My Journey with LASIK – Thomas Eye Group

This is a sponsored post, based on my experience with Thomas Eye Group. In exchange for this post, I received a form of compensation; however, all opinions are mine.  Please note, this is MY personal experience with LASIK.  I am not a doctor, nor any sort of expert of LASIK procedures or anything concerning one’s eye health.  I am sharing my experience to help educate others about the options available to them.  Your experience(s) may vary from mine.

About five years ago, I finally got around to making an appointment with a LASIK chain, to get a consultation and to find out more about having the procedure.  By the time the appointment came around, I was pretty certain I would have to put it off.  Later that evening, after my consultation, my suspicions were confirmed: I was pregnant.

Fast forward five years, two kids, two (or three?) pairs of glasses, and dozens of pairs of contacts later: I was more than ready to ditch the glasses, and revisit LASIK surgery.

Shopping Around

As with anything major I set out to do, I wanted to shop around, not only for price, but for quality and peace of mind.  I ruled out the chains that *just* did LASIK.  For me, I decided I wanted an office that focused on the whole eye, to ensure nothing was overlooked, and to explore alternatives to LASIK, should the need arise.

So, I made two appointments back to back with two different eye centers.  Thomas Eye Group was first.  I was immediately pleased with my experience.  The staff was rather friendly and helpful, from greetings by the lovely ladies at the desk; to Jacqui – their LASIK coordinator – who provided me with all the information I needed regarding the procedure, answering many of my questions before I even had a chance to ask them, and providing me with pricing information; to Dr. Sari Gruber, who conducted my consultation examination and is also a LASIK success story herself.  During the course of my exam, it was noted that the cornea of my left eye was too steep.  (Oh, did I mention you’re supposed to go 3-5 days without your contacts before your appointment?  Did I also mention I had failed to do so?  Yeah, I should’ve listened better!)  So it was recommended that PKR surgery for my left eye may be an option, but we wouldn’t know until the day of the surgery.  LASIK would still be done on the right eye, regardless.  Price would not change, depending on what type of surgery — I liked the stability of that.

In terms of recovery, LASIK is the favorable option over PRK.  LASIK recovery time is a few days, where PRK may take a few weeks.  Each would require drops and other post-op care and follow-up; but “normal” vision occurs much more quickly with LASIK.  So, I certainly had my fingers crossed for LASIK, but would be happy with whatever would best suit my eye health.

Lo and behold, the next day, when I went to the other eye group for a consultation, I was again told I had steep corneas, and that PRK may be in the works for me.  Unlike at Thomas Eye Group, I was told they would do PRK on both eyes, if they did it on one.  I was baffled by their inability to offer a good explanation for this, even when I asked for clarification.  The cost for PRK was slightly less than the price I was quoted at Thomas Eye Group.  But I did not like not knowing which price I would be paying until the day of the surgery.  Thus, my decision was clenched: I was going to have Thomas Eye Group handle my LASIK experience.

Best. Decision. Ever.

LASIK Preparation
So for the next week or so, I stuck with my clunky ol’ glasses, and contacts were a thing of the past.  I confirmed my appointment about a week beforehand, and provided my pharmacy information so my prescriptions would be called in and ready to go after surgery.  I’m not a makeup person, so this wasn’t an issue for me; however, you should avoid eye make-up for at least two days before your procedure.  

On the day of the surgery, I came in bright and early in the morning, and was warmly greeted by the staff.  Within minutes, I was whisked away for a pre-op exam.  I honestly don’t remember all the technicalities here, except that 1) they needed to measure the steepness of my corneas, and 2) in order to perform LASIK, you have to have a “map” of the eye for the lasers to do what they do.  Dr. Jeffrey Carlisle introduced himself to me, and confirmed I would -indeed- be able to do LASIK in both eyes.

I will say, although the wait time felt super-long, it wasn’t — 20 minutes tops.  I was also given a dose of valium to relax.  (And when you’re about to have lasers come at your eyes, things to help you relax are a definite plus!)  Again, the entire staff was super-supportive, and kept my sprits up during the wait time.

Bring On the Lasers!

I was ushered in to the room for my procedure, and all aspects were carefully explained.  I was laying on the super-comfy fully reclined chair, and given a stuffed bear to hold.  And, yes, I gripped that poor bear a few times, just out of sheer nerves.  Dr. Carlisle -who was seated behind me during the procedure- began on my right eye, and honestly, it was but a few minutes before he declared it done.  Same with the left eye.  All was explained as it was happening, which proved reassuring.

Bam!  It was done.  I was helped up from the table, and asked to look at the clock across the room.  Imagine my excitement when I could read it with NO assistance!

Post-Op Recovery

Soon thereafter, the water works started.  My eyes simply couldn’t handle the light nor the dryness.  So tissues galore were in order.  This is all to be expected.  I came home, took my allotted drops (4 different kinds) and just slept.  It actually took me a while to comfortably fall asleep because it felt a bit like there was a grain of sand on my eyes – neither blinking nor keeping them open nor keeping them shut seemed to help.  But then, ……I slept.  I’d only intended to sleep for a few hours, since my parents were watching my kids that morning.  But the next thing I knew, it was 4 in the afternoon!

My mantra for that entire day was simple: this is temporary.  The grainy feeling was temporary.  The endless pool of uncontrollable tears was temporary.  The blurry vision was temporary.  The sensitivity to light was temporary.  The inability to open my eyes for an extended time was temporary.

The following day, my husband helped load the kids in to the van, and drove me to my follow-up appointment.  Dr. Gruber looked me over, and gave me the green light to drive, and resume most of my normal activities.  However, I was not to swim for about two more weeks; I had to take care not to rub my eyes for another week, nor wear eye makeup during that time, and I was to continue wearing my eye shields at night, to help protect my eyes while I sleep.

Getting Better All the Time

Over the course of the next few weeks, I kept up my routine with my eye drops, as outlined in my post-LASIK packet.  I continue to use drops as needed when they feel dry, and keep them in the refrigerator for added comfort.  I came back a week later for my one-week post-op check, again hearing from Dr. Gruber that all looked well.  I continue to use sunglasses, as I still find light proves too much at times, especially being out and about with my kids during the day.

My eyes would become tired by the end of the day.  Dr. Gruber and Dr. Carlisle both assured me this is common, and goes away over time.  I’ve gotten in the habit of laying down and closing my eyes with my daughter when she naps.  But at age four, naps are rather hit or miss.  So when she doesn’t nap, those are the days when my eyes would just tire out around dinner time.  Thankfully, that fatigue has also dissipated greatly as well.

Old habits are rather hard to break, I find, as I continued to want to reach for my glasses when I had to get out of bed.  Slowly, that urge is going away.  My bathroom counter is less cluttered, with the absence of my glasses case, contacts case, saline solution, and weekly cleaning solution.

And the FREEDOM that has come with ditching the glasses is amazing!  I no longer need to plan ahead if I wish to swim laps when I take my kids to the pool, nor worry about getting splashed and having my contacts fall out.  And with two young kids, how I’d POSSIBLY drive home sans contacts!

I am quite grateful for the care I received at Thomas Eye Group, and would highly recommend them to anyone wishing to learn more about LASIK, and if it’s the right option for them.  The only regret I have is not doing this sooner.

About Thomas Eye Group

Founded in 1974, Thomas Eye Group has served the greater Atlanta community by providing eye care services to patients ranging in age from infants to seniors. Thomas Eye Group is a full service eye care provider with offices in nine locations in and around the greater Atlanta area providing routine eye exams, glasses, contact lenses, LASIK, as well as medical, surgical and cosmetic services —  AND, they are in the process of opening a new Sandy Springs location soon!  Additionally, Thomas Eye Group is active in social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.

LASIK at Thomas Eye Group:

Thomas Eye Group is one of the pioneers of refractive surgery in Atlanta, and has performed laser vision correction procedures since 1990. Dr. Carlisle uses the most precise, advanced LASIK technology in Atlanta to perform the 100% Blade-Free LASIK procedure.

How to schedule a LASIK consultation:

Call 855-ATL-LASIK or click: here

You can also check out my cheesy testimonial (and hear my son’s excitement) here, and then go look at all the other awesome testimonials about Thomas Eye Group:

This is a sponsored post, based on my experience with Thomas Eye Group. In exchange for this post, I received a form of compensation; however, all opinions are mine.