It took around 10 seconds to fix each eye. It wasn’t painful at all. I had astigmatism in both eyes. Medical Aids do help pay for some of it. Got your attention yet? Yeah, I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner either?!?
Johannesburg, South Africa (05 October 2020) – It’s been over a month since I had my laser eye surgery, and my vision is the best that it has ever been and better than I could have ever imagined.
I have never been able to see as clearly in my life – even with glasses or contact lenses, and as each day passes, all I keep thinking is, why did I not do this sooner?
Some of you have been following my laser eye surgery journey and have been asking me many questions, so here is my experience. I hope it helps you in some way too.
My history with glasses, contact lenses and ortho-k
I have been wearing glasses since I was 7 years old and then started wearing contact lenses in my late teens. The idea of waking up and being able to see properly has always been a dream of mine, and for the past 6 years, I have looked into some sort of corrective eye surgery… but always stopped the process before even making it to the booking stage.
There are many reasons why I didn’t go through with it, but I guess the reality is that I was just too scared to have laser surgery on my eyes. I mean, they are my flipping eyes!!!
The fear of the unknown far-out-weighed the reality of a glasses-free life and I guess the opinions that I had heard from people around laser surgery had somehow become facts in my head (you can’t do it if you have an astigmatism, it’s not affordable and medical aids don’t pay, it’s really painful, etc.) so I never really bothered to dig deeper into what laser eye surgery actually was.
In 2019, my Optometrist suggested a different route, something called Orthokeratology (Ortho-K)… one I had never heard of before but one that would be completely life-changing and start my journey to ultimately having laser eye surgery.
Ortho-K is basically contact lenses that you wear while you sleep. They change the shape of your cornea at night and allow you to be glasses-free during the day. They worked fantastically, but for the year that I wore them, I became more aware of how much I didn’t want to wear them… or put anything else in my eye ever again. You see, if I skipped a day, or caught a flight or missed a night of wearing them, my eye-sight would regress quite quickly, and in those afternoons or evenings, I wouldn’t be able to wear glasses to counter the lack of sight, as it wouldn’t settle back to my prescription.
It was frustrating but it also pushed me to finally take the step to look into laser eye surgery.
2020 became the year I decided to get 20/20 vision
I got in contact with the Sandton Eye Clinic to discuss whether it would at all be possible for me. My Optometrist had always said that my eyes were the right candidate for surgery, but I didn’t know what that really meant, so I booked an appointment to be assessed by the team.
The entire team at Sandton Eye Clinic immediately felt like family when I walked in the door. They were all friendly and hospitable.
The first consult was actually an assessment, and the majority of the time was spent measuring and testing my eyes on loads of different machines. It’s crucial that they have all the data (and then some) on your eyes, to make sure they are getting things done down to the smallest micron.
I then got to sit down with Dr Rob Daniel, who is the head ophthalmologist at the clinic, and my new friend. You’ll see why I say this when you meet him. It’s literally like sitting down with your best buddy who happens to know way more about eyes – and specifically your eyes – than you ever will.
“Dr Robert Daniel is a Specialist Ophthalmologist with more than 15 years’ experience who runs the Sandton Eye Clinic and specialises in anterior segment surgery. He also has training in Human Physiology and Neuroscience, which enables him to diagnose and treat both physical and neurological conditions affecting the eye.
After qualifying as a Specialist Ophthalmic Surgeon, Dr Daniel completed his mentorship under the renowned Ophthalmologist and medical innovator, Dr Percy Amoils.
Dr Daniel’s passion for eye health and preserving this vital sense inspires him to continually broaden his involvement in the eye care sector by developing and sourcing innovative technological solutions for various eye conditions.”
PRK versus LASIK
I had laser eye surgery, but not LASIK (which is what most people get)… the procedure I had is something called Photorefractive Keratectomy, or PRK. The big difference between LASIK and PRK is how the eye is prepared for surgery, the recovery time and the effects on the eye itself.
This is where it gets technical, but for all those wearing glasses, this is also where it gets interesting.
With LASIK, the surgeon creates a hinged flap by making an incision in the cornea. This flap gives the surgeon access to the part of the cornea that needs to be reshaped. The actual procedure usually takes around 10 minutes per eye. Once the procedure is finished, the surgeon will put the flap back in place and within the next couple of hours, your sight returns.
With PRK, there is no flap. Instead, the thin, outermost layer of the cornea, called the epithelial layer, is removed to provide the necessary access to the part of the cornea that the doctor reshapes with the laser. This procedure takes around 7 seconds per eye but the recuperation period takes longer. The outer layer regenerates naturally during the healing process, and you should be able to see from the moment the surgery is done but the vision fluctuates and only really clears between 10 to 14 days after the operation.
“Everyone is different, and I could see unbelievably well on day 5, but it continued fluctuating until day 14 when I started telling all my friends that my vision was better than 20/20. I later learned (at a check-up) that this was only the start of my healing process; I hadn’t even reached 20/20 yet, and my eye-sight would continue to get better and clearer every day. I couldn’t believe it. How would it get better than this? But it has and will continue for up to 3 months!”
Why did I choose PRK over LASIK?
The biggest reason is that it means I will NEVER have to wear glasses or contact lenses again.
My eyes will deteriorate naturally at around the 50-year-old mark, as all eyes do (when we start to push our hands out to read things), but because I had PRK, I have the option of having a “buffer” procedure to keep my eyes in tip-top shape. Yes, it will be another procedure like this one, and I will have to pay again… but the amount of money I would have saved in this time – from not buying glasses or contact lenses – is a fraction of what is needed.
I also had a terrible astigmatism (an imperfection in the curvature of the eye’s cornea or lens), which the PRK could fix completely. Yup, to everyone who kept telling me that I couldn’t have laser because of my astigmatism, you were wrong and I can see that (and everything else) now.
I have also had loads of questions about other things regarding my procedure, so I have decided to list them below.
Is laser eye surgery safe?
As with any surgical procedure, there are possible risks. Serious complications and infections related to laser vision correction are extremely rare. The possibility of a serious complication or infection related to LASIK and PRK is 1% or less, as documented in clinical studies.
For reference, approximately 98% of contact lens wearers reported at least one risk behaviour ever for eye infections or inflammation.
What was the procedure like?
Quick… so quick.
It took around 5 minutes to line up the computer with my eye. I lay there pretty damn scared. I thought it was like the movies where I might see this red laser hurtling towards my eye, but it wasn’t. The Doc is right there through it all; telling you exactly what is going on.
Once the machine lined up, it took under 10 seconds an eye. No scary laser (you don’t even see it). No pain. No weird smell. Nothing. Just the voice of the Doc and the buzzing of a computer.
And then it was done.
Was it painful?
No. Not at all. Not even close.
Before you head into the room for the laser, you get given local anaesthetic eye drops. You do not feel a thing. And then Dr Rob gives you a special treat pack of goodies to use and take over the next 3 days.
I did not feel any pain, nor was there any discomfort.
How quickly did I heal?
So, I pretty much slept for the first 3 days. My vision changed hourly in those first 3 days – sometimes I could see far, sometimes I could see near, and sometimes it was all a little blurry but the meds are a great help.
Dr Rob’s “treat pack” helped me get through it (and helped me sleep A LOT).
The 4th day was the worst sight-wise, and only in the evening. I was very sensitive to light – so much so that the TV bothered me and everything was mostly blurry – Dr Rob did warn me that this would happen and as far as I understand, it is because the final cells are growing back (over your cornea). That night I sat inside the house with sunglasses on BUT the very next day the sensitivity was gone and my vision was unreal… like colours and the clarity was so absolutely beautiful.
And every day from then, it just got clearer and clearer.
I drove on day 10, and by day 14, I was seeing in HD.
Can I drive myself home after surgery?
No. Your vision may be blurry in the first few hours after the procedure.
Will I be able to see 20/20 after surgery?
Although no one can guarantee 20/20 vision, 97% of patients do see 20/20; of that group, 63% see better than 20/20. Please keep in mind that the goal of refractive surgery is to reduce or eliminate your dependence on corrective lenses.
A majority of patients achieve that goal (or better) and are very happy with their vision.
What are the age limits?
Apparently, the youngest is 19 years old, and the oldest is 55. But that is for PRK. There are many different corrective procedures for different ages. Like, if you are 70 and think you need this, you might actually need cataract surgery.
It’s different for everyone but there is always a solution.
So, if you (or your kids) fall out of these numbers, then my suggestion would be to give them a call to discuss.
Okay, what is the price?
The normal price of the PRK procedure is around R43,000, but the Sandton Eye Clinic was running a special price of just R27,000 until the end of the year (2020).
R27,000!!! Between what I have paid for medical aid, glasses and contact lenses my entire life… I should have had this procedure at 19 and saved a bucket load of money.
They also offer a payment plan for those who may need it. Here are the details:
“Sandton Eye Clinic is making its world-class Laser Vision Correction treatment more accessible than ever before by offering a Limited Lockdown Offer. Once-off payment of R15,000, followed by an interest-free payment plan of only R1,000 per month over 12 months.”
Do South African Medical Aids cover the surgery?
Yes!!! A few South African Medical Aids will help cover some of the costs, but you need to ask them!
Many will give you your optical benefit, and some will use your Medical Savings Account (MSA). Just give them a call to find out.
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