Best decision of my life…the day I decided to get LASIK surgery

Six years ago, I had to wear glasses or contacts 24/7. I was blind as a bat, seriously almost legally blind. My contact lens boxes were a -6.75 and -8.0 is legally blind – I could not drive a car, could not exercise, could not watch TV, basically could not do a single thing without lenses. Now I have an impressive 20/15 vision. This is all thanks to Dr. Mozayeni with Providence Eye & Laser Specialists and I am forever grateful.

Many years ago, I remember giving birth to my girls and I was stressed out about delivering in the middle of the night. Would I have time to get my contacts in before labor? Would I get dry eyes if I had them in too long? Silly questions, I know. But they were real fears of mine. At the time, I was an avid scuba diver and was absolutely terrified of getting my mask knocked off at 100 feet – I could not see my hand in front of me without corrective lenses, so I thought for sure I would be a goner!

I had done some research and I knew LASIK surgery was the solution for me. Although that too was a frightening thought. Surgery on my eyes – how scary! I know this is done a zillion times a day, but what if I was the one who left the surgery blind because something went wrong? Lucky for me, I met Dr. Mozayeni at an American Red Cross fundraiser and Providence Eye & Laser Specialists was auctioning off a LASIK procedure. I was thrilled because based on my research, I was already leaning towards Dr. Mozayeni, I just needed an extra push. After two glasses of wine (always a nice “push”!), I thought “OK, I’m in – and I’m helping a great organization, so this must be a sign!” So I won the auction and threw myself into a procedure that would officially change my life.

To this day, Dr. Mozayeni is one of my favorite doctors because of his incredible personality and bedside manner, not to mention he is a brilliant Charlotte LASIK surgeon. Dr. Mozayeni treats you like a friend, not just a patient. He was extremely thorough with the details of what to expect, also easily referenced on his website. I am still floored that you can have a life-changing surgery in only 10 minutes, no joke! I scheduled my surgery for a Friday so I would have my hubby around on the weekend. But I really only needed him for the afternoon of the surgery. Dr. M told me that I would go home and sleep for a few hours and I would wake up with improved vision. So I remember waking up and I opened my eyes and I could actually see the tiny clock in my daughter’s room across the hall. I couldn’t believe it! This is someone who had a digital clock on my nightstand that had numbers two-inches tall. And even then, I had to get my eyes right next to the numbers to read them! Another impressive thing that blew my mind was that Dr. M actually called me to check on me a few hours after I came home. I have never had a doctor call me at home, ever. This is a personal touch that is so easy to do that really makes a difference, but most doctors don’t even think to do it.

I experienced most of the normal side affects that come with LASIK surgery including dry eyes and a halo effect, where you see starbursts around lights at night. But Dr. M told me this ahead of time, so I did not panic and knew that over time, they would subside. They did just that. Also keep in mind, these side affects are very individual and personal dependent on your personal eye characteristics and not everyone experiences them. Some people do not experience them at all. So here I am six years later, livin’ large and still seeing the world with eagle eye vision! Dr. Mozayeni is Charlotte’s first and most experienced Cornea Specialist performing IntraLASIK and has performed tens of thousands of successful laser vision correction procedures. Providence Eye & Laser Specialists is the premier vision correction facility in the region dedicated to quality, not quantity. Your free consultation will be your most comprehensive eye exam you have ever had and they’ll let you know if LASIK is a viable option for you. They have the latest FDA-approved technology and are the only facility in Charlotte with Allegretto Wave Eye-Q Laser.