Greetings from France,
Something a little personal today. As some of you may know, I am currently in France for my intra-ocular lens surgery (IOL) until next week.
I’ve been wearing glasses since I can remember and have a fairly strong prescription (around -6.5D + around -0.5 astigmatism on both eyes). I started wearing contact lenses when I was 15 but became intolerant a year ago – I was devastated.
I saw an eye surgeon for the time 5 years ago but was told my cornea was ‘abnormally thin’ (400 microns, an average cornea being 520 microns) and that laser surgery would never be an option for me (as it reduces the thickness of the cornea even more). But in March this year, I was told that IOL surgery would solve my problem and here I am in France typing this post.
An IOL is a small lens which is designed to be surgically inserted behind the cornea (the outer surface of the eye). Once in place it serves to focus the light accurately onto the retina (the back of the eye) thereby treating short-sight, long sight and astigmatism. The surgery is quite heavy with both eyes being treated separately under general anaesthetic.
I had my right eye done yesterday and I am already blogging… not bad! I can see a little – it’s not great yet (definitely much better than what it was pre-surgery!) but my eye-sight will take a couple of weeks to settle. I am getting my left eye done next Wednesday.
I will try to blog as much as I have already seen some pretty interesting ads (amongst other things!) on French TV.
PS: Sorry about the typos – I am on a French computer when an AZERTY keyboard!
Filed under: Blog Till you Drop! | Tagged: IOLs, eye surgery
Good luck on the surgery Lolly, sounds like it’s going well. And I wear contacts as well, my prescription in one eye is either -6.5 or -6.75. And didn’t know that the laser surgery thins the cornea, good to know! Good luck!
Thanks Mack! One eye to go! OMG, you’re prescription is pretty strong! I do sympathise!
Hi, Hope everything continued to go well for you. Can you please tell me the name of the clinic, and whereabouts in France? I live here - but all the ads and websites are heavily directed towards laser surgery when I would much prefer an alternative. I am aware that there are surgeons available dealing in this but I am always routed through sites offering French medicine to people from England, and no address details. Have only come up with Calais or Paris - but I live the other end in the South. Best Wishes and look forward to hearing.