Day 2
I had one episode yesterday evening where my right eye seemed to spasm for a few seconds. I blame it on using Facebook too much and then turning to the right and looking right into the overhead light in my study by accident. After applying some Artificial Tears and turning off the lights, I was ok again.
I didn’t sleep too well at night. I was trying to decide if it was the goggles, mattress, or Federer vs Tsonga match. After waking up at 5am and noting that Federer easily won, I still tossed and turned. I’ll flip the mattress tonight to rule out one more variable.
I made it back to the eye clinic for my one day follow-up. The ophthalmologist was mostly checking to see if my cornea is healing properly and that the contact is in place. I wonder if some of the people who have had horror stories with pain didn’t have one of these barrier contacts.
I recalled listening to Iz’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow during the procedure. Great song if you’ve never heard it, very soothing.
I was already mentally preparing myself for the tearing that will happen tonight. That is likely because my cornea will have healed enough that nerve fibers will start touching the contact. Better the contact than the air, I always say.
Around 5pm, a little over 28 hours after my procedure, I started having quite a bit of irritation. I tried some drops and the gnawing pain only decreased a bit, so off I went too lay down in a dark room. After a short nap, I awoke to find the pain gone. If I’m lucky like last time, the pain will only last a little longer, and I’ll only need a dark room and rest. A little ironic regarding how much I dislike taking medicine.
If I don’t post much between now and this Wednesday, that’s probably good thing because that means nothing noteworthy happened until my one week follow-up, i.e. my contact falls out, earth shattering pain, or wild swings in my vision.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
PRK Post-op
Day 1 (since the pre-surgery post was so long, I will start a new post for the post-surgery updates)
I’d forgotten what it was like to wear sunglasses in dark room while typing on the computer. All of the snow on the ground reflecting sun outside isn’t helping either. My eye is fairly sensitive right now to light, this usually take a few days to clear up.
The surgery went off without a hitch. I recall looking up at a device with a green dot in the center, 4 groups of 12 white lights in the corners and two orange lights on the lateral sides. The ophthalmologist spent several minutes using a ringed spatula to remove my corneal epithelium. The actual red laser seemed to only take 5 seconds. Mitomycin-c required about a minute. More smoothing of the cornea, and then the contact was laid down. Spacers were removed and I was on my way.
If you wear glasses and are only getting one eye done at a time, try to get a prescription for a blank lens the week before. You can also ask to have a demo lens used if you are ok with that. Walking around wearing glasses with one lens is a sure fire way to be classified as strange. Then again, for some people it might be a good conversation starter.
I only stayed up for one hour this time to eat some food and then I took a three hour nap. Currently, my eye feels a little irritated. I’m trying to apply artifical tear drops every two hours in between my other drops since it’s winter here, and the air is very dry. Vitamin C 1000mg a day has also been recommended.
My eye is slightly puffy right now with a mild subconjunctival hemorrhage, not too bad for having a spacer and clamp to hold my eye open earlier. I can actually make out what is on the computer screen right now, but there is a slight shadow effect and my eye throbs at times. Also, I may not have mentioned this earlier, but your vision will seem very good one day and not so good the next. It’s a gradual process as the eye heals and can take months until your vision reaches its final resting place. For now, eye drops and more eye drops, then off for my one day follow-up appointment tomorrow. Hopefully, my eye won’t start tearing too much till tomorrow night.
I’d forgotten what it was like to wear sunglasses in dark room while typing on the computer. All of the snow on the ground reflecting sun outside isn’t helping either. My eye is fairly sensitive right now to light, this usually take a few days to clear up.
The surgery went off without a hitch. I recall looking up at a device with a green dot in the center, 4 groups of 12 white lights in the corners and two orange lights on the lateral sides. The ophthalmologist spent several minutes using a ringed spatula to remove my corneal epithelium. The actual red laser seemed to only take 5 seconds. Mitomycin-c required about a minute. More smoothing of the cornea, and then the contact was laid down. Spacers were removed and I was on my way.
If you wear glasses and are only getting one eye done at a time, try to get a prescription for a blank lens the week before. You can also ask to have a demo lens used if you are ok with that. Walking around wearing glasses with one lens is a sure fire way to be classified as strange. Then again, for some people it might be a good conversation starter.
I only stayed up for one hour this time to eat some food and then I took a three hour nap. Currently, my eye feels a little irritated. I’m trying to apply artifical tear drops every two hours in between my other drops since it’s winter here, and the air is very dry. Vitamin C 1000mg a day has also been recommended.
My eye is slightly puffy right now with a mild subconjunctival hemorrhage, not too bad for having a spacer and clamp to hold my eye open earlier. I can actually make out what is on the computer screen right now, but there is a slight shadow effect and my eye throbs at times. Also, I may not have mentioned this earlier, but your vision will seem very good one day and not so good the next. It’s a gradual process as the eye heals and can take months until your vision reaches its final resting place. For now, eye drops and more eye drops, then off for my one day follow-up appointment tomorrow. Hopefully, my eye won’t start tearing too much till tomorrow night.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
PRK: a diary for those with questions, concerns, interests, or comparison to LASIK
T minus 1 day:
I am going for PRK on my right eye tomorrow so I thought I would blog the experience for those who are interested. I figure I could offer a fairly unique background since I already underwent PRK on my left eye back in September with some success.
To start off with, you might be wondering what PRK is. The acronym stands for photorefractive keratectomy which means a laser is used to shave down your cornea, so that it will grow back in a contour that will allow for better eye sight.
How does this differ from LASIK which everyone has probably heard of, knows someone who has had it, or has had it themselves? LASIK stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. Once again, a laser is used, but this time a small flap is cut in your cornea and the laser makes minor corrections under this flap. The flap is then dropped back down which provides two of the biggest reasons why LASIK is so popular. You are able to see quite well within a day or two and there is little healing time.
PRK on the other hand can take a few days to have enough vision to perform basic tasks. They usually recommend waiting a week to drive. My ophthalmologist felt that I should be able to go back to work in under a week. Honestly, I didn’t feel comfortable in front of a computer for an extended period of time until 3 weeks out.
Now, you are probably wondering why I didn’t get LASIK. In fact, I already had LASIK on both my eyes 10 years ago with great success. Unfortunately, I was still in school at the time and my vision has regressed to a -3 to -4 spherical diopter with +2 cylinder (astigmatism) since then.
When I approached the ophthalmologist about further laser surgery, he noted that my corneas were thick enough to undergo LASIK again. My cornea was greater than 600 microns which scared the nurse a little. I’ve seen some numbers that ~500 microns is a threshold, but each surgeon has their criteria and different procedures that can be performed based upon how much residual cornea they wish to maintain. Thus, even with my thick corneas, the ophthalmologist was concerned about the integrity of my cornea with two flaps, thus we went with the safer route. Sure, I could’ve gone with the quick and easy LASIK, but I kept on having dreams of my eye collapsing on itself. I know that really can’t happen, but every one is allowed to have ridiculous medical thoughts at times, I’ve seen plenty.
In September 2009, I underwent PRK on my left eye since it had the worse astigmatism. This was also sort of a trial since my right eye was my dominant eye. I could still undergo LASIK if I was satisfied. As you may have noticed, I was undergoing one eye at a time because I could take off up to 3 weeks in case I was unable to work. I also have partial monocular vision, so I am able to look out of one eye mostly if need, thus another reason why this was suitable.
I arrived at the doctor’s office that morning and sat around for a while. I finally went back for the procedure which involved several numbing drops and lied down. A plastic stabilizer was next inserted around my eye to prevent blinking. I was now starting up at a multitude of red, white, green and yellow lights. The red was in the center and most important since the ophthalmologist kept on telling me to look at it. He then used a small instrument to take off the epithelial surface of my cornea. I could only feel the slightest pressure. If you’ve never worn contacts before or have some phobia of people sticking stuff in your eyes, you might need some valium before the procedure.
Next, he asked me to stare straight ahead at the red dot. It had not become slightly hazy, better with some lubricant drops. Then, the buzzing sound BEGAN. “Keep looking ahead,” I was reminded as the smell of burnt tissue entered the air. Since I’ve been on surgery rotations several years ago, this didn’t bother me in the least, but once again, if this makes you squeamish please tell your doctor so you can take some medication for anxiety before the procedure.
After about a minute, the procedure was over. Some mitomycin-c drops were applied which have been shown to reduce corneal hazing in people like me who are very near-sighted. A barrier contact lens was then placed on top. After spending 10 minutes total in the laser suite, I had received my bag of eye drops and was on my way out the door.
After having a friend drop me home, I stayed up several hours typing on the computer wearing the provided sunglasses. Nothing beats causing severe strain to my eye right after a stressful procedure. Also, like most patients I ignored my doctor’s orders of going to sleep for a few hours. My eye didn’t feel too irritated, just like there was a bit sand in there.
You will receive several drops to take. A steroid (prednisolone) drop which is used four times daily for the first week, three times daily for the second week, twice daily the third week, and once daily the final week. An antibiotic drop (Vigamox in my case) is also given to take several times a day for one week. A NSAID (Acular) eye drop was needed for one day. I also received some vicodin for pain and valium for anxiety and sleep, but I’m not a big fan of medication. I never opened the bottles, and they are still sitting in a medicine bag in case anyone gets any weird ideas. Artificial tears are highly recommended to use several times a day, especially if your eye is dry. I was also provided some thin goggles which you are supposed to sleep in for 3 nights.
The next day, my eye still felt great. I drove to my one day follow-up appointment (this is not recommended) and my check up went smooth. Words still looked slightly blurry, though I could make out objects at a distance. My cornea was already starting to heal well and I wasn’t in any pain. I have read horror stories where people are in pain continuously for five days and curled up in the fetal position unless they are taking pain meds or anesthetic eye drops. This reinforces why it is of the utmost importance to make sure your ophthalmologist is very experienced in this procedure. Cheaper surgeries may save you a few bucks, but issues with eyesight can affect you the rest of your life.
The second night I was about to sit down for dinner when my eye started watering. It had watered a little the first night, but stopped with a few dabs. This time my eye kept watering and felt irritated. I applied some of steroids eye drops which helped a little but the watering continued. I then went and laid down for about an hour in a dark room. Eureka! My eye had returned to normal lacrimation. At my one week follow-up, I was feeling more comfortable with driving though I still couldn’t stare at a computer screen or read text for a long period of time without the words starting to slightly blur. By three weeks, I felt like I could go about all of my daily work and home tasks comfortably. After 3 months, my left eye still only had about 20/40 vision, but my astigmatism was almost gone. I am wearing a slight corrective lens to lessen eye strain. Do I wish I had perfect vision out of my left eye right now? Sure, but 15% of the time, people will need touch-ups after laser procedures.
Now I sit on the precipice of PRK on my R eye, I will have an update tomorrow after the procedure.
Lastly, I would like to provide a quick disclaimer. While I do have a background in medicine, my knowledge of the eye is no where near what a trained ophthalmologist or optometrist has. My story serves to help those who might have some interest or questions before talking with their doctor. While I can provide advice or insight based upon what I’ve read or experienced, I will always defer to those who make a living in this field.
I am going for PRK on my right eye tomorrow so I thought I would blog the experience for those who are interested. I figure I could offer a fairly unique background since I already underwent PRK on my left eye back in September with some success.
To start off with, you might be wondering what PRK is. The acronym stands for photorefractive keratectomy which means a laser is used to shave down your cornea, so that it will grow back in a contour that will allow for better eye sight.
How does this differ from LASIK which everyone has probably heard of, knows someone who has had it, or has had it themselves? LASIK stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. Once again, a laser is used, but this time a small flap is cut in your cornea and the laser makes minor corrections under this flap. The flap is then dropped back down which provides two of the biggest reasons why LASIK is so popular. You are able to see quite well within a day or two and there is little healing time.
PRK on the other hand can take a few days to have enough vision to perform basic tasks. They usually recommend waiting a week to drive. My ophthalmologist felt that I should be able to go back to work in under a week. Honestly, I didn’t feel comfortable in front of a computer for an extended period of time until 3 weeks out.
Now, you are probably wondering why I didn’t get LASIK. In fact, I already had LASIK on both my eyes 10 years ago with great success. Unfortunately, I was still in school at the time and my vision has regressed to a -3 to -4 spherical diopter with +2 cylinder (astigmatism) since then.
When I approached the ophthalmologist about further laser surgery, he noted that my corneas were thick enough to undergo LASIK again. My cornea was greater than 600 microns which scared the nurse a little. I’ve seen some numbers that ~500 microns is a threshold, but each surgeon has their criteria and different procedures that can be performed based upon how much residual cornea they wish to maintain. Thus, even with my thick corneas, the ophthalmologist was concerned about the integrity of my cornea with two flaps, thus we went with the safer route. Sure, I could’ve gone with the quick and easy LASIK, but I kept on having dreams of my eye collapsing on itself. I know that really can’t happen, but every one is allowed to have ridiculous medical thoughts at times, I’ve seen plenty.
In September 2009, I underwent PRK on my left eye since it had the worse astigmatism. This was also sort of a trial since my right eye was my dominant eye. I could still undergo LASIK if I was satisfied. As you may have noticed, I was undergoing one eye at a time because I could take off up to 3 weeks in case I was unable to work. I also have partial monocular vision, so I am able to look out of one eye mostly if need, thus another reason why this was suitable.
I arrived at the doctor’s office that morning and sat around for a while. I finally went back for the procedure which involved several numbing drops and lied down. A plastic stabilizer was next inserted around my eye to prevent blinking. I was now starting up at a multitude of red, white, green and yellow lights. The red was in the center and most important since the ophthalmologist kept on telling me to look at it. He then used a small instrument to take off the epithelial surface of my cornea. I could only feel the slightest pressure. If you’ve never worn contacts before or have some phobia of people sticking stuff in your eyes, you might need some valium before the procedure.
Next, he asked me to stare straight ahead at the red dot. It had not become slightly hazy, better with some lubricant drops. Then, the buzzing sound BEGAN. “Keep looking ahead,” I was reminded as the smell of burnt tissue entered the air. Since I’ve been on surgery rotations several years ago, this didn’t bother me in the least, but once again, if this makes you squeamish please tell your doctor so you can take some medication for anxiety before the procedure.
After about a minute, the procedure was over. Some mitomycin-c drops were applied which have been shown to reduce corneal hazing in people like me who are very near-sighted. A barrier contact lens was then placed on top. After spending 10 minutes total in the laser suite, I had received my bag of eye drops and was on my way out the door.
After having a friend drop me home, I stayed up several hours typing on the computer wearing the provided sunglasses. Nothing beats causing severe strain to my eye right after a stressful procedure. Also, like most patients I ignored my doctor’s orders of going to sleep for a few hours. My eye didn’t feel too irritated, just like there was a bit sand in there.
You will receive several drops to take. A steroid (prednisolone) drop which is used four times daily for the first week, three times daily for the second week, twice daily the third week, and once daily the final week. An antibiotic drop (Vigamox in my case) is also given to take several times a day for one week. A NSAID (Acular) eye drop was needed for one day. I also received some vicodin for pain and valium for anxiety and sleep, but I’m not a big fan of medication. I never opened the bottles, and they are still sitting in a medicine bag in case anyone gets any weird ideas. Artificial tears are highly recommended to use several times a day, especially if your eye is dry. I was also provided some thin goggles which you are supposed to sleep in for 3 nights.
The next day, my eye still felt great. I drove to my one day follow-up appointment (this is not recommended) and my check up went smooth. Words still looked slightly blurry, though I could make out objects at a distance. My cornea was already starting to heal well and I wasn’t in any pain. I have read horror stories where people are in pain continuously for five days and curled up in the fetal position unless they are taking pain meds or anesthetic eye drops. This reinforces why it is of the utmost importance to make sure your ophthalmologist is very experienced in this procedure. Cheaper surgeries may save you a few bucks, but issues with eyesight can affect you the rest of your life.
The second night I was about to sit down for dinner when my eye started watering. It had watered a little the first night, but stopped with a few dabs. This time my eye kept watering and felt irritated. I applied some of steroids eye drops which helped a little but the watering continued. I then went and laid down for about an hour in a dark room. Eureka! My eye had returned to normal lacrimation. At my one week follow-up, I was feeling more comfortable with driving though I still couldn’t stare at a computer screen or read text for a long period of time without the words starting to slightly blur. By three weeks, I felt like I could go about all of my daily work and home tasks comfortably. After 3 months, my left eye still only had about 20/40 vision, but my astigmatism was almost gone. I am wearing a slight corrective lens to lessen eye strain. Do I wish I had perfect vision out of my left eye right now? Sure, but 15% of the time, people will need touch-ups after laser procedures.
Now I sit on the precipice of PRK on my R eye, I will have an update tomorrow after the procedure.
Lastly, I would like to provide a quick disclaimer. While I do have a background in medicine, my knowledge of the eye is no where near what a trained ophthalmologist or optometrist has. My story serves to help those who might have some interest or questions before talking with their doctor. While I can provide advice or insight based upon what I’ve read or experienced, I will always defer to those who make a living in this field.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Inchin’s Bamboo Garden
Inchin’s Bamboo Garden5106 Great Northern Mall
North Olmsted, OH 44070
(440) 734-0500
http://www.bamboo-gardens.com/
Inchin. “What the heck is that” was the first thought that entered my mind. I was told it’s a play on words for Indian Chinese cuisine. This doesn’t mean Indian food with a Chinese flair. It’s an Indian take on Chinese cooking, and quite tasty is an understatement.
My first experience in Indian Chinese fare was in Calcutta while eating at Arsalan. While I didn’t partake in their famous biryani, I did enjoy a vegetable jhalpiazi dish that was infused with red and green chilies and other subtle spices that had more of an Asian flare. Maybe once India takes over China in population the cuisine will only be known as a variation of Indian food.
We decided to try Bamboo Garden because several friends from India said it reminded them of Chinese food back at home. How could I turn down that stamp of approval? The food is also considered halal which means it is permissible for Muslims to eat.
The restaurant is located on the western half of the Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted. The interior of the restaurant is very spacious, comfortable, with mellow lighting and red and yellow painted walls. A friendly host sat us promptly and then we were off to the buffet.
I’ll admit that when I first laid eyes on the variety of food available, I was very impressed. Following is a list of the great assortment of food found on this buffet: darsan with ice cream, chicken red curry, lamb yellow curry, chicken fried rice, chicken hakka noodle, shrimp creamy chili, General Tsao’s chicken, chicken lai, thai mixed vegetable, okra black bean, T’sing hoi potato, vegetable hakka noodle, vegetable fried rice, crispy chili baby corn, cauliflower dry and chili, and hot and sour soup. Nearly all of the dishes were spiced very well, though the shrimp dish was a little bland and overcooked. After mixing them with yellow curry, the taste greatly improved. I also didn’t care for the baby corn that much, it was too mild and soft. However, overall the rest of the buffet is a spice heaven.
The meal ends with a quite tasty dessert. Darzan are thin, fried crispy noodles coated in sugar and honey. When mixed with the ice cream, the combination is pure nirvana (had to get one of those jokes in). For those living on the west side or who have an interest in trying a spin on Asian cuisine, definitely check this restaurant out. There are also locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, Raleigh, and Seattle.
Scale of 0 to 5
0: "What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others." - Confucius
5: “With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow – I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness are to me as a floating cloud.” - Confucius
Food & Drink: 5
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 4 (Buffet service, but friendly)
Bang for the buck: 4 (The buffet was $9.95, but for the variety it is well worth it)
TOTAL: 17/20
-Dr. Tarbox
Dr. Chang’s two cents:
Food & Drink: 4.5 (Good for an uncommon genre)
Atmosphere: 4 (Quiet and clean)
Service: 4 (Quick to refill water, otherwise buffet self-serve style)
Bang for the buck: 4 (All-you-can-eat for lunchtime for a decent price)
TOTAL: 16.5/20
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or ideas for restaurants to visit, please e-mail us at tarboxj@ccf.org and changl@ccf.org or visit our blog at starboxmd.blogspot.com. Thank you.
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