I am delighted to share with you what I believe to be my once-in-a-lifetime experience (apart from getting married to my husband) I had with Optimax. Before I begin, I think it is vital for me to highlight a few facts of myself:
1. I am short sighted since the age of 10;
2. I have been wearing glasses after that and therefore have since then been carrying the nickname “4-eyes-creature” (definitely not flattering for a girl);
3. my eye power has reached -10.00 at the age of 17;
4. my glasses are an inch thick despite having them sliced thin (and I personally think they contributed to my flat nose);
5. because of point 4 above, I have to go through the agony of sticking contact lenses with my finger into my eyeballs every morning; and
6. without glasses or contact lenses, I am practically blind.
By the time I reached the age of 27 and getting tired over the above mentioned facts of myself, I finally decided that it is time to listen to the voice inside me which has been screaming at me for longer than I can remember, to get an eye laser treatment! My utmost fear was definitely on the issue of safety. I mean, I’m practically blind but I definitely don’t want to be blind for real and those are my ONLY pair of eyes!
Pre-Treatment
I scouted around and embarked on an extensive research on a few lasik treatment centres, one of which was Optimax. My research shown that Optimax already had a number of patients who harvested favourable results from the treatment. Yet, the need-for-stronger-assurance-ME needed something more to push me to say “OK, let’s do it.” I finally pressed the green button upon gathering favourable feedback from 3 of my colleagues, all of whom had undergone the eye laser treatment in Optimax. My choice was further sugar-coated with the fact that Optimax is not confined to West Malaysia but has branches in East Malaysia as well which is where I live. Henceforth, I would have saved big bucks on transportation cost and not to mention the convenience I would have to prep for pre and post treatment visits. On top of that, I was entitled to a lifetime enhancement plan through Optimax “Vision for Life Programme.”
I therefore met Colleen, Optimax professional optometrist for an eye test to decide on which laser treatment to undergo. Given that my corneas are too thin, I was advised to opt for a customized lasek treatment which I did.
During Treatment
On the day of the treatment, I was overwhelmed with a mixture of feelings. I can’t deny the fact that fear and anxiety were definitely present with me on that day and I did for a moment, imagine myself being wrapped like an animal waiting to be slaughtered in the room.
Fear and anxiety were dismissed quite swiftly after a mere 10 minutes of pre-surgery conversation with the surgeon, Dr Yip in his room. He was very pleasant and professional, giving me a thorough account of the procedure of the lasek treatment and the circumstances to be expected from it. The next thing I knew, anesthetic was applied to my eyes and in mere seconds, my eyes were numb and I was ushered to the surgery room by Brenda.
I felt the jitters as soon as I set my eyes on the operating room and I nearly bolted out of there like a runaway chicken. Even though my eyes were numb, I swear that my eyes fidgeted at that time (or perhaps it was just my protruding wild imagination which led me to subconsciously thinking so). Gladly enough, my fear was subsided by Dr Yip and his soothing assurance was enough to calm me down. Truthfully enough, I was released from the operating room in less than 30 minutes.
Post Treatment
At nightfall, I was consumed with panic due to the tingling pain I felt in my eyes. Without much thought, I grabbed my phone and dialed for Colleen’s number. Thankfully, she answered by call despite the fact that it was already 10 p.m and my gratitude for this woman is even more given the fact that she had to patiently and gently calm a 27-year-old down like a schoolteacher trying to subside a crying child who has just gotten bitten by an ant.
Subsequently, I diligently went for my follow up sessions and patiently wait for my recovery. The post-treatment services and the hospitality given by Optimax staff were top notch. Never had I for a moment felt neglected or undermined throughout the whole process.
I have since shoved away my one-inch thick glasses and able to wake up with a clear sight of my husband next to me every morning. It is indeed an enlightening and rewarding experience which I have never thought of ever possible to encounter. Praise the Lord for making this technology possible in this era. Optimax, thank you for being the vehicle to channel this life-changing technology and I am more than willing to spread this gospel of mine to my friends and family (trust me, I have countless friends who are still 4-eyes).
So, please give me the iPad now so I can start sharing! (you don’t think snail mail still works, do you?!)
