My name is Nancy. I am 34 years old. When I was 8 years old I got my first pair of glasses. At that time the Dr. told my parents that I would probably be in contacts within a year because my eyesight was deteriorating very quickly. By putting me in contacts, the Dr.’s would hope to stabilize my vision. The Dr. was right. I was introduced to gas permeable contacts within a year. My eyes were a prescription of minus nine and greater. When I was 24 years old I had cryotherapy done on both of my eyes because my retinas were starting to develop small tears in them. I thought that LASIK was just a dream and that I would never be a candidate. Thanks to the encouragement and support of my husband we began to look into it together.
I was a swimmer when I was growing up and it was a real challenge trying to swim without being able to see. I remember very distinctly that there were times when the coach would put me in a lane all by myself to practice a particular stroke. Because I was by myself, I didn’t have a teammate behind me to tell me when to go. He would have his sister stand on the side of the pool and tell me when to go because I could not read the BIG time clock. I also remember one time during a swim meet when I thought I was at the end of the lane I started to slow down to make the turn – only the wall wasn’t there. I thought the wall was in front of me, but it obviously wasn’t. If a swimmer turns around before touching the wall they are disqualified. I had to scramble to regain speed to get to the wall to make the turn. More recently, in August 2003, I was in a pool and my sister and I was having a friendly race to the end of the lane. This time I didn’t realize how close I was to the wall and I plowed right into it. I had blood running down my face when I got out of the pool. I had a flesh wound between my eyes, on my nose, above my upper lip and on the knuckles of my right hand. I hit the wall hard!
I could not enjoy water parks in the summertime with the water slides and all of the other attractions that they have to offer because I couldn’t wear my contacts in the water and I couldn’t see without them. I could not see myself when standing in front of a mirror. I had to have the alarm clock in my bedroom literally inches away from my face or I could not see it. I could not see my husband lying in bed next to me! He was just a big blur!
On March 19, 2004, Dr. Liang and his staff forever changed my life by performing LASIK on both eyes. In a matter of just a few minutes, I went from a minus nine and greater prescription to 20/15! I am forever grateful to Dr. Liang and his staff. They were with me every step of the way. They made sure all of my questions were answered. They made sure I knew the risks, they made sure I knew of the possible side effects, they made sure I knew that people with a large correction like mine have an increased risk of needing a correction at some point. When I went in to see Dr. Liang for the initial consultation he checked my retinal tears to make sure that the cryotherapy was still intact and strong enough to withhold the strength of the suction that they use to hold the eye open during the LASIK procedure. He said that sometimes the suction can weaken the cryotherapy repair. He was very thorough from start to finish. I can’t say enough about the whole group at the Center for Sight. I really felt that they shared in my excitement prior to the surgery and that they have rejoiced with me at the overwhelming success I have experienced since the surgery was performed.
I felt that Dr. Liang went above and beyond the call of duty. When the procedure was done and Dr. Liang told me to sit up I could see him. When I got out of the chair and started to walk across the room I could see my husband on the other side of the door. He had watched the whole procedure. I was so overwhelmed with joy that I started to cry. I could not believe that I could see him and that the results were that instantaneous. After the procedure they had me lay down in a hospital bed for a few minutes so that they could administer eye drops. While lying in the bed I glanced up at the wall and I could read the clock on the other side of the room. It was probably at least 30 feet away! Well, my tears of joy got me in a bit of trouble. After my husband and I got home that day I thought I felt something happen to my right eye one time when I blinked. I wondered if the flap had developed a wrinkle. Sure enough, when we met with Dr. Liang the next day for my post-op appointment he told me that there was a wrinkle in the flap of my right eye. He said he thought my tears of joy had something to do with it. He said to give it until Monday to see if the wrinkle would work itself out. A few hours after my husband and I got home from the appointment Dr. Liang called and asked if we could meet him back over at the Center for Sight. He said he wanted to flatten out the flap that same day. We met him over there and he took care of it for me. He gave me his pager number and told me to page him if I had any problems. I really appreciated his calling me and meeting me back over there to take care of it. He is conscientious and dedicated to his patients.
My vision was 20/15 when I went to my one-day post-op appointment, it was 20/15 when I went to my one-week post-op appointment, and it was 20/15 when I went for my one-month post-op appointment. Other than experiencing the starburst effect when driving at night – – which is a normal side effect – – I have had no problems and have been absolutely thrilled with the whole process from start to finish. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend anyone to Dr. Liang. It has now been 8 weeks since my surgery. I still have to remind myself at night that I don’t have to take out contacts before going to bed. I still find myself testing myself to see if I can read the smallest of road signs and the smallest print in the grocery store aisles, and I CAN! What a thrill it is to see my husband’s face when I am lying next to him in bed at night! What a thrill it is to see across the room, to see myself in front of a mirror, to see the alarm clock, to read a book, what a thrill it will be to get into a pool for the first time since my surgery and to have no question about where the wall is or isn’t!! Dr. Liang’s skills as an eye specialist are a true gift that he shares with his patients.
Thank you, Dr. Liang. Thank you to the wonderful staff. You make a great team!
Sincerely Nancy M.
