Wish Me Luck (Sugery)

[Kevin]

As a matter very personal to me, I do not share this experience with this forum with a light heart. Around 7 years ago (I'm 22 now), my vision started to progressively suffer from a condition known as Strabismus Extropia.. the cause of an outward slant of one eye (the other variant is Strabismus Intropia.. or inward slant/cross eye). Most people know this as 'lazy eye'. It is a condition whose causes are not known and in most cases solveable in early childhood. Given the late stages in which I've been affected by this disorder, treatment is not very traditional and not always fool proof. Adult strabismus surgery is generally avoided by most adults given levels of uncertainty in results and the level of adaptation the patient must endure to regain motor skills. This surgery mostly involves detatching a pre-determined amount of a person's 12 eye muscles from the eye ball itself and reattatching them to readjust the axis of each eye. Essentially, linning the eyes up straight.

This coming Thursday, I will undergo this procedure to correct my vision and hopefully gain the confidence, vison and motor skills I have been deprived of. I share this in hopes that others like me will not be frowned upon for having a lazy eye.

The challanges this disorder faces are numberous. People stare, people get wierded out by it, and sometimes it makes others uncomfortable. It is not their fault, it's just something that isn't very widespread. Only about 3% of those born in America actually develop this condition. With the guidance of one of the Premier doctors and surgeons in Adult Strabismus surgery, I will overcome this hurdle. What ever the results of this turn out to be will definately change my life. And as a step forward, I can honestly say I've had to meet this challange with great trepedation. I truely don't know what the future has instore along the lines of my readjustment.

The good news, and for possibly those you may know with this disorder, recovery is very positive and as being an outpatient oriented recovery, usually leaves the patient under a short recovery time of a week. Here is the before shot, and soon enough.. I will have a couple after shots for you guys. Wish me luck !
Kevin

[Mazda96Protege]

Goodluck Kevin! you will do fine man and you can only benifit from this surgery!

again goodluck and you best get on here ASAP the off topic section is going to get out of hand if you are not here posting

[Marc93lx]

Good luck Bro! I went to school with a kid who had a lazy eye. It was hard to tell when and if he was talking to you and half the time I ended up ignoring him because of this. It must have been very fustrating to him.

[Kevin]

Good luck Bro! I went to school with a kid who had a lazy eye. It was hard to tell when and if he was talking to you and half the time I ended up ignoring him because of this. It must have been very fustrating to him.

Although the impact 'may' have been adverse to him, I'm sure he found ways to manage as I've had to. Try driving around with one eye covered. One eye remains focused and the other eye delivers strictly peripheral vision.. essentially useless. I don't need eye glasses as I have maintained 20/20 vision (if not better). Even still.. I drive like a maniac.. but have never been all that good with playing video games. This will definately change for me. Marc, you weren't a bad person for it. I know I joke with those around me about it.. subjecting them to a starring contest and adding the provision they can never laugh or crack a smile. To date, no one has beaten me . And I also take comfort in kind spirited jokes and nicknames.. "Eyes" "Lazy White Guy" and my favorite.. "Blue Eyes".. pun meaning, 'One eye blue(blew) this-a-way, one eye blue(blew) that-a-way'.
I don't feel bad for people like me or those with crippling disabilities (although mine is argueably more social than physical). We manage and adapt to what we can do... and leave the rest as unknown pleasures. I guess it matters the company you keep as well. My clinically blind friend is world-traveled, has a bachelors degree and smarter than most 40 year olds (and more mature too). It's funny, he's done this by the age of 23 and feels no sorrows and makes no appologies to anyone for his bad eye sight. It's all a matter of how you look at the world.. pun intended .
Kevin

[MazKid]

My best friend has a bit of a lazy eye...it's never bothered me and I don't think it bothers him much. He also drives like a maniac.

That said, I hope everything goes well.

I really want to get Lazik done on my eyes as my vision isn't the best. Sure, I've got glasses, and while my eyes evidently haven't changed in the past year, it just aggravates me. As a kid my eyes were great, then around 9th grade my vision just took a nose dive. I should get this done rather than letting my eyes get use to the glasses and get progressively worse.

[Marc93lx]

Although the impact 'may' have been adverse to him, I'm sure he found ways to manage as I've had to. Try driving around with one eye covered. One eye remains focused and the other eye delivers strictly peripheral vision.. essentially useless. I don't need eye glasses as I have maintained 20/20 vision (if not better). Even still.. I drive like a maniac.. but have never been all that good with playing video games. This will definately change for me. Marc, you weren't a bad person for it. I know I joke with those around me about it.. subjecting them to a starring contest and adding the provision they can never laugh or crack a smile. To date, no one has beaten me . And I also take comfort in kind spirited jokes and nicknames.. "Eyes" "Lazy White Guy" and my favorite.. "Blue Eyes".. pun meaning, 'One eye blue(blew) this-a-way, one eye blue(blew) that-a-way'.
I don't feel bad for people like me or those with crippling disabilities (although mine is argueably more social than physical). We manage and adapt to what we can do... and leave the rest as unknown pleasures. I guess it matters the company you keep as well. My clinically blind friend is world-traveled, has a bachelors degree and smarter than most 40 year olds (and more mature too). It's funny, he's done this by the age of 23 and feels no sorrows and makes no appologies to anyone for his bad eye sight. It's all a matter of how you look at the world.. pun intended .
Kevin

Yeah this kid was really smart too. He took all the advanced classes.

Oh and I drive like a maniac too yet my vision is just fine. Im just an asshole on the road.

[BoostedPro]

Good luck Kevin. It's good to see that you have a positive outlook on it instead of a just sit back and whatever happens happens attitude.

[lscrx]

Good luck Bro! I went to school with a kid who had a lazy eye. It was hard to tell when and if he was talking to you and half the time I ended up ignoring him because of this. It must have been very fustrating to him.

I knew a guy like that, I once asked him which eye I should be looking at and he got really offended... I wasn't trying to be funny it was just a little frustrating when talking to him. Best of luck with your surgery Kevin

[Intruder]

Good luck, Kevin.

What's the recovery process like?

[Identity_X]

Good luck bro! I am sure that everything will go smoothly

[Chad]

Good luck, Kevin.

What's the recovery process like?

a lot of masterbating and eating icecream....

no but for real good luck kevin :D

[jnorion]

Good luck, looking forward to the "after" pictures!

[MD323]

good luck dude, best wishes on the recovery

[93tege]

good luck man hope everything goes ok

[Kevin]

Good luck, Kevin.

What's the recovery process like?

Recovery medical-wise is eye drops 4 times a day.. i think something with an anti-biotic and some sort of pain killer? I really haven't been updated on these matters. The surgery is like they cut the eye muscles loose, reattatch with adjustable sutures.. go in the next day and get a final alignment with a local anestetic and they tighten the sutures.

The unknown factor to me is like learning to see again. My brain cancels out the information one eye transmits and turns that information into strictly peripheral blur. With my eyes getting realigned, my brain will in effect for the first time in years get the same image information through each eye. This is neither something medical science has yet documented in an authoritative sense or the doctor himself can tell me what it's like. The surgery itself, the recovery.. I'm not worried at all about that. It's the adjustment of having 'normal' eye sight again I'm not sure about. I look forward to this.

And thank you guys, this kind of feedback keeps my will strong to commit to getting this thing done. Kinda like when you try and quit smoking, you tell everyone you're going to quit and their encouragement makes it possible .
Kevin