Tomorrow, I'm getting LASIK surgery.
You probably haven't noticed, but I've been wearing my glasses for the better part of a year.
You probably haven't noticed, but I've been wearing my glasses for the better part of a year.
Not those glasses, though.
I noticed in the fall of 2011 that I was blinking a lot more than usual with my contacts in my eyes. I had been wearing my contacts nearly every day since I was in eighth grade, and I never had a serious problem with them that lasted more than a day. I bought lubricating eye drops that fall that worked at first, but then my eyes got even worse in the spring. I had trouble wearing my contacts for more than a few hours at a time. I still wore them all day, but I was constantly putting drops in my eye. If I blinked too much, my eyes teared and my makeup smeared. It sounds superficial, but it sucked when I couldn't go out for a night with my friends without worrying about eyeliner and mascara running down my cheeks.
I started wearing glasses more often last summer, and I visited 2 optometrists at Lenscrafters to try new contact lenses. I tried many different options, including daily lenses. The lenses that I wore at the time lasted up to two weeks, but everybody told me that daily lenses (the ones you throw out after wearing for only one day) may irritate my eyes less by being more oxygen-permeable. I tried them, along with every single sample of eye drops the optometrists could give me, but every trial was without success. I could not wear lenses for more than a few hours at at time without blinking and tearing.
The optometrists told me that there was nothing more that they could do to help me. The worst part of this was that my wedding was coming up in less than two months, and I did not fancy the idea of getting married with glasses. Furthermore, the only kinds of glasses that I wanted to wear on my honeymoon in Cabo were sunglasses.
The optometrists told me to see an ophthalmologist, so I did. I went to Wheaton Eye Clinic and met with a doctor who took one look at my cornea under a concentrated light beam and informed me that my corneas are "vascularized". In other words, as a result of wearing my contacts too much for too many years, my eyes were starved for oxygen and therefore had to sprout little blood vessels into my cornea (which apparently is not normal) as a poor attempt to get some. Finally, the blinking and terrible sand-in-the-eye sensation made sense to me.
My doctor gave me more eye drops, told me to get a humidifier, and then she gave me the best news ever: I could wear my contacts for my wedding and my honeymoon without discomfort. In exchange for some serious $$, I got a small bottle of steroid eye drops to use three times per day (I think) for up to two weeks. Longer use than that put me at risk for some glaucoma and some cataracts, so I made sure to heed her warnings.
I noticed in the fall of 2011 that I was blinking a lot more than usual with my contacts in my eyes. I had been wearing my contacts nearly every day since I was in eighth grade, and I never had a serious problem with them that lasted more than a day. I bought lubricating eye drops that fall that worked at first, but then my eyes got even worse in the spring. I had trouble wearing my contacts for more than a few hours at a time. I still wore them all day, but I was constantly putting drops in my eye. If I blinked too much, my eyes teared and my makeup smeared. It sounds superficial, but it sucked when I couldn't go out for a night with my friends without worrying about eyeliner and mascara running down my cheeks.
I started wearing glasses more often last summer, and I visited 2 optometrists at Lenscrafters to try new contact lenses. I tried many different options, including daily lenses. The lenses that I wore at the time lasted up to two weeks, but everybody told me that daily lenses (the ones you throw out after wearing for only one day) may irritate my eyes less by being more oxygen-permeable. I tried them, along with every single sample of eye drops the optometrists could give me, but every trial was without success. I could not wear lenses for more than a few hours at at time without blinking and tearing.
The optometrists told me that there was nothing more that they could do to help me. The worst part of this was that my wedding was coming up in less than two months, and I did not fancy the idea of getting married with glasses. Furthermore, the only kinds of glasses that I wanted to wear on my honeymoon in Cabo were sunglasses.
The optometrists told me to see an ophthalmologist, so I did. I went to Wheaton Eye Clinic and met with a doctor who took one look at my cornea under a concentrated light beam and informed me that my corneas are "vascularized". In other words, as a result of wearing my contacts too much for too many years, my eyes were starved for oxygen and therefore had to sprout little blood vessels into my cornea (which apparently is not normal) as a poor attempt to get some. Finally, the blinking and terrible sand-in-the-eye sensation made sense to me.
My doctor gave me more eye drops, told me to get a humidifier, and then she gave me the best news ever: I could wear my contacts for my wedding and my honeymoon without discomfort. In exchange for some serious $$, I got a small bottle of steroid eye drops to use three times per day (I think) for up to two weeks. Longer use than that put me at risk for some glaucoma and some cataracts, so I made sure to heed her warnings.
As you see in my wedding picture, I was not a four-eyed bride. I remember having minimal discomfort after getting my makeup done, but I forgot about it completely once the wedding festivities got rolling. By the end of my honeymoon, I was wearing my contacts without any eye drops at all or discomfort. Those steroids on my eyeballs worked wonders!
A few days after I got home, though, it was back to the same pain-in-the-butt eye problems. I wore my glasses during the day, and I wore my contacts if I was going out to do something social.
A few days after I got home, though, it was back to the same pain-in-the-butt eye problems. I wore my glasses during the day, and I wore my contacts if I was going out to do something social.
By the time the fall rolled around, I was wearing my glasses unless I was sleeping. There might be an occasional night out where I could go glasses-free, but they were few and far between. As far as my grad school friends know, I've always worn glasses.
Even now, I can only wear contacts for an hour or two without problems. I think that I look fine with glasses (as a matter of fact, aI am feeling nostalgic about them today!), but I would still rather not wear them.
This is why I am getting LASIK tomorrow. There is no medical reason to get it. Like most LASIK procedures, this is an elective procedure. My rationale is that the surgery will eventually pay for itself when I don't have to invest in new glasses, annual eye doctor visits, a year supply of contacts (which are pricey!), and contact lens solution as I need it.
I'm scared, but I will let you know how it goes! I know that I'm in good hands at Wheaton Eye Clinic. These docs definitely know what they're doing.
This is why I am getting LASIK tomorrow. There is no medical reason to get it. Like most LASIK procedures, this is an elective procedure. My rationale is that the surgery will eventually pay for itself when I don't have to invest in new glasses, annual eye doctor visits, a year supply of contacts (which are pricey!), and contact lens solution as I need it.
I'm scared, but I will let you know how it goes! I know that I'm in good hands at Wheaton Eye Clinic. These docs definitely know what they're doing.
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