I’d heard all the horror stories: burnt eyeballs, blindness, permanent sensitivity to sunlight and the one that people loved to regale me with the most… the burning smell when the top of your eye is lasered off.
But I still wanted a life of perfect vision.
I wanted to be able to wake up in the morning and just see – not need to fumble for my glasses. I wanted to go on beach holidays and not have to decide that if I wanted to wear my contact lenses, I wouldn’t be going in the water.
So I booked an appointment at Optimax for a laser eye surgery consultation.
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Going for it: James Bragg decided to face his fears and finally correct his vision with laser eye surgery
The numbers abated my fears: more than two million people a year have it done, it must be safe.
In fact, when I met with Dr Sajjad Mughal, he told me that not a single person has ever gone blind with laser eye surgery.
He said the worst that can happen is that the procedure is unsuccessful and will be re-done at a later date.
Dr Mughal ran me through the two different procedures of LASEK and LASIK, using detailed pictures to make it clear what would be happening to my eyes.
LASIK is best suited to the majority of patient’s eyes, around 90 per cent.
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The recovery time is shorter with LASIK – supposedly 24 hours – and for me that was an important factor, I needed to get back to work as soon as possible.
For some people, LASIK is simply not an option. For example, if their cornea is particularly thin or they play contact sports.
LASEK is their alternative, although it has a more uncomfortable recovery period that lasts three to five days.
The rest of the consultation was much like any other eye test. The only exceptions were I felt the gentle shock of a small puff of air in my eye and had drops applied to dilate my pupils.
Having had a stable prescription for the last few years and no intention to take up boxing or rugby, I was happy to hear I could have the short recovery LASIK procedure.
My hope was to catch a flight one week after the surgery, and I was told my eyes should be fine, if a little dry due to the cabin air conditioning.
The doctor told me that even with the surgery, the majority of people still need reading glasses after the age of 45, and that’s just a natural aging process of the eyes.
Getting checked out: Most of the consultation (pictured above) was much like any other eye test. The only exceptions were the additional gentle shock of a small puff of air and drops applied to dilate the pupils
Dr Sajjad Mughal told James that not a single person has ever gone blind with laser eye surgery
I had time to go away and think, with it made perfectly clear that any surgery has a small degree of risk. But I was all in, and I made my appointment the same day.
As soon as I could, I was back having my eye lashes taped in place for the procedure, adding my eyes to the twenty thousand pairs Dr Mughal has performed on over the last seven years.
My preparation had been simple: don’t wear contacts for 24 hours beforehand, arrange for someone to take you home and bring good quality sunglasses.
Crossing the threshold of the operating room with a hair net in place, my shoes momentarily stuck to the special fly-trap style doormat that removes anything unhygienic that I might have picked up on my soles.
The temperature and humidity of the custom-made room are constantly monitored to ensure optimum levels for the two giant laser machines that dominate the room.
Laying flat on my back on a rotating bed between the two machines, Dr Mughal applied anesthetic drops, which didn’t sting even though I was told they might.
Then came the strangest part of the process – the clamps to keep my eyelids open.
They aren’t uncomfortable or painful, it was just an odd feeling that I can only imagine looks like the famous cinema scene in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange.
Rotating the bed to the left, I focused on a green light that was in front of my face. One eye at a time, tiny rapid pulses of light were passed through the outer portion of my cornea by the IntraLase laser.
This creates a layer of microscopic bubbles that form a precise flap and a smooth even surface when the flap is lifted.
Almost immediately the bed was rotated to the right, to face the second laser. Lifting the corneal flap allows access to the underlying tissue that is now ready to be reshaped.
You can’t actually feel anything happening, but the green light is suddenly a lot bigger and completely out of focus, and because Dr Mughal was talking me through every step, I still felt at complete ease.
When the doctor called out ‘treatment’, the room lights dimmed and he began to count down from fifteen.
The machine emitted quiet popping sounds and the smell of the laser’s gases filled the air – the smell so often confused with burning.
Although it is important to keep still, the computer tracks the eye and the laser can carry on regardless of small movements thanks to thousands of adjustments per second.
Still staring at the green light, I couldn’t believe how quickly it was over. The flap was replaced, locking back into position with natural suction, and it began to heal immediately.
Lying on a bed between two machines, James looked up as Dr Mughal applied anesthetic drops to his eyes
Rotating the bed to the left, James focused on a green light that was in front of his face. One eye at a time, tiny rapid pulses of light were passed through the outer portion of my cornea by the IntraLase laser
The team then repeated the whole process with my left eye, which was done in even less time; seven seconds.
When I sat up, everything was a bit blurry and it felt like I’d just woken up. But I was surprised that I could already see so normally again, and it wasn’t more than ten to fifteen minutes since I walked into the operating theater.
I was led into a dark room to rest my eyes for five minutes, then given a thorough post-op eye test by the doctor, who confirmed that everything had gone to plan. Having arrived at 2pm, by 3.25pm I was in the car on my way home.
Everything looked grey and slightly blurry, but just twenty minutes after leaving the operating room I could already read car number plates better than I ever could before without glasses. In fact, it felt like I had my glasses on.
As expected, the sunlight hurt and made my eyes stream despite the sunglasses, and for once I was thankful for a miserable English day.
My eyes didn’t hurt, but when I blinked I could feel that something was different, almost like my eyeballs had expanded a little bit.
As the twenty minute car journey went on it felt like I had rubbed onions in my eyes because they were streaming so much and I couldn’t wait to get into a dark room. But that really was the worst part.
As soon as I was home, my brother helped me to put in four sets of eye drops. I then had to secure a pair of protective eye guards and I went to sleep – the process was more tiring than I had realised.
Waking two hours later, my eyes felt gritty and still sensitive to light, but much less blurry.
The hardest part was amusing myself without doing anything too straining on the eyes like watching television, using a computer or reading. My saving grace was radio and podcasts until I could go to sleep again.
17 HOURS AFTER SURGERY
I slept right through the night without a problem, and seventeen hours later returned to the surgery for a check up.
My right eye felt a lot grittier than my left eye, but during the journey I could see road signs from a much greater distance than ever before.
It was a sunny day and fortunately my sensitivity to light had started to diminish, but the white paint on the houses we passed seemed like it had the exposure turned up to max.
Again, it didn’t hurt, it was just particularly vibrant.
My eyesight was tested by an optician and I managed to read most of the second smallest letters, which apparently was excellent progress for this time frame.
I could easily read the third smallest letters meaning that I could drive, as long as I was careful at night because glare could be an issue.
He explained that recovery was like the quality options of a YouTube video; starting at a low resolution and gradually building up to full HD over the next few weeks and months.
The health of both eyes also came back with flying colors, and I was to keep using the four different eye drops and wearing the protective eye mask at night for a week.
I still needed sunglasses, even when it wasn’t sunny, but twenty four hours later I was already back to normal life and well on my way to HD.
ONE WEEK LATER
The second night after the procedure was the only time I struggled, when I woke up in pain and had to take paracetamol.
My eyes itched until day five – more annoying than painful – but the eye drops always helped with that.
Day six was the first time that I woke up in the morning and didn’t feel the immediate need to use eye drops, and by then I could drive at night without any issue.
By day seven when I went back for another check-up, I could read the smallest letters on the examination board with my right eye, while my left was slightly weaker.
The optician said, ‘that’s amazing, no prescription at all’ – my vision was better than 20/20.
Both eyes were still slightly bloodshot – which entertained my two and four-year old nephews – and although it was still more comfortable to wear sunglasses outside, I could easily have managed without.
Swimming was banned for a month, and while vigorous exercise is fine it’s best to wear a headband to keep out salty sweat.
TWO MONTHS LATER
Complete change: Snorkeling through Mexico’s underground lakes (pictured) marveling at its stalactites and stalagmites, it suddenly hit me that a few months ago this would have been a completely different experience
Snorkeling through Mexico’s underground lakes marveling at its stalactites and stalagmites, it suddenly hit me that a few months ago this would have been a completely different experience.
Glasses and contact lenses would both have been impractical, so I’d have gone without and seriously missed out.
Not only have the simplest chores in life become simpler, like getting ready for work in the morning, but so have the finer things in life, like beach holidays and watching 3D films without two pairs of glasses!
My vision is perfect, and it became normal so quickly after that first week that it’s easy to forget that I ever wore glasses.
With all the scare stories debunked, and the incredible boost in quality of life confirmed, I can’t believe I didn’t have it done sooner.
I’ve hit full HD and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
SCARED OF GETTING THE OP? LASER EYE SURGERY MYTHS BUSTED
We asked Optimax’s Amir Hamid to debunk some common fears associated with laser eye surgery:
Laser eye surgery can make you go blind
Millions of procedures have been performed and complications are incredibly rare.
A patient has to go through eye tests and a thorough examination before they are deemed suitable for surgery.
Laser eye surgery causes you pain
LASIK (Laser in Situ Keratomileusis) performed with a laser in a bladeless procedure is pain-free.
Visual recovery is rapid.
Occasionally patients may experience discomfort for a few hours after.
Laser eye surgery can burn your eyes
Laser eye surgery is performed with a combination of ‘cold’ lasers. In LASIK, a Femtosecond Laser is used to create a LASIK flap.
It means you don’t feel anything akin to burning.
An Excimer laser is then applied to reshape the cornea of the eye. This is done via a process called photoablation, in which tissue is removed without damaging adjacent tissue.
The smell during laser eye surgery is your eye burning
There is a ‘vapor’ produced during the photoablation process using the ‘Cold’ Excimer laser. This generates an odor, however this is not caused by tissue burning.
Laser eye surgery means that you won’t have to wear glasses ever again
In the great majority of cases, that is true.
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists estimate that there is a 95 per cent satisfaction rate among laser eye surgery patients.
As you grow older (usually after the age of 40) changes in the lens of the eye due to ageing makes focusing on near objects more difficult. This is called presbyopia.
It means that, regardless of surgery, most people will need reading glasses at some point.
Anyone can have laser eye surgery
Most patients are suitable for laser eye surgery.
However, there are certain eye conditions and illnesses which may make a person unsuitable for the procedure.
These conditions are screened for during your assessment by any provider of laser eye surgery.
We don’t know the long term effects of laser eye surgery
Laser eye surgery has been performed since the 1980s. There is now more than 20 years of evidence to support its efficacy and safety.
You cannot move, blink or sneeze during laser eye surgery
Modern lasers have sophisticated tracking systems which monitor the movement of your eyes in microscopic detail.
The laser can then follow your eye during the treatment according to a ‘map’ of your eye which was generated before the treatment.
Should your eye move too far the laser will pause.
A large part of the eye is removed for laser eye surgery
Only a small amount of tissue is removed for each treatment.
In addition your surgeon will not remove tissue to any degree which will damage your eye health.
You will only be approved for surgery if you have the minimum corneal thickness required.
The eye has to be cut with a blade during laser eye surgery
Most Clinics providing Laser Eye Surgery use a Femtosecond Laser to create a LASIK flap.
The Femtosecond Laser offers several advantages in terms of accuracy, predictability and precision compared to blade-assisted treatment.
The laser is hot
The FemtoSecond Laser and Excimer lasers are ‘cold’ lasers which do not use heat to exert their effect during Laser Eye Surgery.
Laser eye surgery is not permanent
Laser eye surgery cannot compensate for nor predict any age-related changes which affect other parts of your eye – such as presbyopia or cataracts.
However, most people can ditch their glasses for many years – or even decades – after surgery.
If you get a cataract later in life, you cannot have cataract surgery
You can have cataract surgery after having had laser eye surgery.
However, the cornea of your eye has been altered by the surgery, and this may affect the calculations used to determine the correct lens implant used during your cataract surgery.
In these cases, your surgeon will need to do additional calculations to obtain a more accurate result.
As Medical Director at Optimax, I regularly perform surgery on post-laser patients who have developed cataracts or presbyopia later in life, and with excellent results.