Adventures in LASIK - Day 6, The Diminishing Flood

[Isn't that a cool picture?  I found it at http://www.free-extras.com/images/gushing_tears-2551.htm]

If you have been following my adventures...last Thursday afternoon, the stromata of my corneas were reshaped with LASERS!  This was part of an IntraLASIK procedure to correct my vision.

Well, apparently, they seek elemental balance, because after the "fire" of the lasers, came much "water" in the form of a shedload of eye drops.  It's not suprising.  You just had a flap cut open in your eye.  You want that to stay moist/lubricated, calm (not inflamed), and free of infection.

There were three players:

• Artificial tears to keep my eyes moist; I opted for the individual sterile doses of Refreshe Plus
• PredForte, a steroid eye drop to control inflammation and allow my eyes to hit more home runs
• Zymaxid, an antibiotic eye drop to oppose those evil, evil biotics

Day 0 - after surgery, when awake, PredForte every 2 hours and Tears every 30 minutes.  Two more reasons to just sleep through until the next morning.

Days 1-4, I was to use the artificial tears as needed for moisture (as much as hourly), PredForte 6 times a day, Zymaxid 4 times a day.  In total, typically 16 applications of eye drops each day.  So, most hours of the day, I was putting some sort of drops in my eyes.

[Oh, and for extra fun, you are supposed to sleep with the goggles for three nights to avoid rubbing your eyes; perfect for your Pitch Black scene recreations.]

Days 5-6, no more Zymaxid, but PredForte is still 6 times a day.  Tears as needed still.

It's Day 6.  I am finding that I don't need the tears very much.  At this point, I am just using them to be safe.

Wow, I have never put so much stuff in my eyes.  But wow, I am getting really good at putting eyedrops in my eyes!

I will be glad when the PredForte ends.  No, not because I am ethically opposed to eyeballs "juicing", but because it's a milky white solution, so when you put them in, it dulls your visual clarity a bit, as if you are looking at the world through a dirty window.  Also, it tends to form more eye boogers. :-P

Tomorrow, Day 7, starts a 6-day period where I only need to use PredForte twice a day, and tears when needed.  After that, it's just tears when needed.

So, by the time the 2-week follow-up occurs, the medications should be all done.

For now, I am glad that my watery shackles will loosen a bit tomorrow.