I'm finally going to do it - I'm going to get LASIK!!
March 5, 2001
A little about me - I'm 23 years old and work full-time as a computer programmer. I started wearing glasses at age 10, and contacts at age 13. I'm -5.25 in my right eye and -4.5 in my left eye, with astigmatism in both (I wear one toric lens and one standard soft lens since the astigmatism is pretty mild in my right eye - or was it left? I can never remember).
Let's just say I can't see much without my contacts or glasses. I'm not even on the 20/something scale - that only goes up to 20/400. I can't read the big "E". Heck, I can't even tell that there's a chart!
Here's an example of what something looks like to someone with normal vision, and to me without correction:
Pretty sad, huh?
I've been thinking about having laser surgery done ever since I first heard about RK - that's the one where they make a star-like incision in your cornea. Of course I was too young at the time since my prescription wasn't stabilized.
Then I heard about LASIK. I even had a couple friends who had it done when their insurance still covered it!! (Before the insurance company specifically excluded it would be more correct, I guess.) I did more research, and was hooked. I knew this was the right procedure for me. Some of the things I especially liked most about it were the quick recovery time and the relative lack of "starburst" vision like in RK.
What do I hope to achieve through this surgery?? Well, I know it sounds cliche, but I cannot wait for the day I'll be able to see the alarm clock when I wake up in the morning. I can't wait to be able to go on vacation without lugging bottles of contact solution. I can't remember the last time I could go swimming and actually see at the same time. I won't need to worry about forgetting my glasses when I travel. I'll save hundreds of dollars a year by not having to purchase those expensive toric contact lenses.
I won't be disappointed if I don't end up 20/20 - I'm fine with having to wear a slight prescription for certain tasks. It might be nice to wear my expensive "rimless" frames with lenses that are actually thin enough to complete the illusion. :)
I only recently made my final decision to do this now. I received a large tax refund last year that I wanted to use for this purpose - but my husband and I ended up moving and needed to use the money for the deposit on our rental house. So my plans were on hold. But suddenly, this year I found myself with enough money - I sold some stock, received a bonus at work - and voila!! Plus - I figure I better get it done before we have kids and I feel guilty for spending so much on myself. :) Everyone always says they wish they'd done it sooner anyway, right?
I checked with a couple people at work who had had the surgery recently to see what doctor they went to. They both went to doctors that were seemingly at the opposite ends of the spectrum - one paid only $1000 (an introductory offer) for both eyes, and the other paid $2500 (a special corporate discount). I don't know what the regular price was in either case. Both were extremely happy with their results and with their doctors. But the city the doctors were in was farther than I wanted to drive for repeated visits. So, I found a center about 5 minutes from my office. I go in for my consultation on Monday, March 12. I can't wait! They currently charge $1125 per eye, but the price is going up to $1425 per eye on April 1. As long as my consultation is before that date, then I lock in the lower price (why do I feel like I'm getting a mortgage? lol)... so I don't need to worry about rushing. The price includes follow-up visits for an entire year, and any necessary retouching (do-over!).
email me! juliana_sd@yahoo.com