterwards I was able to leave and drive home taking some drops for my eyes and pain killers.

I was also given a soft bandage contact lens which is just a plain soft contact lens to eliminate pain.

After a few days I returned to the hospital to have the lens removed.

The brilliant thing about these bandage lenses is that they allow you to see clearly almost immediately after the procedure and with very little pain.

Overall the operation was successful and I had the other eye operated on a few weeks afterwards.

In hindsight, I would definitely have both eyes done at the same time so if you are considering Laser Eye Surgery in both eyes, you should discuss correcting both eyes with your eye consultant .

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