The Magik of Lasik! (Updated)

2018, December
Wow, my most popular post to date. I've since completed an academic programme which involved shitloads of reading and paper writing. I hate carrying papers around, so I got an iPad, and also printed my readings with two pages on one sheet, double sided. I read them fine... so I guess my brain has learned to fill in the blanks.

I can't quite lean over to spy on people's screens on the train though, so... I guess it's for the best.
Nope I didn't go for remedial surgery, and nope, I have not missed any expressway exits due to poor vision.
All good :)

2015, Late April Update
Pretty sure my eyesight is still flawed, but it sure as hell feels perfect. Maybe I just got acclimatized. For perspective, I'm reading Chinese characters at font size 10 on my monitor right now, and it seems just fine. I'll just set a reminder for 2 years and 6 months post lasik, to rethink whether I want corrective surgery, which will probably cost another $700.

hurhur. till then.


2015 Update: What if your eyesight doesn't come out perfect?
It looks like my vision has stabilized! Thank yous are in order, for the professional team at Eagle Eye - thanks to them, my eyes healed without infection, which was all I hoped for, as I humbly donned the surgical robes 9 months ago. That was fear talking. Realistically though, I'd imagined perfect vision (if not call yourselves "Eagle Eye" for what, right?) while signing the bill. 

But that's the problem with the imagination, isn't it? It isn't real. At present, my eyesight is still far from perfect. It's (if I remember correctly): Left: 25, Astig: Something Low | Right: 75 (wtf), Astig: 50? 100? Which means I can't read books clearly. If you value that, then yeah, this lasik experience wouldn't have been very satisfactory. More dangerously, some road signs are a little blurry, especially at night. Say HELLO to missed expressway exits. It isn't a big issue, but I am quite disgruntled because my good friends who went to other clinics came back fine. And they paid less. My sample size is probably too small, but in the absence of perfection rates, this sample size shall have to do.

So I picked Eagle Eye Centre because my friends picked it. And my friends picked it, because their friends picked it. And last Christmas, while we gathered for Christmas, we did the "IKEA Catalogue Test" (haha, I even retrieved the image below), where my fellow EEC compatriot failed the test together with me. :( As you can see, from below, the friend who picked Shinagawa is smiling because she can read off the IKEA catalogue. FOL (F Our Lives).

(image removed.. until I find a good image hosting site ;) )

From there, we got to discussing Lasik (as above, some of our friends have not gotten their eyeballs roasted yet), and we understand that we know at least 2 other people who didn't get the perfect vision they envisioned when they approached EEC! Of course, this may be the result of everyone going there, and the team there reassures me that "less than perfect vision" happens to very few patients, but it's a little too close for comfort that several of us didn't get our perfect eyesight. Or perhaps we're friends because we're drawn to each other's mediocre genes. ... No I don't think so. I wonder how many other people didn't get their perfect eyesight.

Enhancement surgery, I note, is free, but the checkups are NOT. So look forward to paying $300-$700 more if you seek this out. ~$700 comes about if you've chosen epilasik, not gotten your perfect eye sight, and then the doctor recommends bladeless lasik. I've decided to go sit on the decision to do enhancement for awhile (after all, there's a 3 year validity for this), as it is a rather busy time at work.

If you're considering lasik with EEC, then I suggest reading their FAQs carefully - it is clear that they do not promise perfect eyesight (I don't think anybody can). Just thought you should know :)

Curious about the experience itself? Read on, below!

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I thank my parents and cxy for dealing with the shit I've conjured over the past weekend (I'll describe them in detail below, don't worry). I've tried to be concise, but it WAS a life-changing experience. Bear with me ^^

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"Imagine a flap over your eyes that never heals" 

- My Sister

"I wonder what happens to the 1% whose surgeries don't go well" 

- Jeribaby

The Decision Making Process

What scared me was the fear of the unknown. I recognize now that my fears were similar to that of taking my driving test, and getting my wisdom tooth removed - it is a non-routine experience that a small number of people have had poor experiences with, and unfortunately their experiences are very much talked about, simply because it is more sensational than a good, uneventful one. There are just too many "What-if" scenarios. Guess that made me open to paying a little more for guaranteed quality care...:3

And yes. Both my wisdom tooth extraction and driving test went miraculously well.. maybe that gave me the confidence to proceed. : )

Epilasik/Lasik

Despite the variety of information available on lasik, I still found it difficult to commit because these were mostly paid media. Also, very few detailed accounts on epilasik - it looked as if people were just magically getting better after doing normal lasik. Unfortunately these did nothing to assuage my flap concerns. In addition, I find it difficult to dissociate normal lasik surgery from the image of me, aged 40, getting mugged while touring Europe alone, and then scrabbling around the cobblestones looking for my dislodged corneas while some thief runs away with my passport. ..so epilasik it was.

Shinagawa?

I just didn't trust some of the marketing strategies that the key lasik providers seemed to be promoting: i.e., Pushing to lock customers in ASAP after brainwashing sessions. So if Shinagawa, expects me to make time to attend a seminar in order to get a discount, and then queue to sign up immediately for a prime eye consultation slot and surgery within the next 2 weeks (as per some random blog posts), I'm afraid that isn't going to work out. On a tiny note, the English on their website is also flawed - too many items are pluralized when they should be in the singular, and vice versa (i.e.," It is designed for those with thin cornea" - where is the "s" in corneas??). 
But poor grammar doesn't mean their lasik machines are flawed. I do personally know one person who has had a good experience there, so this may just work out for you! 

Lasik Clinic Singapore/Clearview
Some clinics had names like.. Singapore lasik.. The lasik surgery clinic.. Etc. very generic names don't you think? Sounded somewhat like .. Sggirls.. ..sgbestbuy. Clearview (isn't that the name of some contact lens solution?). These just sounded downright shady. Very bad, I know. But if I'm going to cook my eyeballs for a better future... Then everything must be perfect. If they were going to use such generic names, maybe they should've taken a leaf from law firms' books, and named their surgeries after their key doctors. But hey, a colleague did his at.. Singapore Lasik Clinic (or something) at Paragon, and all's good!

Hence i'd pretty much ruled out every lasik clinic in Singapore. Even Eagle Eye was suspect because of its resemblance to Eagle Eye Cherry. (yes i have issues, i know. maybe i was just procrastinating so i could buy a new handbag.)

Eagle Eye

Fate has a funny way of shaping your next steps. So an ex-schoolmate who's now a doctor posted some image of him and his lasik experience. Last I heard, he wanted to be a surgeon. So if he was willing to bet his million dollar career on a certain Dr. Julian Theng, then so was I :b the decision was that easy. 

It also helped that nobody had anything bad to say about dr. Theng :) In fact, I grew irritated when I couldn't find a single scandalous review or article about him. Felt like my CSI skills were failing me. :3 

It made me feel even better about EEC when a highly tech-averse friend went with EEC. Said friend learned to ibank about 6 years after everyone else did, and stuck to her blackberry for 3 years after everyone gave up on RIM. So. Her trust in EEC meant alot to me.

Discounts -
EEC works on a referral system - name the person who referred you there, and you enjoy corporate rates of some sort (it's just $200 off, similar to Shinagawa). It's a token sum..but still. After estimating that my contact lens supply would run out in April, I booked for a surgery in March (in the event that I was unsuitable for the surgery, at least I wouldn't be left looking like pororo/amy farrah fowler for 2 months while waiting for a fresh batch of contact lenses). 

THE EXPERIENCE

Ah, the scary bit. I shouldn't have been scared.

I arrived at the clinic promptly at 9AM on Thursday..... Only to be subject to a crazy amount of waiting and tests, all administered by EEC's (there's no better way to put it) army of intelligent, educated, and underhyped minions (there was even one to hold his door open, when there was a nurse inside.......).

9.10AM: The Mistress of Corneal Thickness

I was led into a darkened room where a sweet young lady chanted "don't blink don't move" while her machine flashed red and blue lights into my eyes. It was like a very bad rave party, and at the end of it, I just wanted to go home. At the side, a screen began to paint an image of my corneas in shades of red, yellow and green. I noted that the sides were jagged at some points. Not sure what that meant. But I sure hoped they weren't the results of me wearing contacts.....

10AM and 10.30AM: The Horrified Optometrist, and the Counsellor 

This is where they check your prescription one last time, and counsel you, telling you to lay off anything that may get sweat or things in your eyes. The optometrist was shocked that my glasses were over corrected by 20 and 50 degrees respectively. And he looked even more horrified that my excuse was that.. I'd moved house and was too lazy to have the problem rectified. Oops. The optician was at CCK okay......

Next, a pretty lady who crossed her legs and then kept shaking them (like a little girl would) tried to convince me to pick bladeless lasik, simply because of the easier recovery process. She also walked me through the risks involved (keratoconus..keratococonuts anyone?). About half the possible complications involved FLAPS. Like DEBRIS under flap..and what.. dislodged flap or something. (Kinda reminded me of my friendly threat to my colleague to gas him out, lift his flaps, and introduce spiders in. )

When prodded, she didn't seem to know much about the technical differences between the two, choosing to refer me to the doctor instead. Also, she'd gotten her lasik done.. But she'd chosen epilasik because she had had thin corneas. .. So if her desired end result was to have me go for normal lasik.... I think she failed? Think she scribbled a note that I was considering epilasik, then sent me on my way. 

The real doctors (11.30AM)

After 2 hours of tests, I FINALLY made it to see a doctor. Dr Harold Choi was a friendly ophthalmologist who greeted me with a booming hello, all but declared a confirmation that I wanted epilasik, and said "GOOD. IT'S SAFER". Which pretty much cemented my choice. After shining bright lights into my eyes and hinting that I didn't need collagen cross linking (what..?), and jovially showing me the GROSS consequences of not doing collagen cross linking - keratococonuts (really misshapen corneas, i think), the surgeon finally made his grand entrance. 

Dr. Julian Theng IS EEC. Google him OR EEC and you'll discover how he's a happy father, tennis player, and I dunno. Churchgoer? Basically the kind of person you would like your eyeballs to interact with. He regularly participates in lifestyle pieces on local media. There are even some YouTubes dedicated to his home.. Or something. Mostly Chinese infotainment. He even has a newspaper for his clinic. Clearly a doctor who knows how to get the right kind of PR. In fact, the entire experience with Dr. Theng was well-designed to give you good memories of the place. He was really nice - I was given many opportunities to ask questions. Unfortunately, I didn't have any. 

So meeting him was a little strange, yet familiar. Like encountering New York after a lifetime of watching movies and shows set in the big apple. A brisk few minutes later, he confirmed all was good, that epilasik was safer and an easier surgery, warned me about the painful recovery process, and I was ready to go for lunch and return for surgery at 2 :)

Surgery:

This part was the fastest, most fun and painless part of the entire experience. After being fed painkillers and random pills, I was led into a room by two ladies who robed me, sat me in a chair, then painted my eyelids with brown potion (iodine?). I felt like cleopatra. I should've asked them to take a picture. They were really friendly! And they reassured me again that since it was epilasik, I would have fewer post- surgery restrictions (yay! )

Soon the door opened, revealing the elusive surgeon - dr. Julian theng, and his amazing laser machine. I felt like I had walked into XMEN. F. Things were starting to get scary. I was made to lie down, and I saw a big, fat "eagle eye" sticker plastered on the ceiling. Kiewcumber had told me about this, but I was still quite amused. Apparently it is so that lasiked patients could feel the difference immediately after surgery. Very smooth, and strategic. That a customer's first clear vision should be that of the Eagle Eye logo. You never forget your first time, and I guess, this way, you never forget Eagle Eye. 

After arranging me, they got started on sticking what looked like a sanitary pad over my eyes (wtf?) and I saw nothing. And then the doctor ripped something open, and my right eye could see! Quite amazed by how my eyebrows are still here after all that scotch tape.. Anyway, he told me to look at a green light and began pouring cold stuff into my eyes (some antiseptic liquid maybe). Apparently the more he pours in, the better the recovery. I was supposed to speak up if it got too cold, but it is difficult to define "too cold"...

Next, he used something to scratch my eye. Now this part was GROSS. I saw something that looked like a manicure tool, and it began to get quite ticklish. "Let me know if you feel anything" he said, while he scraped at my eye. At this point, things looked quite wavy. Like looking up at the sky when you're in the swimming pool. The experience was similar to when I got my wisdom tooth removed (only the dentist was testing my gums for feeling then.. Not scraping the top layer of my eye away.....), so I was pretty okay with that. I MAY have freaked out if id known what he had been doing, so I guess it's good that I didn't realize :b

Next, he told me to focus on the blur green light and to ignore the laser sounds. This part was fun. The green light remained constant, while 4 lights began moving to shine into my eyes. I'm assuming these were the lasers? This was totally painless, and just as I began to study them in detail, the process was finished, and I could see the texture of the green light (i.e., the lasers had worked :) ). I kept waiting for the crazy lights and burning smells to come, but they never did. My fears were unfounded, and the whole experience felt much shorter than 7 minutes :)

This process was repeated with my left eye, and then I was spun out of my seat and whisked into a photo with the doctor. Just like an amusement park ride. Then I waltzed out to collect my glasses and meds. So you see, 

my experience was totally painless. Cxy came by after that like I'd asked him to, because i expected to be feeling awful and to be needing help with my eye drops. But i was on a high from having clear vision, and we ended up watching tons of tv. Not really the painful recovery that the doctors had warned me about.

Post Op - Day 1

Okay this was when all hell broke loose. Some IDIOT was getting married at the neighbouring block, at 6.47am (REALLY? ON A FRIDAY? ALL YOUR FRIENDS HAD TO TAKE LEAVE JUST FOR YOU?), and I was jolted awake by a very joyous "YUMMM SENGGGG". BUT.. I couldn't open my eyes (similar to having dirty contact lenses in your eye).. and tears kept coming out of them. So I just crawled back to bed and woke again at about 9 to seek my parents' help in prying my eyes open to drop the eyedrops in. Oh and of course, I couldn't text. I did it with my eyes closed, and tried using the audio input. At this point, I would like to apologize to anyone who received a string of incoherent texts from me. Especially poor CXY. HAHAHA.

My mom, in particular, found this entire experience quite endearing. Her slightly rebellious, slightly grown-up baby who was seldom home, was suddenly home again, and a child again. Like a blind baby animal scrabbling around looking for food. She didn't hesitate to document the entire spectacle of me sitting at the dining room in sunglasses. There's evidence of this somewhere inside that iphone of hers.

There was a post-op review 1 day post surgery, and I went in there for all of 3 minutes, so Dr. Theng could shine bright lights into my eyes, cheerily declare that things could sometimes be worse on Day 2, and present me with a photo from the previous day, and two autographed books on presbyopia (for your parents, he said. growing his target base of customers?). The interactions with the surgeon were quite minimal, but EEC made sure that I had tangible evidence of each encounter - from the plaque with my surgery photo, to the autographed books. Hmm.. probably so I could do the all-important word-of-mouth.

Oh and there was also a vision check, where I managed to read some alphabets.. but all were blurry and therefore wrong. Oops.

When I got home, things just seemed to get worse, and I began to crave the relief from the prescribed vigamox and pred forte   - the Refresh lubricant drops just seemed to make the itch worse, so I just stopped them since they were for use "when necessary". I felt like a druggie looking forward to my next fix. Oh and guess what? PAINKILLERS DON'T WORK ON ITCH. After a few hours of trying to open my eyes and get out of bed, I decided to bite the tablet and take the painkillers to counter the horrid itch that my eyes were giving me. Unfortunately, the itch didn't subside, and I just lay there listening to the MH370 press conference, vacillating between judging the people speaking at the press conference, and grumbling about the itch. If you've ever tried locally produced contact lens solution, and gotten an averse reaction from your eyes, the feeling is similar. JUST PROLONGED. 

To make things worse, I seemed much more sensitive to light than before. At dinner, I took like 3 ten-minute breaks to recover in my dark bedroom (with sunglasses on), before returning to finish my meal, because it was just nauseating to have to eat in that light. Finally, when my family was done, I switched all the lights off and resumed my dinner in the dark. At which point, my amused dad walked past and asked "are you a mushroom?" Because mushrooms thrive in the dark............ ha... ha......ha.

While my eyes had ceased to function properly, my brain was still functioning okay, and i craved friday night fun! Managed to wheedle cxy into packing the cat and the dog into the car, and paying a visit to the lovely Tan family - a happy, less dusty compromise that would allow me to pet pringlepaws.. that probably introduced alot of doggy and kitty dust into the tans' home! 

By the way, i tried wearing shades and walking Pringles. The residents of AMK seemed largely unperturbed by the idea of a guide dog leading his human into the bushes to pee.. or dragging his human into a wall. .... Maybe it was time to visit Haagen Dazs with little Pringlepawz.

Post Op - Day 2

This was almost as bad as Day 1! I still COULD NOT OPEN MY EYES, and waking up was still hell. I would open my eyelids slowly before having them slam shut again - there was no explanation for this.. it was neither painful nor itchy. I just couldn't open them. Period. I had no problems tearing though. I began to feel like one of those babies featured in cautionary ads advertising the consequences of STDs on babies......... :(

To make things worse, I could not find food. On hearing the rustling at the dining table, my parents woke up, opened their room door, and I crawled in under their covers, miserable and seeking solace. "Oh my, you look just like a housefly!" my mom squealed, before whipping her phone out to snap a photo of me in my sunnies, trying to hide from the sun. Took some time before my mom got out of bed to forage for food for me. I think they really enjoyed having me this way, and I'm ashamed to say, I had no choice but to lap up every bit of it.

Anyhow, on Day 2, I got a little smarter - This time, instead of just sunglasses alone, I sat at the dining table with a sun hat and sunglasses as well. My parents thought it would be funny to take even more photos. When my sis video called, she used me as part of a cautionary tale to her daughter to avoid reading in the car.......because the consequences would involve being like Ah Ee - Getting her eyeballs burnt in order to regain her vision. Thank you jiejie..

I didn't let this slight impairment stop me from having tuna sashimi though. We visited pasarbella for some decent sashimi. You should try it some time :) If anything, my inability to open my eyes enabled me to savour more completely, the flesh of the tuna (above average, but not as fresh as the izakaya at cuppage), and the sweetness of the seafood hotpot. 

Day 3

Okay, so I awoke miraculously with just some tearing, and my sensitivity to light was gone :) In fact, I felt okay enough to visit cxy and his little menagerie of pets.. but i still wore my protective glasses, just in case their dust got into my eyes. In the evening, I joined the family for dinner at Orchard, before visiting Robinsons (the new one at the heeren) where i still had to don my sunnies like a crazy loser because they'd made the shop so bright.

Day 4 

I was able to read off small screens quite painlessly! iPads/Tablets/Notebooks were still a challenge though. But the recovery's been REALLY FAST and I was sure I'd have perfect vision in no time at all :)

Day 8 (today!)

I'm back at work! While there's still some blurriness, I can largely read :) I even baked some bread last night. I've also managed to get the I.T. team to loan me a second screen to help me through this recovery period.. so I won't be hunched over my screen trying to read Chinese emails. Hope this vision gets better .. then holds up for at least the next 20 years!

If you're contemplating lasik... i hope this helped! Get many opinions. Many varied ones exist.