It's not what you think!

It's about my eyes. Here's some background...

When I was in second grade I had to get glasses. I had no idea that the world was clearer than what I saw, but a very astute teacher saw me squinting and struggling to see and told my mom I should see an eye doctor. I did and they found I was severely nearsighted.

I wish my scanner worked so I could post the pic of me in my brand new, pink, cat's eye glasses in Mrs. Kinnarney's 2nd grade class...but I digress. (<--the pic is a piss and I laugh at it whenever I see it)...

When I was 17 I got contact lenses and never turned back. I took my "coke bottle" wire framed (I had progressed to at least John Lennon style by then) glasses and wrung them like an old dish rag and swore to never wear glasses again. After all, guys don't make passes at a girl who wears glasses...right?

My sight worsened through the years...and then it leveled out...and has maintained a certain prescription for over 2 decades now. Or so I thought...

Last week I had a pretty bad eye irritation/infection (my eyes were red and when I woke they were ooey gooey icky and swollen). I had to go get my eyes examined anyway because I was on my last pair of lenses, so off I went with a heavy heart...thinking the worst. Upon sight inspection, the doc surely thought the worst too, cause she said there will be restrictions if she can't get a reading or do a dialation or do a fitting for lenses...and she seemed to be dooming me before the actual examination...but I insisted we press on.

Some people can't stand any contact with their eyes. I am just the opposite...I have always said that anything that helps me see better, be it the doc having to take out my eyeballs and roll them around on a pool table if she/he must, is ok with me! Happily...that wasn't necessary...lol!

They took my old glasses to get a reading from them to see if my script changed within the past 15 years. I owned one pair of glasses for when it was absolutely necessary to take my lenses out (if I was drop dead drunk or something) and let my eyes rest or to go to sleep. Now remember...I got contacts at 17 and I am 47 now. In that whole time I have only had one pair of glasses and I didn't get them till much later after I got my lenses and destroyed my daily glasses.

LONG STORY...HUH?????

Oh...be patient guys...I swear I have a point!

So anyway...She tested for glaucoma (the puff test), she put dye in my already irritated eyes to check my cornea's to see if they were scratched or something was lodged in them (like leather ot textile from work...or something), she didn't dialate my eyes cause I had driven to the store alone (WHEW!)...and then we did all the usual tests. "Put your head in here and you forehead againt the bar"...lenses drop at a pace that someone my age can't distinguish "better or worse"?...so I ask to see it again so I can concentrate...blah, blah, blah. Then I have to read the chart. What chart? More lenses drop...OHHHHHHHHHHHH...that chart! A R O P D Q...right? More lenses drop...B A D P (ding, ding...got that one right) R O...GEEZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!

"Lixy? How old did you say you were?" Um....Um...*barely a whisper* "47...why?" "Can you read anything on this paper in front of you?" It's an exerpt from The Swiss Family Robinson...should I tell her I read the book? "Um...yes...I can read the first line" (the smallest letters)...

AND I COULD...NOT FROM MEMORY...BUT I COULD SEE IT CLEAR AS DAY!!!!!!!

My Point?

*waits for the the huffing and puffing and sighs to cease* LOL!

She got a reading on my vision...my sight has improved from -6.00 and -5.75 (l and r eye respectively) to -5.50 and -5.00 (l an r eye respectively)...THE FIRST TIME EVER IN MY LIFE FOR AN IMPROVEMENT! And...I have a new script for my regular glasses that has improved as well.

Not to mention...she gave me a pair of bifocal contact lenses that make me feel 20 y/o again!!! I don't have to wear reading glasses anymore!

My reason to put this in the advice forum? I was heavily considering surgery on my eyes to improve the vision so I don't have to ever wear glasses or contacts again.

Has anyone had such surgery...and could you share your stories (good or bad). Are you nearsighted as well as farsighted? Do you know if the surgery can be done on both vision corrections? Anything you can contribute would be wonderful insight (pardon the pun) for me!

P.S. I forgot to tell you...my eye irritation/infection was due to my using "Equate"® brand Multi-Purpose Lens Cleaner...which has a higher concentrate of preservative...and the preservative was one that I am highly allergic to. It's similar to when I was younger and there was only one kind of saline solution which had Thimerosol (preservative) in it. I was highly allergic to that. Now there is a "sensitive eyes" saline that is Thimerosol free!

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Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~