Since I was Primary 3, I had to wear glasses to see clearly due to myopia. Then came secondary school — the time when girls started to care more about looks.
I started picking up netball as a co-curricular activity (CCA) and I remember not being able to see the end of the court clearly because I refused to wear my glasses. It was only till Junior College (JC) that I started wearing contact lenses and my world became HD again 😂
Over the years of poking my eyes to get my lenses in, I always knew that going for a vision correction procedure was a goal of mine. So, when the time was right in December 2020, I went for it!
• Myopia degree: 325 (right), 200 (left)
• I wear contact lenses every single time I step out of the house
So, vision correction was a cost-effective solution for me!
Here’s a detailed breakdown of the timeline and my total expenses:
If you’re interested in vision correction procedures (and TransPRK specifically), read on as I share about my journey in detail! I’ll also be dropping tips and hacks along the way 😉
Note: This review is not associated with Clearvision in any way. I paid for the TransPRK procedure with my own money and Clearvision isn’t aware of this review.
Disclaimer: This is my personal experience and is not reflective of other TransPRK patients’ experiences. Please do your own research before deciding on a vision correction procedure and clinic.
What is TransPRK?
TransPRK is a form of vision correction procedure that removes the epithelial cells from the eye using an excimer laser. Afterwards, this laser then reshapes the eye to correct any refractive errors including myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia and astigmatism.
Here’s a detailed description of the procedure:
Taken from Clearvision website
Step 1: Pre-op evaluation test
Date: 19 December 2020, Saturday
Time: 11am
Location: 6 Nutmeg Road (evaluation), Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre #03-08 (results)
Waiting time: 1h+ (evaluation), 2h (results)
Cost: $37.50
Before any vision correction procedure, an eye evaluation test has to be done to determine your suitability. You can book your evaluation test online via the Clearvision website.
Evaluation:
On the day itself, I waited for about 1h+ before it was my turn. There are a total of 5 – 6 eye tests, each taking only a few seconds to complete.
After the test, the staff will administer 3 eye drops for you. 1 of which will dilate the pupils so that the doctor can examine the health of the optic nerve and retina. This will cause your near vision to be blurry for 6 – 8 hours but far vision will be ok (it’s like lao hua yan 😂).
Results:
Next, I headed to Mount E Medical Centre where Dr Ho is. The waiting time was about 2h. Here, Dr Ho shared my evaluation results and informed me that I’m suitable for the TransPRK procedure!
After which, I proceeded to book my surgery.
Pre-book your surgery when booking your evaluation test! This will allow you to plan your MC and leave accordingly. If you’re not a suitable candidate, your pre-booking will just be cancelled after the evaluation at no cost.
The staff also gave us this sheet of paper and told us to practise 2 days before the op.
Additionally, we’re not allowed to wear soft contact lenses 3 days before the surgery, or hard lenses 5 days before.
Step 2: TransPRK procedure
Date: 23 December 2020, Wednesday
Time: 11am
Location: 6 Nutmeg Road
Waiting time: 3h
Cost: $3,768 after referral discount
When filling in your registration form at the evaluation test, there’ll be a section to state how you found out about Clearvision. Tick “friend” and mention my name (Bernice Quek) for $120 off your surgery (U.P. $3,888)!
Btw, I don’t earn anything from this! You’ll just get the referral discount 🙂
Before procedure
Upon reaching the clinic, there’s an indemnity form to read and sign. Eye tests were then done (same ones as the evaluation test) and I was told to pay for the surgery.
A 6 days MC was given to me and we had a briefing about the post-op eye drops schedule with all the other patients.
Before the surgery, the staff administered eye drops for us periodically to test for any allergies.
All changed and ready for my turn!
After a 3h wait, I was told to change into the op gown. A briefing for the surgery was given where we were told what to expect.
During procedure
Start time: 2:45pm
End time: 3pm
Even the op door looks scary 😂
I went into the room at about 2:45pm. During the procedure, a device will be used to keep your eyes open — no pain or discomfort here!
All I had to do was to stare at the green laser (right eye followed by the left eye). Throughout the procedure, Dr Ho was very reassuring and reminded me to look straight at the green dot.
After the laser has worked its magic, Dr Ho and the nurse spammed eye drops into my eyes and placed a bandage lens (which is a very soft contact lens). This is to protect the eyes while the epithelial cells heal.
After procedure
I didn’t feel any pain right after the op, but my vision was still blurry — this is normal as it won’t be perfect immediately. I wore the provided sunglasses immediately cuz I kiasu.
Waited for my sister to be done with her turn (yes, I did it with my sister😂) then our parents brought us home. On the ride home, I started to feel a bit of the “cut onion” feeling that the nurses warned us about during the briefing. I only felt it in my right eye though, which was the one with a higher degree.
Get a family member or friend to bring you home after the surgery. Your vision will still be blurry and you should be resting your eyes as much as possible!
We kept our eyes closed as much as possible for the whole day and had eye drops to put every hour. Due to boredom, I slept at 10pm that night 😅
Step 3: Recovery with bandage lens
On op day + post-op day 1: Eye drops had to be administered every hour.
On post op day 2 – 5: Eye drops had to be administered every 2 hours.
We were also told to sleep and rest as much as possible as that helps with the healing. But I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I slept too much in the day. So, instead of sleeping, I just closed my eyes most of the time.
Post-op day 1: Appointment #1
Date: 24 December 2020, Thursday
Time: 10am
Location: Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre #03-08
Waiting time: ~1h
Cost: Free (Consultation), $13 (Eye drops)
Post-op consultations are free for 1 month from the op day. After which, they’re chargeable at $53.50 per session.
Medication is free on the op day itself. Any post-op medication will be chargeable.
At 10am the next day, we went back for a follow-up appointment at Mount E. Dr Ho checked to see if our eyes were healing well. After which, our parents brought us home.
Post-op day 2:
Christmas is here! And of course, we had a sumptuous dinner planned. I was veryyy excited and took a lot of videos and IG stories. Probably strained my eyes a little too much 😅
Post-op day 3:
Here comes the horror. I woke up feeling like someone was cutting my right eye 😫 According to the nurses, a bit of pain and redness is normal during this period but if there’s green/yellow pus, we have to call the emergency hotline.
So, I surrendered and slept for the whole day; I only woke up when it was time for eye drops and for meals. Slept at about 11pm.
If possible, do the surgery with a family member. That way, both of you can chat while resting your eyes. And you have a constant companion who can relate to what you’re going through! It’d also make waiting for appointments more bearable 🙂
Post-op day 4:
Thankfully my eye felt fine when I woke up! I was just counting down to the next day to take out the bandage lens so that my eyes can breathe again 😢
Post-op day 5: Appointment #2
Date: 28 December 2020, Monday
Time: 2pm
Location: Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre #03-08
Waiting time: ~1h
Cost: Free (Consultation), $52.45 (Eye drops)
During the appointment, the nurse (not Dr Ho) checked our eyes to see if they’re healing well. If all’s good, a q-tip will be used to remove the lenses.
After removal, my vision was still very blurry which is normal. It’ll take a few days to become clearer and about 3 – 6 months for the vision to stabilise.
Step 4: Recovery + follow-up appointments
Here’s our eye drop schedule for the next few days:
We had a total of 5 eye drops that had to be administered at different frequencies. Worst part is that they couldn’t clash and had to be spaced at least 15min apart!
During this period, I could use my phone and computer but had to take regular breaks. For about 4-5 days, my vision was still blurry and my eyes would get tired very quickly.
So what I did was — after every 30min to 1h of screen time, I’d close my eyes for the duration of a song (about 3-4min).
Book your surgery such that there’s a public holiday during the recovery period (after the 5-6 days MC). This will help you to save leave so that you can rest longer!
For myself, I had 6 days of MC from 23 Dec – 28 Dec + I took 3 days leave from 29 Dec – 31 Dec. So, I was away from work from 23 Dec – 3 Jan which was 1.5 weeks. This should be sufficient for resting. But if you have the luxury to rest longer, please do!
At approx. post-op day 9, my vision was starting to become clear! And with every few days, my screen time could be slightly longer without feeling discomfort.
Post-op day 24: Appointment #3
Date: 16 January 2021, Saturday
Time: 10am
Location: Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre #03-08
Waiting time: 3h
Cost: Free (Consultation), $48.15 (Eye drops)
Post-op day 54: Appointment #4
Date: 15 February 2021, Monday
Time: 230pm
Location: Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre #03-08
Waiting time: 1h
Cost: $53.50 (Consultation), $49.22 (Eye drops)
Post-op day 80: Appointment #5
Date: 13 March 2021, Saturday
Time: 930am
Location: Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre #03-08
Waiting time: 1h
Cost: $53.50 (Consultation), $27.82 (Eye drops)
Post-op day 108: Appointment #6
Date: 10 April 2021, Saturday
Time: 930am
Location: Mount Elizabeth Medical Centre #03-08
Waiting time: 1h
Cost: $53.50 (Consultation)
Let’s all pretend that you can’t see me in the reflection 😂
For appointments #3 – #6:
We’d do several eye tests and Dr Ho will go through the results briefly. Then, he’ll do a check on our eyes to see if they’re on track for healing. He’ll also provide advice on the use of eye drops, if necessary
Most of the time, it was about a 1h wait and each consultation would take about 3min only.
During appointment #6 (3.5 months after the op), Dr Ho said that my eyes were almost at perfect vision and there’s no need to schedule further appointments!
Why I chose Clearvision
I believe the Clearvision brand name was made popular as they sponsored a number of influencers such as Xenia Tan, Nicole Low and Christabel.
Here’s Xenia’s journey:
On top of their branding and reputation, I’ve also heard good things about Dr Ho from a friend who used to work at the clinic. Reviews on Google were pretty good as well.
Would I recommend Clearvision?
I would give the entire experience with Clearvision a 9/10! I enjoyed interacting with the service staff at both locations — they’re really nice, reassuring and approachable.
Dr Ho also did a good job (of course, hopefully the results are long-lasting 😛). The only thing that I didn’t quite like was that he always seemed to be in a rush to end the consultation 😅 so if you like efficiency, you’ll like Dr Ho! But if you prefer a more endearing surgeon, then he may not be the one for you.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between TransPRK and LASIK?
| LASIK | TransPRK | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Flap-based laser vision correction surgery | Advanced Surface Ablation procedure: Laser surgically removes the outermost layer of cells on the surface of the eye (no cutting involved) |
| Year it was created | 1990s | 2009 |
| Treatable conditions | Myopia Hyperopia Presbyopia Astigmatism | |
| Suitability | Corneal thickness: at least 500 microns | Corneal thickness: at least 485 microns |
| Myopia: Not more than 800 degrees | Myopia: Not more than 1,000 degrees | |
| Hyperopia: Not more than 400 degrees | Hyperopia: Not more than 400 degrees | |
| Astigmatism: Not more than 500 degrees | Astigmatism: Not more than 500 degrees | |
| Surgery duration | 10min per eye | 5min per eye |
| Full visual recovery | 2 - 3 weeks (Longer if myopia is high) | 3 months (6 months if myopia is high) |
| Price | S$3,788 | S$3,988 |
2. What other vision correction procedures are there?
There are a number of vision correction procedures out there including
• Epi-LASIK
• PRK
• ReLEX SMILE
• Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL)
To determine which procedure is right for you, schedule an eye evaluation test at your preferred eye clinic. The doctor will be able to provide viable options based on your suitability.
3. Can I use MediSave for vision correction procedures?
The short answer is: It depends!
The long answer is:
MediSave can only be used for medical purposes and surgical procedures. Even though a vision correction procedure involves surgery, it’s more of a cosmetic procedure as compared to a medical one.
However, you can use MediSave if:
• There’s a difference of at least 300 degrees between your eyes
• The surgery is performed to correct errors from previous eye procedures
• Your doctor certifies that you’re unable to tolerate contact lenses or spectacles
Choosing the right vision correction procedure and clinic
Before committing to a clinic and procedure, do your research! Some things you can do include:
• Ask around to see who has done it before
• Gather feedback from past patients and ask them about their experiences
• Read reviews on Google and Facebook
• Compare the pros and cons of each vision correction procedure
• See what suits your budget and lifestyle
The procedure you go for will also depend on your doctor’s recommendation (if you’re not eligible for certain procedures!).
I hope this article has helped you in some way! I’m excited for your journey to perfect vision 🎉
Have more questions? Check out my IG story highlights “TransPRK👁” — @stitchmyberns!