My guide to getting Lasik :)

Okay firstly I think I am supposed to give a disclaimer saying I am not a medical professional nor is this medical advice so please don't sue me, thank you in advance lol.

This procedure was something I have been wanting for a very long time considering glasses are troublesome at the gym and contacts really seem to dry out my eyes. I finally bit the bullet, got over my irrational anxiety about going blind and am extremely happy with the results.

This is the clinic I went to and I could not recommend them more. They were incredible, super sweet and kind, and answered many of my incessant annoying questions with patience and grace. I highly highly recommend them if you are in Calgary, Alberta.

My "Why"

I think for any kind of procedure I need a good reason to justify it and so I got real sentimental and thought about my vision journey. I have had glasses since I was in the fourth grade and I remember the reason I got them was because I was in a school play. I was reading my lines and started to cry because I couldn't see my mom in the audience and thought she didn't come.

She had to start waving and coming up real close because she realized I couldn't see her. After that I went to go get my eyes checked and even though I was so young I still remember the first time I put on glasses and could see leaves on trees again. The many years following were a lot of yearly eye checkups and my vision would go up and down a lot , probably because I was always reading in the dark as a kid lol. This year I started training and glasses were really frustrating to work out with, and contacts made my eyes so incredibly dry in this Canadian climate so I figured Lasik was a good decision which brings me to my experience.

Virtual Consultation

So this was the easiest part of the whole thing, I feel like people get most afraid of the bill and don't even get a consultation at the fear that Lasik will be like $7000 or something but the consultation was 30 minutes. The person I spoke to was called a virtual councillor and she was super helpful. She broke down the cost, different types of lasik as well as answered any potential questions I had.

Costs & Financing

This is probably the biggest question I got, about how much Lasik costed. My total was CAD$4150 and it is tax free. We can also deduct this on our taxes as a medical expense. They have financing options using Paybright and a QR code you can use to determine your coverage amount before surgery. For a five year plan on my advanced procedure the interest would be 8.95%. So it made more sense for me to pay outright than finance.

Eye Testing

There was a lot of testing which is reassuring, I would not want my eyes to be a rush job lol. First test was a general eye exam where they took digital images of my eyes.

Second test was checking my vision similar to an optometrist office just to confirm my current prescription. I hadn't got my eyes checked in two years but they said that was actually a good thing because they can see the rate of regression with my vision. This helps them understand how my eyesight functions and the possibility of vision regressing in the future.

Third test was another vision exam just to confirm my prescription, obviously going into surgery we want to have the right prescription so it makes sense they tested this twice. At this point they also put the first round of numbing eyedrops into my eyes.

My fourth and final meeting of the day was with a clinical councillor who went over things like insurance, how I can file this procedure as a medical expense. We went over paperwork explaining liabilities and other legal things. He was super nice, really took his time answering questions and was there for my follow up after the surgery the next day, checking in on how I was. The experience with all the tests was super efficient and reassuring. This is also the step that I paid the full amount because obviously I would not be able to see to pay afterwards.

Actual Surgery

Most of the questions I got that weren't about the cost were about if the procedure hurts, if I saw anything, how long it lasts etc. So I'll walk you through it. First they take you into the general OR room where they give you covers for your shoes and hair like they would for any surgery. The surgeon introduced himself, explained what was going to happen and how the entire process is super quick and nothing to be anxious about. When you go into the room they bring you to the operating bed and lay you down with a pillow under your knees for comfort and then put the second round of numbing eyedrops into your eyes. They also gave me stress balls which was nice of them haha.

There is a light panel above you with a light at every corner and a green light in the center. The surgeon tells you to stare at the green right above and puts this contraption around your eyes which is arguably the worst part because it's weird and uncomfortable. I did not like this part at all lol. Then you stare at the green light as instructed, they told me not to worry if I accidentally looked somewhere else or moved my eyes because the laser machine would just turn off but it's important to look at the light so the procedure goes as efficiently and quickly as possible.

Then they start the laser, and they purposefully make your eyes go dark so you don't see anything and you smell a funny burning smell. After this your vision comes back blurry and you're all done. I sat up and did some more eye tests and they told me to sit in the waiting room for 30 minutes after for observation and I was done.

Aftercare

This part I wasn't crazy about either but I am very proactive and diligent when I get orders from doctors. The first night you need to just rest, no screens, no books , just essentially either nap or listen to music/ podcasts. They give you three prescription eye drops that you take every hour five minutes apart. I set an alarm so that I was getting it every hour on the hour, I would take the first drop close my eyes for a minute to let it work, wait five minutes, take the second drop, close my eyes for a minute to let it work and same with thing with the third drops.

There's a sheet they give you that lets you know what you're able to do after a certain amount of days. For example you can't shower the day of surgery so shower before your procedure, you can't wear any makeup, do any exercise etc. Then it says what you can do after 1 day, 3 days, a week, two weeks, a month, three months etc. Essentially after three months you can do everything you did before you got lasik and it takes a month for the flap in your eye to fully heal properly.

Things to Note

There are two different types of procedures for Lasik and even more if you have any eye irregularities or if your cornea isn't thick enough. The two types are advanced and standard, I got advanced due to my higher prescription but this one is better regardless because it lasers off less of your cornea which is healthier and has less side effects in the long run.

If there's anything I haven't covered and you would like to know more about please let me know on instagram @lovefromsimran. Otherwise I hope this was helpful!