Day of Surgery

Refractive Surgery is a short procedure, and you will be with us for approximately 2 hours from arrival to recovery. You will be encouraged to go straight home and rest, and you may experience some discomfort but prescribed medication will assist with this.

The following is a personal account from HLV staff member Talia who had laser refractive surgery in 2010.

Like many of you, I was tired of hassling with my glasses and contact lenses. I had been wearing glasses for 17 long years, since I was six years old, and I was ready to make a change. I decided to book myself in to see one of the HLV doctors to find out if I was suitable for laser vision correction and to my exultant surprise, I was. After some initial deliberation I decided to have the surgery. For many people this is not an easy decision to make; however, having worked at HLV and having been personally involved with the surgical process, I was entirely confident in the staff and the doctors working there. I was familiar with the procedure and had seen so many patients before me experience wonderful and exciting visual outcomes following surgery. I scheduled my procedure for the 11th August, 2010 and I looked forward to the date. I was finally going to be able to get rid of my glasses.

I hadn’t anticipated feeling nervous on the day, but of course, as I arrived for my procedure the nerves began to set in. I was given a small sedative on arrival to help relax me before the surgery and the staff reassured me while I waited for the sedation to kick in. I was shortly taken to theatre for my surgical preparation, which involved local anaesthetic drops to numb my eyes and an eye wash. This is a process I have performed on patients in the past and it was an interesting and surreal experience being on the receiving end of it.

Once I was settled in theatre I was surprised by how quickly the surgery was performed and completed. I was in recovery within 15 minutes and the only discomfort I had felt was from the initial suction used during the first stage of the Lasik surgery and a foreign sensation when the speculum was positioned to hold my eyelids open during the laser treatment. The sedative had well and truly fulfilled its purpose and I spent the next 20 minutes in recovery, resting.

Leaving HLV, my eyes were a little sensitive to light, but I had made sure to bring sunglasses to provide for this. I spent the evening relaxing and made sure to have a good night’s sleep. To my amazement, when I woke up the next morning, I could already see a substantial improvement in my vision. Having worked at HLV, I knew that the affects of laser vision correction could be seen shortly after the procedure; however, I had not expected to see such improvements in such a short period of time. I returned to HLV and the surgeon told me that my eyes were healing well and that they appeared clear and healthy.

Six weeks after surgery I can honestly say that it has been a life changing experience. I notice that the smallest things make a difference, like not having to wear glasses to the gym and being able to wear sunglasses when I drive. I appreciate that I was fortunate to have had some experience with the processes involved with laser vision correction before my procedure and I understand that for some, it can be a daunting experience.

To help allay any concerns you may have, the staff at HLV are more than happy to discuss the surgical process with you.