Hi, friends! Lauren here. You may have previously followed along on our Instagram Stories as I documented my LASIK journey but I thought I would put together a blog post with a little more detail and how I’m feeling about it nearly 6 months later! My cousin Krista had LASIK done 8 years ago and had been telling my husband and I for years to do it too. We travel together often and every time she saw us pull out our contact solution, change into our glasses or struggle with a contact, she reminded us how freeing LASIK is!
My husband finally listened and had it done a little over a year ago. He had such a great experience and said the same things Krista had been telling us. When we were traveling, it was so nice that he never had to pack contact solution, never had to take his contacts out or worry about glasses. He kept raving about being able to see any time he woke up and never had to grab his glasses!
Ultimately, I was scared because I only have one set of eyes and didn’t want anything bad to happen. I also have very sensitive eyes and I didn’t think I’d be able to keep them open for the actual procedure. I reluctantly agreed to look into it. Derek was referred to Valley Eye by a close friend and had such a great experience, I decided to go there too. The benefit of having multiple locations was huge.
I contacted them for a free consultation and was able to get in quickly, and in the Green Bay office which was so nice. The ladies at the front desk were so friendly and I was immediately at ease. The consultation went well, it was short and sweet (about 20 minutes). They wanted to get an idea about why I was looking into LASIK, then did some basic tests to determine if I was a good candidate. At that point, they determined I was a good candidate to move forward to the next step which is a more in-depth analysis with the doctor. I was ready to move forward so I put my $425 deposit down and scheduled the next appointment.
I went back for the next appointment, which was longer, but I was still able to do it in Green Bay which was so nice. Dr. Abata found that I had a little bit of a scar in my right eye and didn’t think it would be an issue but wanted me to go down to Appleton (about 30 minutes away) and see Dr. Vrabec before the surgery date just to verify (at no extra cost). I was able to get that scheduled and headed down to meet with Dr. Vrabec. The appointment was running a little behind, but it was so nice once I met with him because he was so friendly and took the time to get to know me. This additional step in the process helped again to ease more of my nerves!
After that, I was cleared to schedule my surgery date! It was a month or two out but it was nice to plan around my schedule based on what I had going on for work. They went over the surgery prep with me. I could not wear contacts for 3 days prior and was not allowed to wear eye makeup. I also had to put eye drops in which was a very eye-opening experience (see what I did there 😉). I had to put 2 drops in each eye, 3 times per day for those 3 days. Even though I’ve been putting contacts in for years, I could not get drops in and I had to have my husband do it. Honestly for me, this was one of the only negatives about the entire process. That… and not being able to workout for a week after surgery.
The day of surgery, I was so nervous! My husband drove me down to the surgery center in Appleton (you have to have a driver) and I had about a 20-minute wait before I was called back. They gave me a pill to help me relax which was so helpful and put me in a comfortable waiting room where you can just watch TV while you let it kick in, which was about a half hour.
When it was my turn, they brought me back into the surgery room. This is typically when you would meet Dr. Vrabec for the first time but because of my extra appointment, I was already able to meet him previously. They laid me down and talked me through everything they were doing. At this point, I felt much more comfortable. I think it was a combination of the medication and the super friendly staff! He proceeded to complete the first eye which only took about 4 minutes total – from start to finish and then did the second. All I felt was a little bit of pressure from the suction cup type thing on the eye but absolutely zero pain. I couldn’t believe how fast it was. I thought I would feel claustrophobic but did not at all. The craziest part? How I could IMMEDIATELY see across the room. My mind was blown!
They went over post-op instructions while they were putting goggles over my eyes for the ride home. The nurse then walked me to the waiting room where my husband was waiting. We got into the car, and I just kept my eyes closed for the 30 min drive home from Appleton. I got home and took a 3-hour nap which was the best prescription I’ve ever gotten. After I woke up, I ate dinner as normal with my family and could see! No contacts. No glasses. My eyes felt good! I had to continue eye drops but my eyes didn’t feel sandy like I had heard from people that had it done.
The next day (24 hours later) I had my post-op appointment and was able to do that one at the Green Bay location with Dr. Abata again. It was short and sweet. Zero issues, they tested my eyesight and told me I was 20/20!
One week later, I had another check up at the Green Bay location again. Still, no issues. They just told me to continue taking Artificial Tears for dry eyes, which I only needed to do once a day at that point while they were healing.
One month later, I had another checkup. They said if there are any complaints at that point, it’s because of dry eye which is rare (and I didn’t have that either). The only thing I noticed at that point was when driving at night, I could see halos around lights but that has gone away since too. As far as the follow up visits go, typically you do 1 month, 3 month and 6 month but they pushed my 3 month one to 4 since I was doing so well. Then at 4 months, everything was good so I do not need to go back for a 6 month!
Honestly, I cannot recommend it enough. My only regret is not doing it sooner like everyone else says! The biggest change is just waking up in the morning and being able to see immediately. Not having to do extra steps before bed… I can fall right asleep to my latest documentary and not worry about breaking glasses or having to get up to take contacts out. Also not having to pack contacts, extra contacts, solution, glasses, etc. when I travel. Our family loves water – we have a boat, we love water parks, we love vacations and swimming so not worrying about losing a contact around water is also a huge benefit.
As far as payment goes, you have to pay in full prior to your surgery date or setup a payment plan. They offer a 5% cash discount if you pay in full and also offer Care Credit if you want to do a payment plan. I used my HSA dollars! Such a great pre-tax benefit.
I’m extremely happy with my results and for as hesitant as I was to do it, I would do it over again. Every single person I talked to told me the same thing. I am so grateful to Dr. Abata, Dr. Vrabec, the entire staff at the Green Bay and Appleton locations. They were so friendly and made it such a great experience!
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