"They've got some crazy little women there, and I'm gonna get me one!"
That's all we sang most of the week leading up to Andy's LASIK eye surgery today. He originally met with the doctors at Eye Glass World in Des Moines and they referred them to a surgeon in Kansas, near Overland Park, for the actual procedure.
So, at 8am, we dropped the Holigan off with her Uncle Corey for the day. Now, Uncle Corey has babysat before and done a great job! Carter loves him very much! But, he's always had a helping hand - Aunt Amber! Aunt Amber had class all day, and Corey still offered to sit. Now that's Uncle of the Year award material!
We proceeded to KC. It was a pretty easy, uneventful drive - but long! We got there and Andy filled out his paper work. They brought him back, and did test after test to check a variety of things. In the process, they determined he was PRK material. Initially, he was going to get the standard LASIK procedure done. Where they numb the eye, use a knife to peel back a layer of the eye, laser to correct things, and piece everything back together. I guess this is the less-invasive and more comfortable procedure (it scares me to death, and makes me want to cry!). But during the final testing, the doctor decided that Andy's cornea was "too steep" and decided to do the PRK procedure. This means that he didn't "go under the knife." Instead, they used a laser to correct everything. He said he was done in about five minutes! This method, which sounds utterly delightful to me, requires that he put in two types of eye drops hourly for the first 24 hours, one drop every 4 hours for a week, and the other drop every 4 hours for 8 weeks. He's also very sensitive to light, and says that his eyes are "itchy, burny, and irritating." Not fun.
Currently, he's on the two drops, every four hours, and some pain killer to stop the irritation. He says it feels like there "towel fuzz" in his eye, but is managing well. He's knocked out on the couch at the moment, wearing his awesome sunglasses to cut the extreme brightness of the gloomy, overcast day!
Armed with her blankie and a bag of books, this adorable little one spent the day with her awesome Uncle!
Andy, pre-LASIK ...
Andy, post-PRK.
Eyes must remain closed for 3-4 hours after the surgery (thankfully it's a 3 1/2 hour ride home!), drops hourly, pain killer every 4 hours, and these glasses when outside, and some rockstar goggle-looking things at night so he doesn't rub and scratch his eyes. But it will be worth it soon!
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