I had my laser eye surgery over 6 months ago and I still catch myself going to remove my contacts. Or push my glasses up my face. It’s hard to break a habit of a life time and you think you’d get used to it. Being able to see when I first wake up in the morning is the new normal to the point it seems like this is how it’s always been. But I’ll still catch myself. I’ll be walking in to work and I can read the sign in front of me. And I’m not wearing glasses. Or contacts. I still get a bit of a rush.
It’s the little things that make the difference though. It takes me less time to get ready in the morning. I’m less prone to eye infections. I can travel more without having to worry about finding a chemist and contact fluid in a different city (trust me, trying to translate contact lens fluid in Japanese is exactly as tricky as it sounds.) Ultimately it’s one less thing to worry about and I feel all the better for it. Like a weight being lifted than you didn’t realise was there.
The actual surgery and the recovery was way less intense that I’d built it up to be. Sure, right after there was nothing I wanted to do more than give my eyes a good scratch but that passed. And the dryness did too. Even that relative discomfort was a small price to pay for 20/20 vision. I even came to miss my weird night goggles. The staff at optical express were amazing and attentive and made sure I was well stocked up in fluids to keep the old eye holes feeling fresh. They do this every day and for them I guess it’s another procedure, they do thousands of them. But for me it was completely and utterly life changing and having it be so quick and seamless? Bloody brilliant.
The question I get asked the most (after of course the burning flesh one) was would I do it again? Knowing the results and the discomfort, would I still be game? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. A million times yes. Laser eye surgery gave me back some small freedoms. Some I knew I had been missing, and other I didn’t. And yes. I do feel more attractive without glasses. In no small part due to the fact I can wear glitter without it sneaking under my contact lenses.
It’s been a year of Big Changes and laser-eye surgery just happens to be part of the package. Most people when they go through a Big Change get a dramatic haircut. I got laser-eye surgery. It’s not something I can outgrow, nor is it something I’d want to. It’s emotionally cathartic to see the world with a new pair of eyes. Or at least same old eyes, new improved vision.
Okay, now you got me all curious. And I never thought laser eye surgery would be for me. The whole burning flesh thing, you know. I’m really glad you shared this!