LASIK, to do or not to do?

My hubby loves to see me without glasses. He said I looked much prettier without them. If I wear contact lenses, I'm always complaining about having dry eyes. I can only wear contact lenses on special occasions. One day, he told me he wants to pay for LASIK for me and said that he will work harder to get better incentives in order to finance the treatment for me. I'm touched and really wanted to do it..well, of course wives want to always look good in their husbands eyes.. =)

But I hesitated because I read that if you are planning to get pregnant within the next 6 months, you are not eligible for LASIK. Furthermore, it's something to do with the eyes, if something goes wrong..it will affect the rest of my life. But what worries me the most is that my dry eyes will get even worse after LASIK. Some people say they have to deal with dry eyes for 3-4 yrs after LASIK and that's for normal eyes. For people with dry eyes like me, it might be forever and that's scary.

After looking through the internet for information on LASIK, I called up two clinics in Ipoh to inquire. 

1) Lee Eye Clinic in Greentown

- Usual price at RM6K for both eyes and now, they are giving a RM300 discount.

- Screening test is RM120, but now they are having promo, and it will be RM60. Need to call for appointment as the tests need 3hrs. 

- For contact lens user, need to be off from contact lens for at least 10 days. 

2) Chew Eye Specialist in Fairpark

- Promo price at RM3999 for both eyes. (Very good price, right?)

- Screening test at RM150. No need appointment for test. 

- Told the girl I just wore contact lens just 3 days ago. She said never mind, can do the test. I was puzzled over the differences of the 2 clinics.

Anyway, I went to do the test last Saturday at Chew Eye Specialist. The clinic was very full. I was told that the tests need 2hours. I thought probably there's a lot of tests! I was wrong.

First thing they checked was my cornea thickness. It has to pass a certain thickness. Otherwise, you will be eliminated as candidate for LASIK and it won't be necessary to do the other tests. My cornea thickness is good and I was checked on my eyes topography. After that, I waited to see the doctor. 

Once I was in the doctor's room, I told him I have dry eyes and that I need to put eye drop many times a day. He said he will do an extra test to check the tear production of my eyes. I saw him writing "Schirmer test" on my examination card. After he checked my eye vision, he asked me to wait outside because the other tests require to put some kind of eye drop on my eyes and will affect the dry eye test.  

Later, I was called into a room by a lady. Probably a nurse. She placed two strips with scale of 35mm on my eyes. I did this test at Dr Gill's in Fatimah hospital before and immediately I sensed that something is wrong. The strips were irritating me so much till I teared up. The strips were placed in such a way that my eyelashes could touch them. I think it's supposed to be placed pointing downwards as in this photo below. But it was pointing upwards. I couldn't even blink or close my eyes!

I couldn't find any google image that show the strips pointing upwards. The reading was between 8-12mm. I didn't believe the results and asked the nurse to fold the strips slightly so that they point downwards and so she did. Weird..she supposed to know what needs to do. And that results was 1-3mm for both eyes!!! I was puzzled because the nurse listened to my suggestion to redo the test. She wasn't even sure of what she was doing!

sorry about the eyes looking like vampire... =.="

When i was called into the doctor's room again, the doctor told me I'm qualified to do LASIK. The tears production was 8-12mm. I was full of doubt. I thought it was 1-3mm. They have taken the first measurements to conclude that I'm eligible for LASIK. But in fact, I think I am NOT qualified! 

See the picture below  I found on the net. It says that I might have severe dry eyes. But then, even at 8-12mm, I still have dry eyes. Shouldn't the doctor treat my dry eyes before conducting LASIK on my eyes? I'm so confused and lose confidence with this clinic. 

Another puzzling thing is that the doctor told me my spectacles vision power is overrated. I have checked my eyes multiple times at different places. All gave me similar results. How can there be a -1 difference? My right eye vision is -2.0 and my left eye is -3.0 but he said the actual power are -1.0 and -2.0. He suggested me to reduce my vision to -0.75 by LASIK due to my age as I might develop "Presbyopia" (nearsightedness). I'm thinking what's the point if my vision problem is not that high, only reduce from -1.0 to -0.75? And I have dry eyes problem? 

After all this, my decision is NOT to do LASIK. I need to confirm my vision first and treat my eyes dryness. I think they are more important at this point of time.

Btw, I forgot to mention that I have to pay another RM65 for doctor consultation and RM20 for the Schirmer test. So, in total, I paid RM235 for the pre-LASIK screening test! I thought she told me it was RM150. Should have just told me it costs RM215 in my earlier phone inquiry. All patients need to meet the doctor for consultation la! It's not even an option! Hmph...

Fun time with my nephew

Children are adorable. They grow so fast! Only a few months had passed since the last time I meet my nephew and niece, and they have grown so much! 

I was seated with the boy on the back seat of the car on a trip out for dinner because he always disturb his sister and they will end up fighting. Usually not long after that, one will be sulking or crying or yelling.. Haha.. sibling fight. 

So I sat with the boy while the sister sat with my husband. (it's a 7-seater car) We played, had some fun and took a lot of selfies. He's such a cute and handsome little guy. Missing his cheeky face and bluish tongue. 

Make up like a Super Star

Just a week ago, I needed to attend an annual dinner and I happened to find this amazing deal on groupon. I wanted to look good on that night and a professional make-up service from Super Star for RM28 is just too good to resist! =) 

I booked an appointment 2hours before the dinner so that I've ample time to get ready with my dress and accessories. I did my hair for an extra RM15 which I think it's quite reasonable. 

What I want to comment is their superb service. Hair was done simultaneously as my make-up. I was ready in an hour, fully dressed with accessories and shoes. But because I did 3 of my fingernails while waiting for my turn and they weren't properly dried, I spoiled them. Super Star helped me to fix my nails and even applied all the other 7 fingernails free of charge! It surprised me as they also offer manicure & pedicure service. The lady said because I brought my own nail-polish, they did it free of charge. But they really do the full application, with 2 layers of nail polish and 1 layer of top coat! 

So, you asked how do I look? I'm satisfied with my look..not too much of make-up and looked more natural. My hair was great too..the most important is my hubby loved it! (",)  This was actually taken after the dinner..so..my oily face had messed up the make-up but the hair still look great, right?

And here's a photo of me and my handsome hubby at the dinner. 

Side Shields for Glasses

I've been searching for side shields from all our PPE suppliers, but none has this item in their list of products. It seems like it is not a common item in our local laboratories or workplaces. Safety goggles are very common but our workers complain of headache, dizziness, pain at the ears, discomfort, etc after wearing the goggles for hours. 

Some are short-sighted and need prescription glasses. We allow them to wear their prescription glasses as safety goggles as it is better than without wearing any glasses for eye protection. However, a safety goggles is still a better eye protection equipment. Someone recommended us to use side shields with our prescription glasses. 

I found some quite suitable side shields but they are actually quite costly to import from the US. It is because we are buying a small amount and the shipping cost is too expensive. If anyone of you know of a source, do recommend. Thank you! =)

1. From Tasco, USA, which cost USD2.70/pair. 

2. From Northern Safety, USA, which cost USD1.08/pair. 

3. From Amazon, USA. Price is USD4.00/pair. This is so expensive!

4. This is a more flexible version of side shield looking at the design. It can be worn for any type of prescription glasses! Selling at USD0.79-0.90/pair, seems like a good bargain.. if there's a distributor in Malaysia or nearby neighbors, it will be great. From Northern Safety, USA. 

Ristorante Italiano Italia Mia

Hubby brought me to this restaurant last week for our date. :) It's great to have dates once in awhile to refresh our passion. Hehehe.. Even though it's a groupon voucher, I enjoyed the time spent together, savoring every bit of my Carbonara and Tiramisu. 

I've never tried the food here when it first started business in Ipoh. Heard that the owner is different now. The restaurant was quite packed on a Friday night. I observed that many of them ordered the same dishes..probably the same deal from Groupon too. The restaurant was kind of romantic, dimly lighted and with a wallpaper that portrayed something like an Italian town. It is a pork-free restaurant. That's the reason why I saw some Muslims dining there too. 

We can choose a pizza from 7 different types of pizza and a dish of pasta from 10 types of pasta, all with value of RM20 and above. Our deal is only RM28 including 2 desserts. Hubby had a seafood pizza and I had carbonara. For desserts, he had panna cotta and I had tiramisu. Each worth RM12. Seems like a good deal, eh? But after comparing my photo and the Groupon deal photo, i feel a bit cheated. All the desserts portion seem smaller than normal. Although the main dish look the same...I still feel that when you dine with a groupon voucher, the food portion is usually smaller than normal.

Above is my photo and the below photo is taken from Groupon webpage. Look at the difference in portion. My tiramisu looked so pathetically small although it still tasted very delicious. Hmm... Anyway, for RM28, I'm happy with what I get. 

Contact details as below :-
10, Persiaran SC1 2/1, Sunway City Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Ipoh 31150 
Tel: 05-547 4007

A moment of silence and prayer for MH370

Since the missing of flight MH370 on 8th of March, it has been the topic of discussion among my colleagues, families and friends. We have been following the news updates everyday via CNN, BBC, local news media...you name it, I'll read any news related to the missing jetliner and hoping that there will be good news of finding the plane. 

Until last night..when our PM announced the fate of the plane that its last position was in the middle of the Southern Indian Ocean, I froze.. I listened carefully to each word the PM delivered to the world and he said MH370 ended at the Indian Ocean. I couldn't believe what he said in the beginning as there was no solid evidence, no debris related to the plane was found yet. The conclusion was based on data from a British satellite company. All hopes vanished. 

This morning when I was listening to the radio, the deejays were talking about last night announcement by the Malaysian PM. My heart sink..eyes tearing up.. I really feel for the families who lost their loved ones. Imagine the emotional torture they faced each day hoping their loved ones will return and yesterday, what they heard was "All lives are lost".

May God bless the lost souls and if there are survivors, may the Lord bring them back safely. Although it may sound impossible at this remote location, but with God, nothing is impossible. Let's have a moment of silence and prayer to those on board MH370 and their family members. 

Love while you can..treasure your loved ones while you can.