“I wish I would have done it sooner,” said Shelby Heinle, the 2022 winner of the Bismarck Larks free LASIK procedure giveaway powered by Dakota Eye Institute.

LASIK is a procedure that changes the shape of the dome-shaped clear tissue at the front of your eye to improve vision. Shelby was one of over 400 people that dropped their names in the metaphorical hat to win a procedure that would forever change how they live their lives.

“My vision was not good at all,” said Heinle. “I had to constantly be wearing contacts or glasses. The hardest part was waking up with young kids in the middle of the night and having to find my glasses. I couldn’t just hop out of bed.”

This, along with eye irritation and dryness, is just one of the many reasons why Shelby knew she needed to do something about her vision. After officially winning the free LASIK procedure, Shelby met with Dr. Paul Selid from Dakota Eye Institute to run through tests and ensure LASIK was the right procedure for her.

“They run a bunch of tests and show you everything that they’re doing. They explain everything and tell you why they were doing it,” said Heinle.

The weeks leading up to the procedure are very crucial for the patient. A curveball of only glasses must be worn in the weeks leading up to the procedure. After two weeks of wearing no contacts, only glasses, Shelby was ready for LASIK. 

“They give you a calming medication and the doctor explains exactly what is going to happen,” said Heinle. “The whole procedure took about 10 minutes. You sit up and everything feels like you walked through a dust storm, but you could see.”

Shelby noticed an immediate difference and, after a quick four-hour nap post-procedure, all the scratchiness was gone. She experienced dryness in her eyes the first couple of days but, after 48 hours, it felt normal again, just with no contacts.

“You do drops the first few days and it starts to die down after that,” said Heinle. “You do follow-ups a week and a month later and then you’re pretty much good to go!”

Shelby noted there were some hurdles she wasn’t expecting to have to adjust to after LASIK. While the hurdles were nothing big, it changed her everyday life all for the better. She has become a completely different person.

“It was strange, in the beginning. I would wake up searching for my glasses but I could already see,” said Heinle “No more taking out contacts and putting on glasses after work. No more worrying about if I have enough contacts when packing for a trip. They were small changes but ones that were noticeable in a good way. Now, I can jump out of bed and head right into my kids’ rooms to wake them up!”

Dakota Eye Institute’s Dr. Paul Selid is the Custom LASIK doctor for all patients that choose to receive LASIK throughout Dakota Eye. Dr. Selid is an ophthalmologist specializing in Custom LASIK, Cataracts, Cornea Transplants, and Refractive Eye Surgery.

Another lucky fan will be given the opportunity to win the free LASIK procedure from Dakota Eye Institute in 2023. Fill out the giveaway below to enter to win.