Name: 10 Simple Steps to Prepare for Successful Strabismus Surgery | Strabismus Solutions
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10 Simple Steps to Prepare for Successful Strabismus Surgery | Strabismus Solutions

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Skip to contentWith my strabismus surgery right around the corner, I decided to do some research to figure out how to best prepare for a successful, worry free experience.Now that I’ve been through the whole experience I can fine-tune the list and add the personal things that made the biggest difference for me!4 Secrets for a Worry Free and Succ...Please enable JavaScript4 Secrets for a Worry Free and Successful Strabismus SurgeryHere are the 10 Steps to Preparing for Strabismus Surgery, in no particular order:Call Your Insurance and Get ApprovalTalk to Your Surgeon, Medical Center, and Anesthesiologist About BillingPlan for Time off Work, Childcare, and a Driver for the Week AfterArrange for Someone to Drive You To and From the Surgery CenterTour the Facility Where You Will Have SurgeryMake a List of Questions and Get them Answered by Your Surgeon (This is Mine)Make a Post-Surgery Comfort KitPrepare a Way to Sleep with Your Head ElevatedDrink Plenty of Fluids and Eat Lots of FiberComplete a Vision Therapy Program to Help the Results Stick!If you are planning on using insurance, then this is definitely a first step to make sure it is possible. There is nothing more frustrating than doing all the work to prepare for surgery, only to find out that your insurance won’t cover it.Most Insurance companies consider strabismus surgery to be reconstructive not cosmetic so they do cover it, but you definitely need pre-approval.Your Opthalmologist’s office might even do this part for you. Mine did, but I called and got confirmation numbers, just in case. Getting the financial aspects figured out makes it so much easier to relax!Every person getting strabismus Surgery will get multiple bills. At least 3 bills will come, one from your surgeon, one from the facility and one from the anesthesiologist.Unfortunately, my insurance is out of network and nobody is willing to bill them, so I get to pay up front and upload the receipts to my insurance and pray for reimbursement. I called all of the providers and was able to negotiate lower cash-pay rates. Doing it in advance is SOOO much easier than going back later after you’ve been billed.Being proactive meant that my surgeon chose a facility that was less expensive for cash-pay patients and it will probably save me thousands!The recovery process vary’s from person to person based on age, number of surgeries, and general health. But pretty much everyone needs at least 2-3 days of rest before returning to normal activities like work, driving or taking care of children.I was down for about 4-5 days. I got better each day, but needed to take naps and ice which meant I needed help with my kids.You will want to have your eyes closed and there will be a lot of visual confusion for those first few days so think about what will be difficult and make a plan.As a mom, a huge focus for me is getting my kids to and from activities, to and from school, fed, and helped with homework.If you don’t have kids, maybe you’ll need someone to take care of your pet, get your mail, take out the garbage can, mow the lawn, pick up dinner or keep you company. Think about those things and make an advance plan so you don’t have to stress afterwards.People LOVE to help, don’t be afraid to ask!This one is simple, you will probably be totally out of it with blurry or double vision after surgery as your eyes adjust to their new position, in no shape to drive. Not to mention that the surgery center won’t even let you leave without a driver so pick the person.Is it going to be your mom who will dote on you, a friend who will distract you and make you laugh, a brother who will make jokes about your blood red eyes or a spouse who will take timeless photos and videos of your post-surgery awesomeness like me. Maybe you want all four?I wasn’t able to do this since I live several hours away. But if you (or your child) are nervous and feeling anxiety, ask for a tour and familiarize yourself with the process, layout and let your brain relax.Even knowing where to park can relieve a lot of anxiety on the day of. Know yourself and the things that will make your experience less stressful.I did this prior to my pre-surgery appointment and it was so so helpful to get each of my questions answered! I highly recommend recording the appointment so that you can go back and remind yourself down the road.Here is my Pre-Surgery Q&amp;A if you can’t wait for your own!I scoured google, Facebook groups and Vision websites for all the best gear to get to prepare for a great recovery after strabismus surgery. Here is the list of what to bring!I’m dividing this into two groups, one groups is to take into the surgery center, the other is for the drive home, especially if you have a ways to go.For The Drive (And at Home)To Take Into the Surgery Center With YouI just propped myself up with a few pillows, so that is definitely an option, but it’s something to think about. If you lay too flat, your eyes will be extra swollen in the morning. I elevated and iced a ton throughout the night and my swelling never got too bad.We all know that going under anesthesia definitely slows down the digestive system. The pain pills afterwards don’t help either. Be proactive and drink tons of water and eat those kale smoothies with flax seed for the days beforehand so you aren’t dealing with any extra, unnecessary problems besides your eyes. (I feel like I’m turning into my mom on this one, but it makes a difference!)I didn’t do this one, unfortunately. I went in thinking that my eyes would open and I would see the world in 3D, that my eyes would be perfectly straight and that it would just take a few weeks for the pain, swelling and redness to go away.For some people, that is the case, but not for me. My eyes were far from straight, my vision was awful and the pain was way worse than others had told me. I wasn’t prepared for the dizziness and double vision that made it hard to walk in a straight line.Luckily, my surgeon used adjustable sutures and he was able to adjust and straighten my eyes 1 week post-op. I didn’t understand any of this so I was a horrible emotional mess before the sutures were adjusted. Thank goodness for adjustable sutures!!!!I now understand that the full recovery will take 6-8 weeks, just like any other muscle surgery. This is not a quick fix by any means. It is totally worth it, but it takes time and lots of patience. Click here to read about all the details of the surgery.You’ve got this. There is no reason to be afraid if you can prepare well! But even if you prepare everything under the sun, you will definitely experience some fear.Fear is to be expected, just let it come along for the ride. Good Luck!For years now, I have been working to find and explore all of the apps, programs, games and more that are used to treat strabismus (eye turn) and amblyopia (lazy or weak eye). When I first started 5...Continue ReadingFor over four years, I have been passionately learning everything possible about vision therapy and strabismus. With each new person that I meet, book that I read or exercise that I try, I am filled...Continue ReadingHey, I’m Melissa! I have strabismus and have gone to all lengths to help my eyes work together and become straight! I’ve had surgeries, patched, used glasses with prism, and participated in vision therapy. I’ve spent hundreds of hours researching strabismus and experimenting with solutions and I want to share that information with YOU.

Skip to contentWith my strabismus surgery right around the corner, I decided to do some research to figure out how to best prepare for a successful, worry free experience.Now that I’ve been through the whole experience I can fine-tune the list and add the personal things that made the biggest difference for me!4 Secrets for a Worry Free and Succ...Please enable JavaScript4 Secrets for a Worry Free and Successful Strabismus SurgeryHere are the 10 Steps to Preparing for Strabismus Surgery, in no particular order:Call Your Insurance and Get ApprovalTalk to Your Surgeon, Medical Center, and...

10 Simple Steps to Prepare for Successful Strabismus Surgery | Strabismus Solutions

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