Aye, I, Eye

 

I went for my month post surgery check-up today. Not only was I able to read the first screen of four lines, but I continued through the next three screens of progressively smaller letters. The doctor said I was at 100%, but in four weeks, I would be at 120% . It is astonishing to be able to see such distances that in the past I could not even imagine. The only issue is lights. Lights, especially indoors, have halos or at night look like star filters. She said that would clear also, it was normal. I have one more appointment before we leave on our trip and then not again for four months. 

One the way home, I ordered a new camera. I decided on the Pentax K-X after reading dozens of reviews. My current camera was top notch when I bought it, but now my mobile phone camera has more megapixels than the camera does. After contacting some former guests, who had great photos, the Pentax was the winner. After some hunting around, completely done by one of my students, I found a great deal. The camera body, an 18-55mm lens and an additional 50-200mm lens. Originally, I thought I wanted it in red to make it distinguishable, but later, I had second thoughts about a distinguishable camera when traveling. It is on order and will be in in under two weeks. Just enough time to play with it before leaving.

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Eye Can Almost See You

My first follow-up eye exam after the surgery yesterday was this morning. Again, I was examined by the computer and then by the doctor. She said it looks perfect. Eye drops five times a day for a week, four times a day next week, and so on until they are all gone and I will be fine. She did schedule me for another visit on Monday.

My vision is clearing. I am able to get around fine; there is still some blurriness, but that will clear up over time. The improvement thus far has been dramatic. I am sitting closer to the screen than usual, but that should improve too, according to the doctor. I do need to invest in 100% UV protection sunglasses and will have to wear them outside regardless of the weather for the next three months. Since we are going to be in Africa for a month, they will be good to have anyway.

Tomorrow, we will get a Swine flu vaccination, recommended by our local doctor and seconded by the Kenyan government. Our travel agent there said it would be good to have it listed on our medical cards. We may have to get Yellow Fever too, if our last one has expired.

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The Eyes Have It

Yesterday, I went for my eye surgery. I was not the least bit nervous until they gave me the release form to sign; that put me on edge a bit. However, after weeks of researching this surgery and hearing from others who had it, I felt more confident than if I had not prepared.

Once again, they did an eye exam with two of the three computerized machines that they had done the day before. The doctor did a  physical eye exam with the chart and various Rx lenses to read from, just as she had done the day before. 

I was send out to the waiting room and given a Xanax to keep me relaxed. This is standard operating procedure, if you will pardon the pun. 

After a half hour or waiting presumably for the pill to kick in, I was taken back to surgery. Given shoe coverings, a gown, and a cap to wear over my hair, I was ready. In the operating room, there was the surgeon, an electronic engineer for the laser, and an aid. The doctor explained the procedure again.

I had to relax on a cushioned table. The doctor put what seemed like a monocle in my right eye, but it must have been without an isert as the laser presses directly on the eyeball. There is an orange light and your eye is supposed to follow its movements, but toward then end, there is a bright white flash like a sun exploding. This took all of two minutes.

From here, I was taken to another table. They put a mask over my face, but the circular disk went back in my eye. A second laser went to work, creating colorful visions of old-fashioned tie dye t-shirt designs of red, blue, green, and yellow, continually changing the patterns as it went through its paces. Toward the end, the designs changed to something quite different. If you have ever put eye drips in your eye, as they are falling from the bottle, it looks like you can see the molecular structure of each drop. If you can picture this, in red and white, then blue and white, you will have an idea  of what I was seeing. This process took three minutes and it was all over. 

The doctor gave me instructions on how ot administer the two different eye drops prescribed. Two drops every hour until bedtime and then start again immediately after waking up. I could not sleep on my stomach or on the right side for fear of the pillow hitting my eye. 

When I came out, Dr. Simor was there to take me home again. Although I could see out of my left eye, without glasses or contacts, it was negligible. The right eye was quite blurry, which I was told before hand would be the case. It was like looking through thin milk glass, which is what I am guessing cataracts are like.

The instructions included taking a nap as soon as I made it home. You don't need to beat me over the head to take a nap. Two hours later, drops in, my vision was clearing, but still not enough to play cards with our guests.

There was no pain involved, but for the first four hours when awake, it felt like I had an eyelash under my eye. By evening, it was gone. 

This morning, my vision is clearer than last night, but it will take three weeks to three months for it to become the best it will be. Other than having to look at the computer screen a little closer than normal, less than 24 hours later, I am able to be functional without assistance. Today, I return for a follow-up check=up.

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IntraLasik Surgery

Initially, I had interviewed Dr. Randy Simor, a medical doctor who happens to be American-Hungarian, at his business MediTours Hungary, for my next Frommer's book. Medical tourism is growing at a rapid rate. I was impressed with him personally and his business, so decided to us his company for eye surgery. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time, but have now waited for the third generation of laser surgery to be widely used. 

Dr. Timor met me at the eye clinic today for my  eye evaluation where it was determined if I was eligible for IntraLasik eye surgery for corrective vision purposes. He stayed the entire time I was there to make sure all went well.

Because I am over 40 years old, I had three choices after they determined the health of my eyes.

1. I could have both down, giving me excellent distance vision, but still need reading glasses (This would not be true if I were younger.)
2. I can have one eye done with perfect distance vision and leave the other alone for reading. 
3. I can have the cornea lifted and have plastic lens implanted giving me perfect vision in both eyes.

The choice was clearer than the eye chart that I would take option 2. I have done a lot of reading about this surgery and have heard from a number of people who have had it done. They all have to wear reading glasses. With the point being to shed myself of contact lens and glasses, there is no reason not to try going for one eye for each distance and 'see' how it works out.  I always have the option of returning to have the other eye done at a later time.

My surgery is tomorrow at 2:30pm; Dr. Timor will again join me there. The surgery is supposed to take 15 minutes. I will be reporting back. 

MediTours does a big business with plastic surgery, dentistry, and of course eye surgery. Although his business does not do any of the procedures, it does contract for the best of the best in the field here, so a potential client does not have to hunt blindly. They also walk the client through the whole process, so language is never an issue. For dental and medical procedures, they have someone on call 24/7 and apartments where they can put you up.

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Life Musings

It has felt like there has not been much happening, yet it is not true when I reflect back. Besides working diligently on trying to get my book finished, little things change daily causing me to edit and rewrite what I have already written. When I called the Dohany Synagogue for a guest, the number I had was changed. When I called the new number offered, that was disconnected. Finally, I had to track down the new-new number. Ron and I were invited to a US Embassy reception, hosted by the Regional English Language Officer. We went for a relatively short time. The room was suffocatingly hot and although many were from IATEFL, I knew few of them. We did meet the new English Language Fellow (ELF), who is working with Roma college students and their English skills. It made me wonder if I could get any of my students to volunteer time to assist them as well. Something to ponder. It would intertwine nicely with my Race and Ethnicity class. It they had turned on the A/C, which they do have in the building, we may has stayed longer. After interviewing a medical tourism company run by an American-Hungarian M.D., I have decided to have laser surgery for vision correction. Later this month, I will go for a two hour exam to determine if I am eligible and if so, will have the surgery the next day. The surgery takes 15-20 minutes, but they tell you to block out two hours. Once the surgery is over, my next medical project is an evaluation of my teeth. My whole mouth has been non-stop annoying pain, sometimes throbbing, while other times just painful enough to make me aware of it. Our regular dentist is great, but he is not a cosmetic dentist. Both he and my dentist from CA both muse that even if I am a model patient who flosses abundantly and brushes as prescribed, I am the victim of three generations of really poor teeth genes. Fortunately, Hungary is known for its dentistry, with substantially reduced cost. That is life in the big city for now.

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Eye, Eye, Eye

I woke up this morning with blurred vision in my right eye, more blurred than usual without glasses or contact lens. Putting my contacts in did not help either. Does this mean another Hungarian medical experience in my future?

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Another Eye Appointment

I finally received another appointment with the eye surgeon with the correct office address. I had an appointment at 6:50 pm or so I thought. I checked it a couple of times, but 6:50 was ingrained in my memory. Tonight when I looked one more time, it was 6:20, not 6:50. There are some pluses for being compulsive. I shot out the door and still made it on time to the building I need to be at. However, when I reached the building and looked at all of the buzzers, there was none for my doctor. I immediately called Ron to have him check the e-mail once again, but there was no further information in it. I stood there wondering if I should just keep punching buzzers until someone let me in and then go door to door of the five story building until I found her. It was now 6:18 pm.

As I stood there contemplating my next move, double checking my mobile to make sure I did not have her phone number, a gentleman used a key to get into the door. I asked him in English if he knew this doctor. He responded in English “you have two choices and they are both on the first floor.”

When I went to the first floor, there were only two doors, giving me a 50-50 chance of choosing the correct one first. I lost that bet and went into a waiting room full of people for a doctor who was not mine. The male receptionist took me to the second office and told my doctor I was there.

After another full exam, the doctor gave me the good and bad news. She had just performed this surgery on someone else who only had double vision for three years. He turned entropic, I believe was the word she used. His vision went outward for ten days before it normalized. She warned this may happen to me or not work at all since my problem has been 30 years in the making. With this information, it was not a surgery I could do over a weekend like she had originally suggested. We decided to wait until the winter break and she only does surgery one day a month now that she is a new mother, so it would be the end of January. This works well with our being on vacation until the 12th.

She did suggest and prescribe prism glasses. They are non-prescription glasses that have prisms in them to draw my vision together. This is to develop the muscles while waiting for the surgery. I am having second thoughts about this whole thing.

She also discovered that the bifocal contacts the other doctor ordered were finally in and waiting for me. They can only be picked up on a Monday and this coming Monday is a national holiday, so I have to wait yet another week.

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