I got glasses when I was in third grade. In all honesty, my best friend had glasses, so I failed my eye exam at school so I could go to the eye doctor and get glasses just like her…stupid I know, but I was 8, we all do stupid things.
I may not have needed them right away, but my dad has had glasses almost his entire life, so it was inevitable that I would get them eventually.
Turns out I hated wearing glasses, so I ended up squinting my way through school for the next three years until I got to 6th grade and had no choice but to do something about it. I was able to get soft contact lenses and wore them every day for the next 15 years. My eye sight kept getting worse and every year I had to get stronger and stronger prescriptions.
Although, I am grateful for contacts, they were so annoying. Swimming was tough, they got dry, I couldn't' sleep in them, and if I lost one I was screwed.
Even the morning after my wedding I couldn't find where I had kept the pair I had been wearing and I didn't have any extras, I was almost going to have to wear my glasses all the honeymoon…no way!
I had been wanting to get LASIK eye surgery for many years, but never had the money and kept putting it off. I also was lazy about making an eye doctor appointment, so for three years I didn't go to the doctor. I had been putting money into a health savings account for a year and half and I told myself, when I went to the eye doctor, if my eye sight hadn't changed in three years, I would go ahead with the surgery.
Well, it hadn't changed and I made my consultation. My eye doctor said my eyes were the perfect candidate for the surgery, I was the right age, the right blindness, and they took well to the pressure. So I bit the bullet and made the surgery appointment!
I was nervous about it, but asked many friends about their experiences, and everyone said positive things!
They tested my eyes before and the doctor said the only thing I could see was the large E on the chart, and it was still blurry. I was suited up for surgery and waited my turn. My doctor only does surgeries on Thursdays, so everyone there was in the for the same thing. The surgery room is out in the open and you can choose to watch the other patients…I chose not too, but it was nice to see each one come out happy.
Then it was my turn. They had me lay down on the bed and put numbing drops in each eye. Next, they put springs in my right eye to keep it open--I was most nervous for this part, but I couldn't feel a thing. And I was moved under the machine. The doctor told me exactly what was going to happen, so I was prepared. First there was pressure on my eye, that caused my eye to black out for a few seconds, then my vision slowly came back. He then used a blade to cut the time layer (couldn't even feel it). Then came the laser. I first say a red dot and I focused on that, as the laser happened the red dot began looking more like a firework and then it stopped! The doctor moved the flap back over my eye, smoothed it out, and it was over! He did the left eye and it was all done. I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. And right away I could see 75% better. It was amazing.
They took me back to the exam room and already I could read the lines on the board. It was really quite amazing.
I got to leave in some sweet shades and my sister in law drove us home. My eyes were uncomfortable but not painful. I slept for a few hours and kept up with my drops. Again, they were uncomfortable, but I was never in pain. Felt sort of like when my contacts would feel dry, or like I had something in it, but this time I couldn't make it go away. I was able to drive to St. Louis the next day!
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| My drops were white, so it looked like I was crying milk |
Seriously, if you are even considering in the slightest getting LASIK I will recommend it 110%! Even to this day, when I'm getting ready for bed or work, I am relieved I don't have to deal with contacts, I can wake up and see right away, and I can fall asleep watching TV.
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