Thinking about LASIK, but don’t know where to start? Autumn Reo of MamaChallenge is giving you a real look at LASIK, starting with the first LASIK appointment, with the help of Kleiman|Evangelista and the Mom it Forward Blogger Network. #KEHELPEDMESEE

My junior year of high school had lots of good things happen. However, one of the two big moments that happened included getting braces AND glasses. While my prescription wasn’t bad, my astigmatism was. I tried contacts, but there wasn’t enough frustration or money to try to keep finding the “right” ones for me, so I gave up.  From that point on, me and the glasses didn’t stray far from one another…and that’s been about 20 years ago. 

And while I can tell you many funny stories about glasses, including the ways I’ve broken them, at one point I finally had enough. 

In just one morning:

• I had forgotten where I laid my specs down the night before, so I spent 7 minutes looking for them.
• When I found them they were covered in little people fingertips and I had to clean them.
• Then when I cleaned them they smeared even more.
• I rushed to get in the car and had to switch my glasses for sunglasses (the ones I spent a fortune on for prescription glasses I wasn’t ashamed of.)
• When I ran into the A/C, my glasses fogged up so I had wait for them to clear.
• After sitting in a long meeting, the glasses slid down my nose so I pushed them about 10 times in between taking them off to rest my eyes and the headache I was beginning to feel.

…And that was all before 10 AM.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t look bad in glasses and have really built a style to wearing them. And while I never wear them on camera, they are on right before and right after that camera goes to “ON AIR.” 

But at one point, you just want to make your life easier and get rid of the unnecessary crap that gets in your way and annoys you. This year was supposed to be about change. For the better. I’ve been making changes to make me happier and the best me I could be. 

So after thinking about it for 10+ years, I decided to quit making wishes and making things happen.  So to Google I went and found out I could make a free appointment to start the process with one the leader in LASIK, Kleiman|Evangelista and they had a location close to me. I wasn’t sure what the process was, but I figured this was the first way to figuring it out what’s next and it was free. What do you have to lose? 

So here’s what happens at the first consultation (of course, each experience may differ based on the patient, location and person needs, but this will give you a basic feel for what will happen based on my experience at Kleiman|Evangelista.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR FREE CONSULTATION LASIK APPOINTMENT

1. Enter the Waiting Room to check in and wait to hear your name.
I was surrounded by others just like me that either were getting the surgery or coming in for a first-time appointment. While you’re there you’ll be able to watch the other surgeries happening while they are happening with this lovely clear door. Yes, you can watch it from start to finish since it only last 15 minutes! (Of course, if you don’t want people to watch, they do that, too!

2. Next I was ushered into first room to receive basic eye exam as well as to look at the health of the eye.

3. Then I entered another room to take give me a real feel for what was going to happen in the procedure. (It only takes 15 minutes to do the procedure, but it’s amazing what happens in that time!) At this time I was given an opportunity to ask every question – big or small. Actually throughout the entire process, I was asked if I had any questions. While I had a few, I was able to find a lot of answers online at the website. However, I think the biggest one of course, like everyone is – “Is it going to hurt?” (And my answer to that I can share after my procedure next week!) 

4. Next you’ll take a seat in another waiting room for another look at my eyes with an Ophthalmologist. I love that they were so thorough to make sure that I really was the ideal candidate for the procedure. (I was really nervous about the procedure but the fact that they kept checking everything so thoroughly made me feel that much more confident.)

5. Meet with your doctor to determine if you are a good or bad candidate based on all the records of your eye health examination. 

Based on your candidacy, you’ll make your way back to the waiting area and meet with team area to get a breakdown of costs. Candidacy is based on several different factors, I found out during my appointment, But basically five majors ones:

• You need to have stable vision.
• You should be 18 years of age or older.
• You should not be pregnant or nursing.
• You have sufficient corneal thickness.
• You should have realistic expectations.
• You are a great post-procedure patient.

Find out more about if you are a good LASIK candidate.

6. If you are a good candidate, now you get to make the appointment. Depending on your schedule, you make your appointment for your surgery and cover all the dos and don’ts. Make sure to have your calendar with you so you can get a date on the calendar. A few things you’ll need to take into consideration when making your LASIK surgery is:

• You will need to have someone to drive you home after the appointment. (Thanks, mom!) 
• You will go home that day and go to bed, so while recovery is quick, it’s not that quick! (Also, thanks to mom for watching the kids!) 
• You’ll not be able to go in a hot tub, pool or wear makeup for a week. (So don’t plan for that vacation yet.) 
• Followup with routine drops as prescribed. (I had two sets of drops and they’ll tell you exactly how and when to add them.)
• Attend a few appointments to followup. (These appointments will be to make sure how your eyes are shaping up!)

7. Now all you have to do is wait for your LASIK surgery appointment!

Everyone is invited to make a free appointment Monday – Friday 8 AM – 5 pm, with appointment to find out start the lasik process. However, there is quick test that can tell you right now if you’re right choice for them.

Now what?  Next week I’m sharing my procedure experience, so make sure to stay connected! 

Seeing things for the first time: I’m sharing everything you need to know about Blade-Free HD IntraLASIK, the newest and best LASIK treatment available at Kleiman|Evangelista Eye Center.