New Peepers

Both eyes LASIK corrected for distance...
after a lifetime of horrible distance vision.

After 44 years of severe nearsightedness, horrible distance vision, and stubbornly wearing glasses while doing everything from trail running to scuba diving to rock climbing, I finally decided glasses were for the birds.

So, What Took You So Long?

LASIK surgery has come a long way in the past 15 years or so. The science accounts for most of the complications reported in the earlier years of Radial Keratotomy, and can correct most unique eye-shape conditions, astigmatisms, etc. But, still, they're my eyes! Who wants to have their eyes screwed with?! And, with my sister being an optometrist in Houston, I have always had the luxury being supplied with awesome glasses. In fact, that was probably the biggest factor in my procrastination: a pair of titanium framed glasses, light as a feather, felt like they weren't there. But, as usual, life gradually changed my opinion (it might change yours as well). Here are the proverbial dominoes that fell:

• My not-so-new passion of trail running, and doing it in exotic places, certainly made me consider the convenience of sans-glasses.
• The inevitable loss of nearsightedness. Explanation: One of the few benefits (OK, the only benefit) of being severely nearsighted is that I have enjoyed almost perfect nearsightedness (about 1 ft away, book-reading distance) for most of my life. Well, in the mid 40s to 50s, that inevitably declines. At the age of 44, I was starting to put my glasses on top of my head to read. We all lose our ability to focus on near objects as we age towards 50 and beyond. There is little one can do about it. LASIK does not stop it. We will all eventually be using the reading glasses to read the menu at the restaurant. Accept it. I figured "OK, thanks for the good times perfect nearsightedness, it's been nice knowing ya, you're leaving me anyways, time for me to enjoy some perfect distance vision for a change; even at a loss of my excellent near sight (which, again, is in the process of leaving me anyways)."
• A decreased fear of surgery and the LASIK procedure. Explanation: We're all living longer. We're all going to need cataract surgery in the 60 to 80 yr range. It's inevitable. Get over it and accept it. BTW, cataract surgery is a science even more mature and mastered than LASIK, performed extremely routinely. But, replacing the natural lens (CLE) still carries a few more risks (and about 3x the cost) than correcting vision by changing the shape of the cornea (LASIK). So, the policy remains that cataract surgery will not be performed unless you actually have a cataract and that cataract impairs vision to a specific degree. Also, having had LASIK does not change anything about needing cataract surgery later in life; it just changes the mathematical calculations they use to choose the internal cataract lens replacement. Which, interestingly, is why the eye physicians need both your pre-LASIK and post-LASIK eye mapping measurements... for accurate cataract surgery later in life. I sure hope they store that data in a safe place. :-) Incidentally, I've had laser retina repair surgery earlier in my life (in case you have also, and were curious about the topic, please feel free to contact me with any questions).

Dual Versus Mono

One choice the LASIK specialists completely put onto the shoulders of the patient is "dual versus mono." It is basically a choice between having both eyes corrected for distance (Dual) versus one eye corrected for nearsightedness and one, the dominant eye, corrected for distance (Mono). Mono sounds weird at first, but, the brain completely gets used to it and naturally balances the vision between the two different prescriptions. It's completely a "life-style" choice and both work well for many. Mono does allow for some nearsightedness without the use of reading glasses, but, keep in mind, it does not stop the process of declining nearsightedness. The physicians can give you contacts to compare between the two results to help you decide before the LASIK procedure. It's important because it's a permanent choice. I chose to go with Dual (both eyes corrected for distance) because the Mono made just about 5 inches worth of the difference in the near range for me, but, I saw a noticeable difference in depth perception in distance, especially at night, compared to Dual. Again, that's just me... my choice.

The Procedure

I chose Dr. Pierce with Eye Physicians of Austin to perform my LASIK. All of the physicians in his group are excellent. Eric Fine, the coordinator, was especially helpful. There are many other accounts of the procedure online, including ones from fellow trail runners: Seeing Trail Running Through New Eyes. Suffice it to say, people fall on various sides of the spectrum from it being "scary" to "a big yawn." I thought it was simple and painless. It literally only takes about 10 o 15 minutes! You're given some Valium (to keep those nervous types calm). Some might find it a little claustrophobic, but, if you've ever had a MRI, it's less so. It is a little freaky to have a ring suck onto your eyeball, see a light show, and then be told "all done." But, keep in mind, there are three different types of procedures (including PRK), all of which have different recovery periods. The main difference between them is how the cornea is cut, depending on factors like corneal thickness, etc. The laser work done under the corneal flap to correct the sight is pretty much the same. Luckily, I qualified for the the standard LASIK procedure, the quickest recovery period.

The Results

Results were almost immediate for me. Note: this is not the always the case, some procedures take 1 to 3 weeks for the eyesight to fully stabilize. I did experience some mild burning an hour after the procedure. I napped through it. Then, I simply sat back and watched my eyesight improve hour after hour. You are kept on a regimen of specific types of eye drops for a week after, while the cornea heals. I was amazed at how clear the HD TV looked, better than I had ever experienced with glasses.

Me Being An Idiot...

So, being an ultra trail runner, I have been training for my first 100K at Bandera 2012. Naturally, I wanted to have my cake and eat it too... be able to run Bandera with my new eyes, and run it well. Of course, the only scheduling option for the LASIK procedure fell right during the window for my last long training run before taper, I couldn't squeeze it in the day before the procedure, ya da, ya da, ya da. The doc told me I could safely run 3 days after the procedure. He did tell me that my eyes would be susceptible to dryness (I didn't quite appreciate what that meant exactly until later). So... I planned a 40 mile training run with friends the following Tues after that Fri. I planned to wear cool, Iron Man, wrap-around shades and bring my eye drops with me. The run was 20 miles of road hills around Austin with Stephanie Huie and Scott Smith, followed by 20 miles on the Greenbelt with Scott. It was chilly and windy. Felt GREAT on the run, we all did. But, with each passing hour, my eyesight started to get a little more hazy. At the end of the road run, and starting the trail run, thing started to get a little blurry as well. I was concerned enough to call my eye doctor in the middle of my trail run. He said what I was describing did not sound serious, probably dryness, but, that he would like for me to come in today or tomorrow morning to have it checked out. Well, me being an idiot, I decided to go ahead and finish my long run. My eyesight did get progressively worse. Thanks to Scott, I was able to follow him at a decent clip. Heck, we completed a leisurely 40 mile training run in under 9 hrs. And, yes, I was concerned that I had damaged my eyes and was quietly screaming "you idiot" at myself in my mind. I know, I know, Joe P. also informed me how idiotic that decision was.

Well, immediately after the run, I got my butt to the clinic (I won't discuss how). Dr. Dai looked at my eyes and told me they were fine, no corneal damage... they were just extremely DRY. It was not because of the run, but, the wind probably made it worse. It's not a common flare-up, but, not a rare one either. The eyes are susceptible to extreme dryness the short healing period after LASIK, where the cornea even becomes kind of bumpy. Vision goes completely to hell without a smooth cornea and a tear film. I think I may have noticed the signs of it the morning before the run, but, didn't know what was happening. I got on an aggressive regimen of lubricating drops and my eyesight was back to normal that evening, better than normal the next morning. Whew! :-) It's an interesting lesson because I am now interested in the topic of; if and by how much former LASIK patients deal with eye dryness over the long term. The docs say it's mainly an issue during the corneal healing period, but, others deal with it a month or two afterwords. It's not a big deal, luckily, unless your stranded in the middle of a long trail run. ;-)

Cool Shades for a Change...

Even though I don't need to wear corrective glasses any more, I will still wear sun glasses to protect my eyes, as well as clear glasses during specific night trail runs to protect from tree branches, etc. Do you know how hard it is to find clear, non-shaded sunglasses, much less a wide selection of them?! Generally, the running and sports stores don't have them. But, guess who does... motorcycle shops, plenty of them. Makes sense for riders needing wind protection at night. I got the light-weight pair on the right at Cycle Gear. I find the slight yellow tint also pleasantly increases the contrast of objects in the headlamp, and, they are excellent for driving with at night.

Anyways, looking forward to seeing all my friends and family with my new peepers. :-)

David.