Can’t wear contact lenses anymore?!

I’ve been wearing different brands of contact lenses since I started modelling. The one thing in common is they’re all colored contact lenses as they’ve always made my eyes look a little rounder and bigger, especially in photos. ?

True, they were not exactly unhealthy for eyes, but I didn’t have much choice, For obvious reasons (due to the natural of my job), I can’t wear glasses and since I had a degree is almost 700, and without lenses (or glasses, for that matter), I was effectively blind.

When I had my lenses or glasses on, things were okay – but when I took them off, I couldn’t see almost everything… not even my mobile phone’s screen! Everything was just in a blur.

Some of you might ask, why not go for LASIK?

Yes. I wanted to – but like many of you, I didn’t really have the determination (and guts) to really go ahead with it since I was so used to wearing contact lenses.

I was like “Ok! Next month I shall do!”. But, when next month arrived, “Ehh.. Never mind! End of this year!” and the procrastination goes on and on for….

…6 years.

Ok. Part of the procrastination was due to the concern of how I would look without the help of coloured contact lenses that helps to make my pupil bigger, giving the illusion of bigger eyes. ?

See the difference now? With and without my glasses. 人，尤其是女人，为了爱美什么都可以忍。(Loosely translated: “For the sake of beauty, everything can be endured.”)

Back to the main point of this post, why I couldn’t wear contact lenses anymore..

I got corneal ulcer.

Never in my life have I had any major issues with my eyes other than having dry or sore eyes once in a blue moon due to prolonged wear of contact lenses – let alone eye infection. There’s a little bit of connection with the above photo I posted as that was my last major show before the disaster.

Everything was going as per usual, and I even went to celebrate to successful end of Singapore Motorshow 2016 that night.

The next day I woke up with a sharp pain in my left eye at 5am. I looked into the mirror and realized it was bloodshot red. Thinking it might be some sore-eyes, I proceed on with makeup but could barely open my eyes to wear my contact lenses.

This was probably the first time in my career that I appeared with glasses and went partially “blind” during the event itself when I couldn’t have my glasses on.

I don’t know if I should see it as a blessing that I managed to “survive” till the end of the event before I was send to a nearby hospital A&E as my eyes “couldn’t make it anymore” due to a severe case of corneal ulcer.

Corneal ulcer is really an infection within the cornea, most likely caused by prolonged contact lens usage. However, once someone actually gets it once, that person is usually very susceptible to contracting it again.

I was initially led through the barrage of doctors at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH), but eventually made my way to an eye specialist who scraped some tissue samples out of my eye with a long, curved needle. It hurt really bad. For the next whole week, I was to put medicated eyedrops in my eyes every hour – even when I was supposed to asleep.

To make it worse, the medicated eyedrops need to be stored in the fridge at all times and also an interval of 5 – 10min in between the eyedrops. Checkups happened every other day, and it was really horrible not getting enough sleep, but still having to report to the hospital as well.

On the final follow-up at the hospital, the doctor broke the news to me:

Vanessa, I’m afraid you won’t be able to wear contact lenses anymore. It’s just going to cut your eyes, and you might get another ulcer or go blind.

What was I supposed to do now?  I couldn’t possibly wear spectacles for all my modelling assignments!

Behold, my new journey into LASIK!

— but it’s not exactly 100% smooth-sailing. ?

The doctor at the hospital suggested me to go for LASIK. During the checks, I was told that there seemed to be some white dots on my eyes and might not be able to do LASIK. FML! (Am I not suay enough?) I cried because I was lost of what to do.

Really need to change career meh!? ???

I googled, ask, called and searched hard whom I should consult regarding my eyes. After shortlisting quite a few reputable clinics, I asked every possible person who went for LASIK for their input.

One of them whom was in the industry which happens to be K’s friend advised me to go to Dr. Tony Ho from Clearvision.

Not only Dr. Tony has YEARSSS of experience, but he was also the FIRST specialist that did the bladeless, flapless LASIK in Singapore – the epiLASIK.

.. isn’t it quite obvious now where should I go? ?

Read my related posts:

Flapless & Bladeless Trans-epiLASIK [Pre-LASIK Evaluation]

Perfect Eyesight w/Clearvision [Trans-epiLASIK Procedure]