Of Dark Glasses, Eyedrops, and...Spreadsheets?
Welcome back! If you’ve been following along, you probably saw my previous post where I detailed my LASIK surgery adventure at Eye Care Hospital in Aizawl. If you haven’t, I hope you read that first.
Today, I’m diving into what happened after the surgery—the healing process, the little annoyances, and yes, my new hourly relationship with eyedrops.
Post-Op: The Reality Check
So, let me start by saying this—your eyesight doesn’t magically become 20/20 the moment you roll out of the operation room.
Nah, it takes time to heal, so don’t freak out if you wake up the next day unable to read your WhatsApp messages or even tell who’s calling you from the blurry display on your phone. I legit thought my surgery failed the first time I opened my eyes the next morning. But hey, totally norms! Your cornea is healing, so no need to hit the panic button.
Now, for me, the changes weren’t exactly mind-blowing. Why? Well, in case you missed my epic memoir on wearing spectacles and contact lenses, I’ve been wearing contacts regularly for years, so I was already used to clear vision without glasses.
It wasn’t like I was seeing the world through a whole new set of eyes—it was more like, “Oh cool, I don’t have to shove my lenses into my eyeballs anymore.”
The Dark Glasses: Enter Rockstar Mode
After LASIK, one of the must-follow rules is to wear dark glasses all the time. Yes, even indoors. And let me tell you, nothing screams "rockstar" like wearing shades while taking a dump. I’m not kidding. I felt like a mix between Stevie Wonder and Bono... but, you know, just in my bathroom.
I even caught myself once doing that classic Rajni Kant move while wearing them. :P
But hey, they’re important! The dark glasses help protect your healing eyes from any bright lights or sneaky finger pokes, so you get used to it pretty fast. Plus, it's a good way to admire all the pretty ladies passing by without any fear, especially if you're an introvert like me. :)
The Eyedrop Marathon: My New Life
Now let’s talk about the real star of this post-op experience—the eyedrops. And wow, were there a lot of them. I had an entire pharmacy in my pocket! Every hour, every two hours, every four hours—there’s always something to drop into your eyes. Here's the lowdown on my daily liquid diet:
- Moxifloxacin (once every hour): This is an antibiotic that helps prevent infections. It’s like the bodyguard of your eyes post-surgery, keeping all the bad guys out.
- Systane Ultra (once every hour): This is a lubricant eye drop to keep your eyes moist. It’s basically a mini spa treatment for your eyeballs.
- Fluorometholone (once every two hours): This is a steroid that reduces inflammation. Think of it as the bouncer kicking out any swelling that might show up uninvited.
- Carboxymethylcellulose (four times a day): Another lubricant to stop your eyes from drying out. Double spa treatment!
- Nepafenac (once a day): This one’s an anti-inflammatory drop. It’s a bit like popping an ibuprofen, but for your eyes.
- Retoplex Capsule (once a day): Not a drop, but a capsule that’s supposed to help speed up healing.
So yeah, keeping track of all these drops is like juggling a bunch of important life events every hour. You can’t miss one, or your eyes will be very unhappy!
Gamifying the Eyedrop Routine: Excel Sheets to the Rescue!
Now, as a gamer, I couldn’t help but gamify this whole process.
Instead of randomly dropping things into my eyes while following the prescription and hoping for the best, I decided to spread out my drops on an Excel sheet to create the perfect schedule.
I had everything organised—optimum gaps between each dose, all nicely planned out with some variety in between. Yes, I actually treated my eye care like a strategy game.
Here’s a screenshot of the spreadsheet I made.
I guess I even levelled up in eye care, lolz.
The App That Saved Me from Madness
Being the tech guy that I am, I thought, "Why not build a simple app to alert me when it’s time to take each drop?" I started planning it out, and then during my research, I stumbled upon this nifty app on Google Play called EyeDropAlarm by someone named Kayur Shah MD. And guess what? It did exactly what I needed.
Yeah, why build a new one when there's already a good one available for free?
In this app, you can easily enter the name of each eyedrop (it even has a list of popular ones already built-in), set the frequency based on my Excel schedule, and boom—a simple alarm system that reminds me when it’s time to drop each eyedrop.
Here’s a screenshot of my schedule using the app.
It’s like having a personal assistant for my eyes, and I really do recommend you install the app too once you undergo this surgery. Don't thank me, thank Dr. Kayur Shah MD.
Time Feels Slow... Until It Doesn’t
With all these alarms going off, let me tell you, time seemed to crawl at first. Every hour or half an hour, my phone would go ting, and I’d go, “Oh great, it’s eye drop o’clock again.”
But then something weird happened—once I got back to work two weeks later, I found myself being more productive. These mini-alarms were like little reminders to take short breaks, stretch, or shift focus, so I wasn’t stuck in front of the screen for hours without moving.
I found myself working on a project for 4 tings, playing a quick game of AoE IV for 3 tings, going for a short walk across my farm for 1 ting, having lunch while watching the latest LoTR:RoP episode for 2 tings, and then back to the next pitch proposal for 5 tings. Suddenly, my day had a structure, and I was getting more shit done.
The Bottom Line
LASIK recovery might sound like a hassle with all the drops and glasses, but trust me, it’s all worth it. The weirdest thing about the whole experience is realising how much you’ve relied on specs or contacts your whole life, and then one day... poof, you don’t need them anymore. It’s liberating!
The best part for me is waking up after a good night's sleep in the morning to a clear vision, something that my lenses could never offer.
So, that’s my post-op story. I hope it gives you some insights, and maybe even a little inspiration if you’re thinking about going under the laser yourself. I’ll keep you updated on how my vision continues to improve, but so far, I’m loving this new chapter in life—one without fogged-up glasses or poking myself in the eye with contacts.
Until next time, cheers, and happy eye drops!
