Here’s an Eyeopener

At a very young age, I noticed that I was extrasensitive to light. I couldn’t have an outdoor photo of myself without squinting.

When I was seven years old, my mother finally took me to an eye doctor to find out what my problem was. I was suffering from myopia – I had a refraction grade of 300 (which had since increased to 900 for my left eye and 1000 for my right eye), which basically means that what a normal person can see 300 ft. away, I can see only within 20 ft., which was really bad.

After 11 years of wearing thick glasses, I finally tried contact lenses . I wore them until less than a month ago. I could have died wearing contact lenses if not for the persistent irritation that started a few months back. I was advised to shift between wearing contact lenses and my "goggles" and it was not pleasant. I had headaches all the time, and I was very irritable.This was the reason why trying laser eye surgery was a real eyeopener for me.

The Makati Eye Laser Center was established in 1995 and has since then performed several thousand procedures for the correction of myopia, hyperopia, and all forms of astigmatism using LASIK (laser in situ keratomileusis).

State-of-the-Art Technology

The center is the first to bring into the country Zyoptix, an integrated diagnostics that makes possible a comprehensive analysis and personalized treatment of the eye. It integrates wavefront analysis, multi-dimensional 3-D corneal mapping, and advanced scanning laser technology.

The first key component of the Zyoptix system is the Orbscan IIz, a multidimensional diagnostic system that measures elevation and curvature on both the anterior and posterior surfaces of the cornea. Dr. Jaime Dinglasan likens it to a topographical map because, indeed, it generates diagnostic maps of one’s cornea.

Other laser eye centers stop at this stage of the analysis. Makati Eye does more. The Zywave uses wavefront technology to identify aberrations throughout the entire optical system (not just the cornea).

Data from the Zywave is combined with the Orbscan II data. These integrated diagnostics enables the doctor to prescribe and design the optimal corrective solution via a simulated outcome software.

This third component of the Zyoptix system is the Technolas 217z, which delivers the next dimension in advanced scanning laser technology. The Zylink software maximizes the flying spot technology with a new "2+1" approach. A 2 mm spot quickly and effectively performs majority of the refractive correction. The 1 mm spot corrects the higher order aberrations and fine tunes the treatment. Utilizing a new truncated gaussian beam, maximum smoothness and minimal thermal effect are the goals.

"Prior to the flying spot laser, we had the wide area or large spot. With the smaller spot and flying spot technology, there is lesser amount of heat transferred to the eye and a smoother ablation is ensured. The greater the amount of heat, the more the temperature is raised around the cornea that may lead to more haze or cloudiness," he says.

A new 120 Hz eye-tracker is designed to enhance safety and predictability of the desired outcome. Dr. Dinglasan explains: "The tracking system is able to identify where the laser has been and where it is going. And it stops when something is wrong." The information is then stored into a diskette which is then fed into the laser machine.

The Day

Prior to any surgery, numbing or anaesthetic drops are instilled on both eyes. I had to wait for a few minutes for the drops to take effect and finally, I was ushered into the operating room (I was blind as a bat without my eyeglasses).

First, my left eye was covered with gauze while a speculum was placed on my right eye to hold the eyelid open. This was to keep me from blinking.

A device was then used to make reference marks (purple lines made on my eye) which the doctor will use for correctly aligning the flap when the LASIK procedure is done.

The dark purple layer on the outer part of the cornea is called the epithelium. This protective outer layer is always removed when performing PRK but is left intact with LASIK.

A suction was then applied and my eye was held stationary. I felt some kind of pressure which resulted in a temporary blackout of vision on my right eye.

A device called microkeratome (a sophisticated peeler, according to Dr. Dinglasan) was used to slice the cornea from the side, producing a flap. A part of the device flattens the cornea during the slice, so as to create a flap of uniform thickness. It is at this stage of the procedure that the doctor must exercise extreme precision and caution to create a perfect flap.The doctor rolls back to expose the inner layers of the cornea. With the flap folded back, the refractive correction is made on the inner layer of the cornea using an excimer laser similar to PRK. When the treatment is complete, the flap is repositioned. The eye has a natural suction facility that will allow the flap to remain firmly in place. The LASIK vision correction is now complete.

Dr. Dinglasan then proceeded to cover my right eye, and then operated on my left eye. Each eye took only 10 to 15 minutes.

After the operation, I was asked to wear goggles which the clinic provided to preven dust from getting into my eyes. I also had to wear goggles at night for a few days just to make sure that I do not rub my eyes while sleeping.

There was no pain whatsoever. I was so hungry that I immediately proceeded to a nearby restaurant. And on the way, I was already reading small street signs with clarity.

I was off to work the following day. Actually, nobody noticed because they were used to me not wearing eyeglasses. But a friend of mine, who basically has the same refraction or grade as mine, called me and asked whether I cried for joy after the operation. I asked her why I should be crying and she said, "It was a dream come true for you."

Right. Now I’m no longer near-sighted – in more ways than one.