i got lasik

The Friday before the week of Thanksgiving, I got LASIK surgery. I had severe astigmatism, and farsightedness, so I needed substantial correction.

Since I don't mind wearing glasses (I actually feel kinda naked without them), I took the plunge for one reason -- JR and I were finally taking a real vacation; 10 days in Negril, Jamaica, and we were leaving on November 30th. I wanted to be able to actually see when I was snorkeling for the first time in my life, and I wanted to just buy cheap-ass sunglasses off the rack. I can't wear contacts anymore, so that left one option. That Friday was the first time they could do the surgery on me, and it was also the last day possible I could get the surgery done in time for vacation. You have to wait 14 days before you can swim, and I'd be at exactly 14 days the day we arrived in paradise.

Unlike anyone else I've talked to, I didn't get any Valium or Vicodin, and I was pretty peeved by that. I was getting LASERS zapping my eyeballs, and I wasn't getting anything to calm me down, OR anything for the pain afterwards??? WTF?

I didn't have the miraculous experience that most people have, walking out and seeing crystal clear on the way out of the office post-LASIK. I was pretty sick afterwards - the pain exhausted me, I couldn't stand any light, and I had to fill my eyes with gel and antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drops every hour. Shannon stayed with me that day, and she was so fantastic. And then she left me the sweetest note. Thanks, Shannon!

I had to wear goggles at night so I wouldn't rub my eyes while I was sleeping, and my eyeballs were really dried out - I was putting eye drops in my eyes probably every 15 or 20 minutes. The worst side-effect was the glare at night - everything had a glow, and on top of all that, I was still having pretty blurry vision. I'm still dealing with that.

It looks like the reason I'm still having problems - blurry, double vision, and trouble switching from looking at close stuff to far stuff (after messing around on my iPhone for a while, I literally cannot focus when I look up) - is because the surgery didn't completely correct the astigmatism. So he needs to do additional surgery in about 2 months. That one will be on his tab. I didn't pay so much money to still end up needing glasses. Plus, it's in his contract. :) It's just gonna be a pain in the ass to go through that all over again.

So there you have it - my LASIK story. I am typing this post from the car while JR is driving, and I am wearing cheap-ass sunglasses we bought at Target. That's what it's all about. That, and being able to read the shampoo bottle in the shower.