Now with new and improved “Laser Eyes!”

I first got my eye glasses when I was 6 years old. My eyes got so bad that my own hand was out of focus when I reached my arm out, but that has all changed.

A month ago on Dec 1^st, after 29 years of needing help to see, I got “Custom Wavefront Laser Eye Correction” and I have to say it’s amazing. I hemmed and hawed about this for years but the idea of going to Australia and not being able to see while I swam around the Great Barrier Reef pushed me over the edge. I’d also found glasses problematic when driving and especially biking, and everyone knows I love biking.

I set up 3 consultations with 3 different clinics so That I could make a really informed decision. In the end I went with the TLC Clinic. I actually canceled my consult with Lasik MD after my TLC consult. Lasik was so pushy on the phone that I found them scary, plus they do those cheesy infomercials and advertise prices that are Costco low. I’m willing to spend a little dough when it comes to my sight and my primary form of income.

The surgery is ridiculously fast. You actually sit in the prep room with 3 other people and by the time they finish putting in drops to freeze your eyes the patient before you has already come back. I thought she had backed out, but she was all done and could already see on her own.

My Dad who went with me (on his birthday no less, nice guy!) was able to watch from a video monitor just outside the surgical room. I was anxious by the time I got laid down on the table. They handed me stress balls and I swore I was going to burst one, but it was quick and totally painless. It’s all laser based so it’s very precise. I won’t gross you out with the all the details. The simple version is they open up a layer of cornea with one laser, swing the bed over to the next laser, reshape you lens and seal you up. That’s it. Most of the time you just stare at a red dot and things do occasionally go all black for a moment but come back immediately, and you can here a slight thumping across the room while the laser is on.

Afterwards, doped up on painkillers I went to my parents place and slept for a long while. I had to wear “see-through” plastic plates over my eyes so I wouldn’t touch the area in my sleep. Dad did a great job duct taping them on. I went home the next day and started the process of reclaiming my sight. I was able to work by Monday but not at full speed till Wednesday and now I’m driving. Jenny has been my co-pilot on my first few automobile ventures and all seems well. There still some issues with night vision and high contrast but they have already improved dramatically in the last month. My old glasses went to a Latin American Charity.

This adds a whole level of excitement to my trip.