I finally decided to have lasik surgery. I've worn glasses since junior high and moved to contacts…read moreabout eight years ago. I'm not a very good contact lens wearer. I believe I'm what one refers to as "crap" when it comes to wearing contacts. I had the type you can leave in for one month. You're supposed to take them out and clean them every couple days. Sadly, I have no concept of time. Long story short, I ended up with infections, etc... I decided to go for lasik and asked my ophthalmologist for a recommendation. He sent me to Pacific.
First I had to find out if I was a candidate. I went to the clinic, where I spoke with the very nice receptionist gal and met with the clinic director, Sal Moreno, who seemed to know just about everything when it came to lasik. He's pretty frank; there are no guarantees and he makes sure you're aware of that. Once they'd determined I was a candidate, I came in and was acquainted with the operating room and got to check out all the equipment. Sal outlined exactly what would happen on the day of surgery. They also sent me home with printed instructions. Although, I felt pretty confident after the tour. I really appreciate that they take you into the area and show you everything. It makes the whole experience a bit less surreal.
My surgeon was Dr Rich. Earlier, I'd had my friend, an ophthalmologist in another area, check out both surgeons at Pacific and she'd given me the thumbs up. So, in I went. They offered a couple types of sedatives. Oh, gee, I forgot to mention you aren't anaesthetized. When I first learned that (several months ago from a friend), I couldn't believe it. "Wait a minute! Hold on. You're telling me they use a laser on your eyeball while you're freakin' staring at it?!" Insert casual shrug from friend. "Yeah, but I couldn't feel it." "Oh sure", I thought. "Riiiight." Well, it turns out it's true. Anyway, I had the milder sedative, because for some crazy reason, I wasn't worried. That's probably due to all the information provided and the preparation I'd gone through with Pacific. Plus, I have the emotional IQ of a kumquat. Hah, just kidding. More like a stick of balsa wood. Moving right along...
The actual procedure was exactly as Dr Rich and Mr Moreno had described to me. The worst part was the device that holds your eyeball. It's a bit painful, but mostly just feels really weird. The procedure is really fast. Dr Rich and Mr Moreno are a well oiled machine, moving efficiently and confidently, but ever so carefully. They describe what's going on and chat comfortably together. I felt I was in good hands.
The first thing I said after the procedure was, "I can see your facial features!" It was pretty amazing. But, boy was I tired. My buddy drove me home and I snoozed and then listened to podcasts and audiobooks to amuse myself... no reading! (I'm a big reader.) I was religious about the eye drops. My eyes healed well. Dr Rich warned me, as did my ophthalmologist, that my eyesight would continue to adjust and change, which it did. It's been two months now and I'm very happy I had lasik.
My experiences at Pacific were definitely of the five-star variety. I highly recommend them!