The gift of sight

You may or may not have noticed that I have been wearing my glasses in pictures for the last few weeks. That's because I was preparing my eyes for Lasik eye surgery, which I had this past Thursday!

I have definitely not made it a secret that I have always wanted to have this procedure done, but I obviously haven't mentioned anything about actually doing it until now. From the moment I realized it was a definite possibility right up to the surgery itself, the whole process has only been about three weeks. Once we (Jay and I...because this most certainly did not just concern me) made the decision, things moved very quickly. I didn't want to jinx anything by talking about it on here before it actually happened. And I was so nervous about the whole thing that I honestly just couldn't find the words. The people closest to me and the ones I saw every day knew about it. I asked them for their prayers (mostly for my nerves...I had faith the whole time that everything would go okay with the procedure) and it has paid off. Things could not have gone better! I am so thankful for each and every prayer and for all of the support I have received from my family and friends. It definitely made all the difference in the world.

About a month ago, a friend of mine at the ELC got Lasik. I was super curious about it, of course, and she was very open with me and answered all of my questions. She even gave me her information packet from the doctor's office. I looked through it and that was when I started to realize that it could very well be a possibility for me. Then I talked to Jay and he was very encouraging. That sealed the deal for me. The morning after we seriously talked about it, I made an appointment for a free consultation two weeks later (which was last Thursday, the day before we left for D.C.). I had to wait that long because they needed to see me after wearing my glasses for two weeks. At the consult, I found out I was a candidate and the surgery was set for one week later. Talk about a whirlwind! I was so incredibly nervous about the procedure, but timing is everything. The trip to Washington definitely took my mind off of things and made the waiting a lot easier.

If you have perfect vision (like my husband), you may not understand my desire to put myself through all of this to simply be rid of contacts and glasses. But it's not that simple. Not at all. I started wearing glasses more than 20 years ago and I have been wearing contacts for almost 16 years. My vision is beyond poor...as my doctor said, I am extremely nearsighted. (Or I was. Not anymore!) The only other person in my family who has worse vision is my Dad (although my sister is following close behind me). Before surgery, my eyes were -7.0. I could see things that were maybe an inch or less from my face and that's it. Everything beyond that was just a big blurry blob. Colors ran together and shapes were very difficult to make out. Jay had a chance to see what my everyday vision was without correction and it was extremely disorienting for him. He couldn't stand to look through the lenses for very long. He has known all I have had to go through with my contacts and glasses, of course, but I think being able to see what I saw (or didn't see) drove the point home. I asked him if his vision was that bad, would he do Lasik. Without hesitation, his answer was "Yes." And as squeamish and wussy as I am, he is probably moreso. So that right there kind of gives you an idea of how life-changing this surgery has been for me. And why I have wanted to do it for so long.

I obviously haven't been walking around in a blind haze all of these years. But there is not really a waking second where I can be without my contacts or glasses. I typically wear my contacts all day and my glasses when I wake up in the morning and before I go to bed at night. Having my glasses right beside me as I sleep is a necessity. I have a fear that some disaster will happen in the middle of the night (a robbery, a fire, a damaging storm, etc.) and I won't be able to find my glasses. Going through any of those things would be terrible...going through them blind would be catastrophic. How could I help or protect my son without sight? I'm sure I would find a way, but it scares me to think about it nonetheless.

Having worn only glasses the past few weeks, here are just a few things I have had to endure with my poor vision that I would rather not:
- Shaving my legs (I'll admit, I haven't been doing much of that during this time. It's too risky...I just can't see what it is I'm shaving. Doesn't sound very safe, does it?)
- Putting my make-up on (If I have looked like a clown in the past few weeks, now you know why. And it's almost dangerous for me to wear eyeliner. I have to get so close to the mirror that I pretty much stab myself in the eye every time.)
- Risking a headache every time it's sunny out. No sunglasses if you have to wear regular glasses.
- I alternate between three pairs of glasses that are all from years ago. Obviously I can see better out of the newest ones. But those hurt behind my ears the most. The middle ones are too heavy on my nose. The most comfortable pair are the ones I see the worst out of. I can't win.

Having perfect vision is really a gift...and one that is probably taken for granted by people who are naturally blessed with it. Now that I have been given this gift as well, I will never forget just how valuable my sight is. As I said before (and as I have heard many say before me), this surgery has been life-changing. And I am only a few days out. I expect it will only get better from here. It is without a doubt one of the best things I have ever done.

Short of watching an online video, I really searched for a play-by-play of the actual procedure so that I could be as well-prepared as possible. I am the type of person who wants to know exactly what is going to happen...it helps me deal with the unknown. I never found an account like that, so I my next post will be devoted to exactly what happened during Lasik eye surgery...from my perspective. If you have any specific questions you would like me to address about this subject, let me know and I will try my best to answer them in my post.