LASIK day 4 update

As promised, here is another update on the state of my eyes and general vision. I'm now day 4 post-LASIK and the eyes are feeling a lot more comfortable than previous, although I am having to put drops in every couple of hours and am using lots of lubricating drops. I was given some plastic eye patches that I was told to wear for at least the first three nights (to stop you accidentally rubbing your eye overnight), but they were fairly uncomfortable and had to be taped on with steri-strips, and I was getting pressure marks and red patches from the steristrip adhesive, so I decided to use my initiative and have switched to sleeping in my ski goggles which are a bit more comfortable. I have had requests for pictures illustrating my night-time attire, I assume they meant with the eye patches and stuff as it's not that sort of blog...

So, back to the recovery so far. I think I left things in the evening on the day of the procedure, so will bring you up to speed on what has happened since:

• By wednesday evening, my eyes had a gritty, uncomfortable feel, like an abrasion (for anyone who has ever had one of those). I had been provided with some local anaesthetic drops but didn't feel sufficiently in pain enough to warrant using them. My vision had improved slightly, I could see more clearly but it was still blurred. The night was fine, apart from waking up with red rings around my eyes from the plastic shields and steri-strips - they had almost disappeared by the time I met a friend in town the next morning.
• Day 1 post-op was much the same - possibly slightly clearer vision on waking up, but it was jut a novelty not having to reach straight for the glasses. I decided to venture into town to see a friend and found it more comfortable wearing sunglasses as bright lights are a little uncomfortable. In preparation for getting back to driving which I hoped wouldn't be too long, I was pacing down the road counting out distances from number plates, and didn't think I was quite ready, which was fine at the time as I was told it might be a day or two. Still a bit of discomfort and lots of drops as per instructions, but no real complaints so far.
• Day 2 post-op was time for the first follow-up appointment. I decided against driving in the end as although I'm aware that the minimum legal standard is surprisingly low, it would be too much of a change from what I am used to, so thought I'd wait to be formally tested back at the hospital. First I had to see the nurse who checked my acuity which just met the driving standard, but as it was quite blurred I was advised to leave it another couple of days. It is quite hard to get a feel for how well I am seeing as there is a lot of variation depending on position and blinking, and it will continue like this while the healing is taking place. The nurse reassured me that I was seeing entirely as expected for someone with my degree of previous myopia. Then it was through to see the consultant, who announced that my "flaps look perfect", in fact he could hardly see the one on the right. Again I was reassured that my vision was entirely as would be expected at this stage, and reiterated that it could take up to 6 months before it is perfect. Although I'd been expecting another appointment after a week, he said there was no need for that, given that the eyes looked so good at this stage, but I can get in touch before the next one (in a month) if I have any problems.
• Day 3 post-op was much the same - I am aware that the right eye can see a little better than the left, but that was the better one anyway so there is less healing to take place. I managed the supermarket fine, but still not braved the car.
• Now I'm day 4 - I've noticed that my eyes tend to dry out by the end of the day and first thing in the morning, so am using a lot more lubricating drops in addition to the steroids and antibiotics that I was given. I'm not really noticing any change in the visual side of things - watching TV is possible but not totally sharp. What I have noticed more is the halo-effect whereby bright lights and text on the TV (white against a black background) have fuzzy haloes around them. The same applies for streetlights and I assume headlights, so night driving will have to wait for the moment. Again, this is completely normal for this stage and is particularly common for the higher prescriptions, so I'm not worried at the moment!

I probably won't be doing daily updates on here as everything seems to be going ok and it's just going to be a slow process waiting for healing and for my vision to stabilise. Driving is I guess my main concern - whilst I have been told I am just about ok, I'm going to check my prescription again tomorrow before I actually give it a go. Luckily it's a short week because of Easter, so only 3 days until the next weekend, and hopefully then I'll be able to see a bit better. I will keep you informed...