My eye surgery as a Writing Task 1
About a year ago, I got an eye surgery and had to say no to screens for five days after that. As I was enjoying my gadget-free days, I was thinking, “Hmm… Of all the writing formats I know, which one would work best to describe my experience?” I decided to go with “IELTS Writing Task 1: process descriptions” because they involve describing sequences. So here is the story of my eye surgery as an IELTS Writing Task 1 answer.
"The process began from a full diagnostic test. Based on the results of the test, the ophthalmologist concluded that LASIK, which I had intended to get, was not an option for me due to a thin cornea and advised that I get PRK (photorefractive keratectomy). Compared to LASIK, this type of surgery has a longer and more painful recovery period. However, having weighed in all the pros and cons, I made an appointment for 30 April.
On the day of the surgery, I first had consultations with an ophthalmologist and an anesthesiologist, who walked me through the procedure and the recovery. The surgery took place after that and consisted of several steps.
In the first step, I was accompanied to a small room where the nurse put numbing drops in my eyes. When the anesthesia had taken effect, she walked me into the operating room and helped me lie on the treatment couch. In the next step, the surgeon placed an eyelid holder, also called an eye speculum, on my right eye to prevent it from blinking. With my eyelid firmly fixed, he positioned the laser over my face and shone a green light into my eye for several minutes. This was followed by the laser treatment, which lasted for several seconds and was barely noticeable. The same operation was then performed on my left eye. At the end of the procedure, the surgeon placed soft contact lenses on my eyes as a bandage. The final step was a postoperative assessment, after which I was discharged.
In the following days, I experienced severe discomfort in my eyes, which began to gradually decrease in intensity on the third day.
Overall, my PRK eye surgery was preceded by diagnostic tests and consultations with specialists. While the procedure itself was short and painless, the recovery wasn't, with the first two days being utter hell and with mild discomfort still lingering today."
True story (apart from the mild discomfort lingering today). Even though it's not a real IELTS task, there are still lots of things to learn here. Pay attention to how I introduced the stages, the tools, and the people (underlined).
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