Eyeronic Year, 2020

So many ironies about this year. 2020 was supposed to be the year of clarity, a huge marketing opportunity for the eye industry that writes itself. 2020 only comes once, but ironically, no one saw this singular year turning out the way it has. This year is clouded in uncertainties and instability, but a unique opportunity presented itself for those seeking to better themselves.

The stay-at-home and mask-wearing lifestyle that COVID-19 has forced us into has created an ideal time for people to book cosmetic surgeries in secret. My mom being in the plastic surgery industry for 23 years confirmed this with me. People are taking advantage of the extra time at home to recover and one of those cosmetic type surgeries that’s still doing good business during quarantine are laser eye procedures. So if you’re thinking about improving your vision, this year is actually a perfect time to undergo laser eye surgery.

My Vision 1 Year After Laser Eye Surgery

I got laser eye surgery last year on September 13th (yup, Friday The Thirteenth), and my vision has remained great.

When Do Your Eyes Heal Completely From Eye Surgery?

Complete healing after eye surgery is often reached by the 6 month mark because your eyes to come down from swelling that is a reaction to the lasering.

SIDENOTE: 20/20 isn’t actually perfect vision. 20/20 is just the designated standard measurement for how a “normal” person sees. 20/20 means that when a person stands 20 feet away from an eye chart, they can read all the letters clearly. An example of having better than normal vision is 20/10 vision. What it means to have 20/10 vision is that you can see at 20 feet, what a normal person can see at 10 feet from an eye chart! Pretty incredible right? Someone with 20/10 vision has very small neurological cells (stimulated by lightwaves) in order to be able to distinguish wavelengths from the small letters on an eye chart.

My eyes didn’t need the special eye drop solutions for too long after my surgery lucky. They are:

1. Polymyxin B Sulfate and Trimethoprim Ophthalmic Solution: prevents bacterial infections post-op (after surgery).
2. Prednisolone Acetate Ophthalmic Suspension: treats inflammation and injury.

Is Your Vision Blurry After Eye Surgery? When Does It Clear Up?

Even though your eyes could take up to half a year to heal completley, you should expect your vision to have stabilized in as little as 1 to 4 months after your laser eye surgery.

In my experience, my vision felt intensely clear and sharp initially, which is hard to process when you’ve been wearing glasses for 16 years. At about 3 months post-op, my vision softened and reached the nice sweet spot. So for me I didn’t have to wait 6 months for my eyes to acclimate.

Is PRK Worth It?

Many things about the future are unclear right now due to COVID-19, but if you decide to get laser eye surgery, it’ll be easier to ignore what’s wrong because your eyes will be able to feast on so much more that is positive.

While laser eye surgery is pricy (I paid $4,400 for PRK surgery on both eyes), it was definitely worth it for me. We definitely racked up a lot of Disney Visa Card points, so that was a plus.

It’s cliché to say, but it’s true: I feel so stupid having not had this done years earlier. My eyes feel more relaxed now, my eyes are wider in pictures, so you can actually see that I have blue eyes. I don’t think I’ll get those crows feet lines around my eyes as fast for sure since I don’t have to squink anymore. It’s simply heaven, I feel like a kid again actually. This summer going on adventures to different forest preserves, parks, and even another state, I didn’t have to worry about dropping, breaking, or losing my glasses. It’s like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. And swimming is the best. If I do open my eyes underwater, there’s just that natural slight blur that water creates. I definitely think laser eye surgery is worth it.