My Lasik Journey with Optimax

Voucher available at the end of this article. Anyone can save the photo containing voucher code and show to any Optimax branch in Malaysia to get a thorough eye test done. 

Hey y'all,

It's been a very long while. Do you miss me? Silly question right? After rehab from social media I realized nobody cares anyway...but there are some angels among my friends who really care. I love you all so much and I'm very touched. You know who you are.

Ok back to topic of the day. I had wanted to restore my eyesight for years however anxiety about risks and budget had stopped me. Hubby brought his parents to Optimax for booster at the beginning of this year. So after much research, reviews and waiting for our major renovation to be done I finally decided that it's time to ditch the glasses after 20 years of wearing them. 

Do comment if you wana see before and after house tour ;)

Not only does glasses make my face oily all the time they also made my nose bridge uncomfortable hence always sneezing. Whenever people ask me to see something quickly I'll be missing out because I would be cleaning or taking a break frm glasses. And oh the fog everytime come out of the car. My fellow four eyed pals would know the feeling. Contact lens are a nightmare after wearing them for long hours. My eyes turn red everytime I wear contacts. Had to blame myself for wearing expired ones sometimes

Enough of story telling lemme get straight to the point. The branch I went to was Optimax Penang. I made an appointment through Miss Lim Soo Lee via phone call one week ahead. You can also make an appointment by dropping a DM via Optimax Facebook page.

 

The appointment would be an eye examination consisting various screening such as moisture level, eye pressure, cornea thickness, night vision, astigmatism and so on. It's not your usual eye test to make specs. You will also have consultation with optometrist who will suggest suitable procedure for your eye correction. You have the choice on whether to proceed or not.

Important things to remember before the eye test

1. No contact lens a week before test

2. No eye make up or any powder on eye exam day.

3. No perfume, hair spray or any chemical spray on eye exam day.

*Best is not to wear contacts and make up for a week like I did. I also never put on perfume, deodorant, hair spray or hair gel in my life (except photoshoot or my own wedding which was ages ago) so that won't be an issue. 

Eye Examination Day

 

2 hour eye exam including consultation with optometrist Brenden Goh from 10:30am -1pm

Part 1

Test eye power, cornea thickness, eyeball shape, curvature etc and then take a break. Your optometrist will put several eye drops from two bottles which I had no clue what they are. Drops from second bottle sting a little but only last a minute. You will have blurry vision for the rest of the day so do assign a driver or e-hailing service. I wasn't sure the purpose of the eye drops. I think it has to do with night vision test.

Part 2

Counseling and explanation. Your guardian or spouse allowed to be present. Your optometrist will explain about the procedure that is suitable for you, the risks, the process, eye care and answer all your queries. If you agree on a procedure you will sign consent form. Custom Femto Lasik was the best procedure for me. Next was astigmatism exam and confirm your eye power. After all is done comes the bill and surgery appointment. You will only have to pay for the eye exam. They didn't even collect surgery deposit till your surgery day. Doctors are available either Wednesday (Dr. Edwin) or Friday (Dr. Lee) for Penang branch. I chose Friday regardless of who my surgeon is because I have faith in them after countless of 5 star reviews. 

One of the consultation rooms and my husband.

Here are my results. My eyes are healthy and fine apart from near sighted.

This was taken about 10hrs after that eye drop. My face was under bright LED light but my pupils dilate. I felt dizzy and blurry even with glasses on. Hubby said I have temporary cat eyes. So that explains why I couldn't read anything near at all with my glasses on. I felt more comfortable without them. It slowly went back to normal after 24hrs.

 

Normal price for the eye exam is RM360 but I'll attach a voucher for you at the end of this article.

Surgery Day

Remember to adhere to the practice just like before eye exam: No contacts, no make up, no perfume and chemical spray until your surgery day. Bring sunglasses, hat and warm clothing.

Finally it's Friday! Since we are still at the end of pandemic and this is literally a hospital, every patient is required to undergo RTK Antigen test at 9:30am for RM120.

Unrelated info this is my first ever covid rapid test. My nose finally lost it's virginity! Of course it came out negative as I'm confident I am immune but that's another story.

           Final hour wearing my glasses.

After lunch, I went back to Optimax at 3pm for the non-invasive surgery. This time I had butterflies in my stomach. Waiting time was long as there were so many patients around. Optometrist Pavithiraa assisted me this time. She was very calm and friendly. Basically everyone there is friendly. She reconfirmed my eye power again and put some eye drops.

Here comes the ultimate bill $$$. My Custom Femto Lasik costs RM9300. You can make zero interest installment on your credit card up to 24 months. Huge thanks to my mum for the sponsor and big shoutout to hubby for taking care of me for the entire month.

Around 4pm nurse Amira called my name to the changing room. She emphasized that hairclips, hairpins and hair scrounge are forbidden during surgery. I think it's due to the pull that might incur on your forehead that will affect your nerves. So do not tie your hair!

After changing, leave your belongings in the locker. You will be seated on an armchair along with another patient in the waiting room. Nurse Amira then wiped my eyelids, dropped the numbing solution into my eyes, gave a bag of eye drops and antibiotic and explained after surgery care. Next I eventually met Dr. Lee! She is a friendly but no nonsense woman so do not try to panic or cry or do anything funny. She checked my eyes with a device, went into the surgery room to get the machine ready and within seconds I was called in! 

During surgery

Sorry no photos here. I went into a huge room with an enormous machine. There were about 3 or 4 nurses assisting Dr. Lee. Next I lay on the wide bed and after adjustments I was ready for surgery. As I said it was non invasive. No blood and gory stuff. 

Dr. Lee started with my right eye by placing more eye drops and a clamp. Throughout the entire process I couldn't feel a thing so whatever I'm typing now was just guessing. My left eye was open but covered with a piece of black shield. I was told to look into the bright green dot that was surrounded by bright white lights for 20 seconds. Then she placed a suction device on my right eyeball. It was to suck up the layer of cornea so that a flap could be created. Then I think a semi circle was cut on my cornea. It's just a very thin layer. After opening the flap Dr. Lee said from now on my vision would be blurry. Next I was told to look straight into tiny dots of moving red lights which I assume they were laser and countdown 20 seconds. This time I could smell like somebody having BBQ. All those who done before smelled the same thing. Your eyes are barbequed lol. Next she sprayed some eye drops and placed back the flap and repeated the same process on my left eye. The entire process was so quick! I could immediately see the entire room after the procedure although lights appeared to be harsh.

After changing back into my clothes hubby immediately drove me home to recuperate. 

Recovery

So how do I feel right after surgery? A little discomfort on the eyeballs like you have dry contact lens on. Dr. Lee told me to sleep for 5 hours after surgery. I read that you will feel more pain as the numbness goes off in a few hours. So after I dropped some antibiotics, artificial tears and put on my eye shield I popped a ponstan (painkiller) before going to sleep because a YouTuber said you might feel like chopping onions as soon as you wake up so do pop a painkiller. From a scale of 1 to 10 I would say it was a tolerable 5. Many patients weren't taught on how to put on eye shield correctly. I had to watch YouTube tutorial too. So the picture above shows the correct way of putting the shields. It's damn simple.

Here's my goody bag

 

Antibiotics which I religiously put one drop for each eye 4 times a day. You can divide your timing accordingly. Mine was 9am, 1pm, 6pm and 10pm. The antibiotics have to be discarded after a week regardless of any leftover.

 Artificial tears one drop at a time whenever your eyes feel dry.

 

It wasn't so bad after all. I could see clearly with my right eye however my left is taking a longer time to recover. Still felt like I have -0.50 power on my left eye. I shall give it 2 months.

Post surgery

You have to go back to Optimax the next day for check up. Next appointment would be one week later then one month, 3 month and 6 month. All check ups are free till the 6th month. You are required to come for annual check up for RM100 to keep your warranty in case another corrective surgery needed. Ms. Pavithiraa handles my post surgery check up. I told her about my left eye and she said it will take time to heal as it has only been 24 hours. Dr. Lee examined me too and said my left eye was very dry and to drop artificial tears often.

FAQ 

 Here are some of the queries I remembered from optometrist Brenden.

1. Dryness 

It is well known that the procedure could cause dryness in eyes for a long period of time. Before I had this procedure I never carry eye drops in my bag. Now I have to drop artificial tears several times a day but that's better than wearing contacts.

2. Glaring 

Our eyeball has a bulge in the middle. After surgery, surface will be flat. Therefore you will experience poor night vision. In my case, I might need night glasses to minimize the glaring while driving. Some might see halo some might see starburst. This is a side effect you have to think about.

3. Relapse 

A relapse is unlikely for my case because the power for both eyes aren't that high. As long as you don't do hardcore activities that might harm your eyes then you're good to go. If you ever have a relapse Optimax will arrange a corrective surgery for free provided you don't miss your annual check up.

4. Other risks 

Every surgery has it's risk whether it's invasive or non invasive. I suggest to consult your optometrist on this as I ain't qualified to explain anything here. Trust me you will be more relieved than regret after the procedure.

5. Healing 

It could take months for your flap to fully heal and restore perfect vision. You can wash your face and take a bath right after surgery but do be gentle. Avoid using soap or roughly spray water directly on your face. No eye make up, spa, facial and hairstyling for a month.

You will be able to drive, view monitor, phone and watch TV the next day. Wear sunglasses for a week. Outdoor activities such as swimming and cycling preferably a month later. Avoid hardcore activities like football, tennis, paintball, horse riding, sky diving or anything that could impact your head for another month. Even if you do you can't go blind lol. The flap could distort if you are injured but can be corrected again.

6. Worst case scenario

The only possibility is blur vision but that is if there's misalignment to your flap so do not rub your eyes or do any rough activity that could injure them. It can be corrected FOC by your doctor. Lol you won't turn blind and Final Destination is total fiction. Irl the machines are well calibrated and of course there are safety measures. You will be surrounded by so many nurses on standby.

Another goodie bag I received, wipes more artificial tears and vouchers.

Simply printscreen or save this photo and show to any Optimax branch in Malaysia to get your eyes checked. It's unlimited! Your friends and family can use this code too.

Update after 1 week. My left eye still a little blurry. Both eyes still has power -0.25. Optometrist said the tissue hasn't fully healed. Dryness might be causing it. This I agree. I no longer put antibiotics and was advised to drop artificial tears every 4 hours.