Corneal Cross-Linking (June 20)

As I stood up from the LASEK machine’s bed, the assistant asked me to follow her. Everything was cloudy as if in a dream but relatively clear (especially since I was not wearing glasses). The second room was larger but did not have any large machines. There was a flat bed which I was asked to lie down on. The doctor was no longer there and it was mainly the assistants who were going to lead this process (since it was going to be a long and boring process). They first started on my right eye.


They placed the same eyelid opening device as the one in the LASEK procedure. After that they had a timer timed at 2 minutes and 30 seconds. They explained that every 2.5 minutes they will place an eye drop. The first eye drop will be a Riboflavin (vitamin B2) drop, then the second drop will be a BSS drop (balanced saline solution…pretty much artificial tears). They will keep switching between them every 2.5 minutes. This will continue for 30 minutes. They also informed that since I have just undergone LASEK surgery, I should ask them to place an anesthesia drop on my eyes should I start feeling pain.

After 30 minutes passed by (where eye drops were placed 12 times on my right eye), they took me to another room to look if there was enough absorption in my eyes. My eyes were all sore and I could barely open them at this moment. They informed me that there was enough absorption and they will now proceed to the second step where they will expose my right to ultra-violet light for 30 minutes while continuing with the 2.5 minute eye drop routine.

So now I am back in the operation room, this time with TWO metal expander pieces, one on each eye, to keep my eyelids open. My right eye has a bright UV light source right on top of it, with two timers on each side of my head and the assistants are keeping track of the eye drops and timers for each eye. From time to time I would feel some pain from the previous LASEK surgery and requested them to place anesthetic eye drops to reduce the pain. They told me to try to handle as much pain as possible before requesting any anesthetic drops since more frequent use of it will hinder the recovery process. So how did all this feel? Imagine your eyelids are forced to be open (and although my eyes were under anesthesia, I could feel the metal expanders, since they are in contact with my eyelids and my eyelids are not under anesthesia), staring at a bright light for 30 minutes straight (and if my eyes wander around the assistants will spot it immediately and ask me to stare back at the light), I cannot take any breaks during this procedure (they even asked me if I needed to use the restroom before the procedure started because breaks were not allowed) and I can feel pain as the time passed by due to the effects of the LASEK surgery. I only had a single thought as I was staring at that damn blue light…when will it all be over.

I hear the timer beep and the assistant removing the UV light from my eyes. At last, I am done with my right eye. Time to repeat the nightmare with my left eye, but they needed to check if my left eye absorbed enough riboflavin so they take me to another room. All seems well and I am back again in the operation room for 30 minutes of staring at a blue light. You may think I would have thousands of thoughts passing through my mind at this moment but all I can think “when will this be over!”. Then I hear the assistant saying “one more eye drop and we’ll be done”. I start counting the seconds 1…2…3…then a thought interferes “this will all be over soon”…then I hear the final beep followed by “we’re all done”!

I stand up slowly, eyes sore and things a bit blurrier than before. The assistant guides me to the seating area while I keep my eyes closed the entire time. The anesthesia begins to wear off and I can feel an incredible pain coming. It is almost as if someone soaked my eyes in some concentrated bleach (Clorox) and the burning sensation doesn’t cease. I ask the assistant to give me some anesthesia to which he responds that from now on the anesthesia drops should only be used as least as possible and no more than 5 times a day. WTH…five times a day!? I already got my eyes treated with the anesthesia about 5 times today. He also told me there was a Voltaren pain pill that can be used every 6 (or was it 12?) hours. I was like a drug addict asking him to please give me some pain meds. I quickly swallow the pill hoping for the pain to cease as the assistant is explaining the instructions of all the meds they were giving me. Although my eyes were closed and my mind was trying to absorb all the pain rushing through my body, I could hear the assistant saying “Drop #1 every 2 hours for the first 3 days, then every 4 hours for the next 3 days, then for every 6 hours the next 2 weeks. Drop #2 commences after Drop #1 has been discontinued for every 6 hours. Drop #3 every….and then I lost it. How many drops were there!!? How the hell am I supposed to keep track of all this! Just get me out of here. After the assistant stopped speaking I followed my mother who was guiding me back to the car. We drove off to the hotel room we booked on the block next to the hospital. It was finally over…or did it just begin?