LASIK follow-up

This morning we went back to the TLC affiliated LASIK office for a 1-day check-up.

AJ's eyes are doing well. The flap has pretty nearly healed completely - that is to say that it's un-noticeable by the human eye. I could see it the first couple times I administered eyedrops, but then it mysteriously disappeared. They said it begins to heal within 90 seconds and that's why it's important to keep your eyes closed the first day because continued blinking might offset it slightly.

I asked the doctor a couple questions about the machinery used in the surgery. The nurse I asked on Friday said the machine is constantly readjusting itself to compensate for any movement that AJ's eyes might do because of breathing or shaking or something. The doctor said that the laser runs at 10Hz, that is, it engages the laser to ablate the eye 10 times every second. However, the laser's positioning equipment runs at 100Hz, so it's checking eye positions 10 times before it engages the laser to ensure it is in the proper place.

The laser isn't a super thin beam like in the movies. It's pretty large compared to the eye. (Well, I guess it IS pretty thin then isn't it...) The beam overlaps itself a lot in order to even out the lens and any abnormalities in the eye surface. Watch this to see how it fixes astigmatism.

AJ says the weirdest part that they didn't warn her about is this: When the machine goes to cut the eye flap, it needs the eye more easily accessible. The doctor puts something on the eye that grabs around it and puts pressure on it to cause the pupil area to bulge out a bit. This is a very weird and disconcerting feeling. After the incision is made, the machine is retracted from the eye and the "bulging" device is removed. The eye goes back to its normal shape. (Except there's a frickin' flappity flap!)

AJ's vision checked out at 20/20 and 20/15 already, but slightly blurry. They eyes will continued to fluctuate for approximately 3 months. They will be mostly stabilized after a week.

She has to wear plastic eye patches taped to her face to prevent poking herself in the eye at night accidentally.

spaceJASE still in nurse mode to ensure proper timing of eyedrops and regular feeding times.