IMAGE PLUS BLOG

My PRK surgery will always be remembered. It was the last time I wore corrective lenses or contact lenses. It was February 22, 2007 and I was doing my work at the office, it was a surgery day at Image Plus Laser Eye Centre.

My surgery was booked for later in the afternoon and I was very excited for my surgery. My afternoon duties included getting patients prepared for their surgery and I was excited for my upcoming surgery talking to each patient about it.

Well the moment finally came and it was my time to get prepared for my own laser eye surgery. I was surprisingly calm and declined taking the mild sedative Ativan before going into the surgery room as I didn’t feel I needed it, I was already relaxed although quite excited. I was brought into the surgery room after leaving my glasses behind knowing I would never need to put them on my face again. This gave me a great feeling inside, knowing that after wearing contacts and glasses for over 15 years that I would not rely on them ever again!

The surgery chair was surprisingly comfortable after settling into it and being lined up for my laser treatment. After watching the laser eye surgeries at the centre many times over, there was a solace knowing that I would know every step performed in the surgical room having watched them from behind the glass of the viewing window. But being on the inside of the surgery room as a patient, you would think that I would be more nervous. It’s one thing to be watching from the outside in the viewing room to being under the laser for your own treatment!

After being given some instructions from the staff in the OR, I had a drape placed over my right eye and Dr. Wiens entered the room and put on his surgical gloves. This was it! This was his world and what he knows best, performing laser eye surgery. They put some numbing Alcaine drops in my right eye to start and Dr. Wiens gave me some idle chat to take my mind off of surgery for just a moment. Some sticky tape was put over my top and bottom lashes and a lid separator was put on my eye to keep it open. I felt like I was blinking at this point even though they had placed the lid separator in my eye to keep me from doing just that. As far as I was concerned, it felt like it wasn’t there and that I was blinking, but I in fact wasn’t. Then I felt a cool rinse on my eye, more numbing drops and then I could hear the sound of the Amoils brush, which sounds like an electric toothbrush. This I describe as an “extreme ticklish” feeling on my eye when this brush was removing the top epithelial layer. Nothing painful but just hard to look straight at the brush. At this point, during the brushing, I only saw a black round object and it made it difficult to focus on the red flashing light on the VISX laser. Which was what I was to do at this point in time.

The brushing lasted for only a few moments, maybe 10 seconds. Then my vision was noticeably more blurry in my right eye until I felt a nice cool rinse on my eye where the red flashing light became more visible. But then Dr. Wiens used a small sponge to wipe off that moisture and the red light became a little less visible again. The room lights dropped down and darkness filled the room with my treatment to start in just a moment. The laser locked onto my eye and suddenly it started and I saw some colorful lights as the loud ticking sound of the laser started removing microscopic amounts of tissue to correct my vision. I was still calm at this point but felt almost like smiling because this was when it sunk in that I can’t go back and back out of the surgery. It was real and this would be the start of my life changing transformation from wearing contact lenses and glasses, to not wearing them.

I don’t remember the exact time of my treatment but it was around 35 seconds I believe. The colorful lights I saw during my treatment are hard to explain but I would describe them as a light show or kaleidoscope of lights. Very neat and hard to describe exactly. I could hear them counting down this treatment time which was very good knowing how soon it would be finished. Then it was 3-2-1, completed, and the room lights came on again. Another rinse was felt on my right eye and another sponge applied to take away the moisture. Then a small white pad was placed on my eye for about 15 seconds, which I was told, reduces the corneal haze after.

I felt another rinse after the 15 seconds passed and this was a long cool rinse instead of a quick rinse to flush away the rest of the solution from my eye. Another sponge was used to wipe the moisture away yet again and a contact was placed on my eye with a series of drops including a antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and a natural tear drop.

My vision was a bit blurry at this point but not bad at all considering I just had laser surgery on that eye moments ago. The drape was then taken off my right eye and it felt like my eyes lashes came with the drape when it came off. Then another drape was used to cover my left eye. Half way finished at this point. I could feel some butterflies in my stomach as I knew the surgery was almost complete. The same steps were then performed on my left eye with the Alcaine numbing drops to start.

Dr. Wiens, during my procedure, is not too technical, just explaining what I was to experience, or sense. His voice being comforting and not too overpowering. You just have a sense that you are in good hands, he is the captain of the ship. Everything with the left eye seemed to mirror what was done with the right eye. It was more comforting with the left eye as well, knowing what exactly to expect having just had the right eye treated moments ago.

Once the contact lens was placed on my left eye after my treatment, I knew my surgery was complete and I couldn’t wait to sit up and test my new vision. They took off the drape and the sticky tape covering my eye lashes and I sat up. A smile came to my face as I could see, although a bit blurry. It was definitely better vision than when I went into the surgery room 15 minutes before that moment.

Dr. Wiens checked my eyes with a very bright light at a slip lamp and I was led out of the surgery room thanking the surgical staff for the great job they did, as well as Dr. Wiens.

He then led me to the recovery room where I sat in a comfortable reclining chair for a few moments before going home to rest. My vision at this point was a little bit hazy but pretty good considering I just came out of surgery a short while ago. I chatted with the staff for a few minutes and left for home where I was to rest for several hours.

I tried to sleep as part of the recommended advice of the doctor and this did not seem to work for me. I don’t know if I was still excited from my surgery or that I wanted to try out my “new eyes” at this point. I did close my eyes for a couple of hours but then got up and promptly watched my own laser vision correction surgery DVD. I was curious on what it looked like from the other side, seeing what the doctor saw. I found it very interesting and just found it amazing that I was actually watching my own surgery DVD the same day as having the surgery.

I kept using the moisture drops very often while awake because it gave a lot of comfort on the eyes as they felt a little dry. You could tell there were contact lenses in each eye but the moisture drops did help to alleviate that dryness that you get from wearing contacts. And having my drops in the fridge gave a nice feeling of comfort and coolness on the eyes.

I stayed up for a few hours and then used my medicated drops before settling in for the night. The next day I came in for my 1 day post-operative appointment with Dr. Wiens and my eyes felt the same as they did that previous night, no pain or real discomfort, only the slight dry feeling.

My vision turned out to be 20/20 in my right eye and 20/10 in my left eye at this 1 day appointment. I was pleasantly surprised but knew the vision would get slightly more blurry in the coming days as the epithelial grew back. The following day I was to come in for a contact lens change in each eye and because it was a Saturday, only Dr. Wiens was in the office along with some other patients, no other staff though. My eyes still felt the same at this point, only a slight dry feeling but the moisture drops I was steadily using to help with that dryness.

My contact lenses were changed after a short wait and I was to return for a follow-up appointment on Monday. Shortly after this visit though I was at the Portage Place mall and suddenly I found everything very very bright. I found myself finding a hard time not to squint inside the mall and my eyes were starting to water from the light sensitivity. My sunglasses came on and stayed on as everything was extremely bright for me. This actually lasted till Sunday night and I couldn’t even look at the TV because I found it too bright until turning down the brightness on the screen.

On Monday I returned to work with my light sensitivity seeming to return to normal but I found it still blurry and especially hard to focus on things such as print on the computer. I probably wasn’t as productive as I would have been normally, just because I couldn’t really use the computers at all due to my blurry vision. I did have another follow up appointment with Dr. Wiens during the day and my left eye had healed enough to have the contact lens removed, which felt better on the eye without the contact. The other contact lens in my right eye came out the following day but I was still unable to see well enough to drive at this point, that came at about the week mark after my surgery. This was nice to get back to driving again at the week mark and not rely on other people to drive me from place to place anymore.

It was still not great vision at this point as my vision was still fluctuating. After about 2 weeks it started to get more clear for me. It does take time for the haze to clear in the cornea and depends on the person, everybody heals a little bit differently. And I would consider my night vision poor to start with, before my surgery I had halos around lights and glare as well, especially driving in rain. I never felt comfortable driving at night before my surgery. Immediately after my surgery my night vision was still poor but after about a month, it stabilized and improved dramatically. It is very noticeable and I really enjoy the positive difference in the quality of my night vision. Now I don’t mind driving at night at all since it has been enhanced so much. This is due to the Advanced Custom Wavefront system picking up the imperfections in my eyes and being able to treat them which made a big impact on my vision.

It’s now been 2 and a half years after my surgery I have 20/10 vision and my night vision has been greatly enhanced. I have no regrets about my laser vision correction and really have enjoyed the benefits of not wearing glasses or contacts. The biggest and most memorable thing that I benefited from after surgery was snorkeling in Mexico this past January. This would have been a nightmare before my surgery to even attempt snorkeling but I really enjoyed it after my surgery and couldn’t believe how clear it was under the water. Other than that, sports, driving, and seeing the alarm clock in the morning are all great benefits which I enjoy regularly now.  My only regret is that I should have done this years ago!

Kevin Porte

The freedom from glasses and contacts I had known for most of my life was given back to me by Dr. Wiens at Image Plus Laser Eye Centre in 2005.

Never having needed glasses before in my life, and all of a sudden needing glasses for seeing distances, ie:  driving, skiing, going to the beach, and gardening, was now a hassle for me.

My decision to have laser eye surgery was easy.  My husband had PRK at IMAGE Plus in 1997, of which he constantly reminds me how grateful he is, and having worked at Image Plus for more than 11 years I saw the results for myself which made my decision to have laser vision correction easy.

It was now my turn to be a patient like those that I had worked with for the past several years.  I, like any other patient, had the option of having surgery anywhere.  After working at Image Plus for the past 11 years, my understanding of the types of technology available gave me the advantage of choosing Image Plus.

There was no question in my mind that iLASIK™, the bladeless LASIK method, was the only option I wanted, paired with Dr. Wiens’ expertise.

In discussion with Dr. Wiens, I chose to have only one eye treated as my prescription was very mild.  Having one eye corrected and one not would allow me to prolong the need for reading glasses in the future and yet still be able do my daily activities without the use of glasses or contacts.  I now rely on my treated eye more for my distance vision and my uncorrected eye more for my close vision.

As my prescription was mild, I do not experience discrepancy in my prescription, which allows me to be free of my glasses again!

On my day of surgery, I admit that I was nervous but very confident in my decision.  My surgery could not have gone better.  I did need to allow approximately a month for my vision to stabilize and for it to  become as clear as it is today, but not once during this time did my vision prohibit me from doing all the activities I normally do.

Thank you Dr. Wiens and all my co-workers for giving back to me the vision I was used to and took for granted!

Shelley Emond
Business Manager

When I first began thinking I’d like to get laser eye surgery, I was pregnant with my second baby. I had been wearing contact lenses almost 100% of the time.

However, during the pregnancy, I started becoming more contact lens intolerant and therefore had to wear my glasses most of the time. So a few months after I finished breastfeeding my baby, I decided to go for it! And have not regretted it since. I had such a great experience!

My surgery was in the mid-afternoon and by the time I got home around 4:30, the staff’s warning about burning and watering eyes was definitely true! I was sitting on my couch with my eyes closed wearing my eye shields and hoping this part would end soon!

By around 6pm, the burning and watering had almost stopped. Throughout the evening I was able to watch TV, go on the computer, and basically have a “normal” life.

And the next morning when I woke up, I could barely even tell I’d had eye surgery! I was seeing as well as I had with my glasses and had really no pain.

Now three months after my surgery, I have had no complications and I see better than I did with my glasses. The only thing I notice is that my eyes are dry sometimes and I still need to use drops once or twice a day.

I love not having to worry about packing all my contact stuff and glasses when I go away and it’s so nice not to have my kids grabbing at my glasses all the time.

I’m so glad I got this done at this point in my life and love the results I got!

Heather Bell

I had been working at Image Plus for just over a year and had gone on holiday to Mexico. Here I was trekking down to the beach with my bag eager to enjoy the sun and surf. I had my sunscreen, hat, books, sunglasses, prescription sunglasses, contact lenses, progressive glasses and …. Readers!

My friend pointed out all I carried with me and asked "where do you work exactly?" I sat on my sun bed and asked my self "why am I waiting." When I got back from my holiday I booked my consult appointment.

As I was using a progressive bifocal prescription I opted to undergo the mini-mono correction. I had my surgery July of 2006. I found that during my procedure I was a little nervous, but I could feel Dr. Wiens hands gently on my head and it was very comforting to know I was in great hands. I had the iLASIK procedure and it was one of the best things I have ever done. I had my procedure at the end of the day in July and was feeling and seeing well enough that evening that I could have gone out for coffee with friends.

My distance vision was amazing from that very evening. The next day 20/15 and improved to 20/10 within days. I was driving and doing errands the day following my surgery. I was back to work the next week, Monday, and you couldn’t even tell I had anything done to my eyes. It did take me a little longer to adjust to the mini-mono correction and I was using readers right away after my surgery for up close. I was noticing however that each day there was improvement in my near vision and eventually I wasn’t using the readers at all. At about 4 months, my mini-mono vision really clicked in for me and the results were outstanding.

It has been over 3 years since my surgery and I find I only need my readers periodically. Usually in dim lighting, such as restaurants and movie theatres. I am an avid reader and read on my lunch hour everyday without the aid of readers, but if I was going to sit for awhile in the evening I will usually put them on.

Having laser eye surgery has been amazing. The thing I love best is when my granddaughter snuggles up for a kiss, and getting into my car on a bright sunny day putting on my sunglasses and seeing as far as the eye can see. I am glad I waited to have the surgery as the technology today is outstanding. This is truly one of the better things I have done in my life.

Lori Crampton