Dr. Punzal has been co-managing with Dr. Faulkner at Aloha Laser Vision on O’ahu since 2012 for all LASIK consultations and procedures. With a quick flight to our neighbor island, the trip is about 2-3 days total and the actual surgery itself takes 10-15 minutes. Currently, Aloha Laser Vision has the only laser in the state of Hawai’i to perform this type of refractive surgery.
Brity Punzal, Dr. Punzal’s wife, has had a longstanding history of a high myopic prescription with her first pair of glasses at age 10. For almost 20 years, she’s went through numerous pairs of glasses and different brands of contact lenses. As a busy working mother of three, glasses and contact lenses became inconvenient. Brity felt that 2019 was the year that she wanted to go forward with Laser Surgery.
Most patient’s and people in general often have questions regarding LASIK. When we found out that Brity would be having LASIK in February, Dr. Punzal knew we had to capture the experience and make an informational documentary for everyone to have a better understanding of refractive surgery. When looking for a videographer, the work of 10th Letter Media was just breathtaking. Julian, CEO of 10th Letter Media and person behind the camera, was the person for the job! Although he specializes mainly in weddings, his style and creativity was what we were looking for.
After landing on O’ahu on Wednesday morning, we headed straight to Aloha Laser Vision for Brity’s preoperative exam. She went through a course of tests and later met with Dr. Mau, their Optometrist at the facility, who confirmed that all measurements were great- making her the perfect candidate for LASIK. Shortly after, she met with Dr. Faulkner, the surgeon, who confirmed that everything was ready to go for surgery the next day!
She was instructed to get a good night’s rest prior to surgery the next morning. We went to the hotel room, enjoyed a few of the amenities, and rested for the remainder of the night. We woke up early the next day and Brity was excited for her procedure! When we arrived to Aloha Laser Vision, the entire staff made Brity feel comfortable and at ease about the process. They escorted Brity to the laser room as we wished her good luck! Dr. Punzal, Pua and I were able to watch the entire surgery behind a glass window. It was amazing to witness Dr. Faulkner perform LASIK. 10-15 minutes went by, and Brity was done! She came out with a huge smile on her face. She was advised to rest for a few hours and so we went back to our hotel and relaxed until we had to return for her post-op.
Brity woke up from her nap feeling no pain or discomfort and was amazed with her clear vision! While sitting on the lanai and admiring the beautiful view from our room, Brity could see whales in the distance! From that point on, she was so excited, happy, and knew that she made the right decision to go forward with LASIK. Our last stop of the trip was her postoperative exam with Dr. Faulkner. He took a look and said everything is perfect! Dr. Punzal will then follow up with Brity for the following weeks to come.
The entire staff was not only professional but fun and made our experience there an unforgettable one! Stay tuned for more, once we have our video footage ready on our website and on social media!
