For most of my life I’ve been nearly blind. Take away my glasses and I can’t read anything because it’s hard to read when you can’t see letters. I can’t find keys, clothes, accessories – I’ve even had enormous problems finding glasses when they were moved from the place I originally set them.

But that’s changed. Yesterday I had SBK LASIK surgery and right now. When I started writing this I was only three hours out of operation, but already I could see. If you have good or even functional vision this may not seem like a big deal. But if you had vision like mine (-4.5/-5.5) and you’ve lived with prosthetic eyes for most of your life, being able to open your eyes and see is miraculous.

My vision was corrected by Dr Joel Hunter at Hunter Vision. I’ve known Joel for almost ten years and when he and his brother, Josh, decided to open Hunter Vision they brought me on to help them with their branding and design work. I’m definitely a vested party in Hunter Vision. Despite my relationship and my lack of visual ability, I never had any intention of getting my own eyes fixed. Jenn has always liked the way I look in glasses and I’ve worn them for so long I just didn’t think it was worth the slight risk or cost. But two weeks ago Pear bent my frames and I spent last week frustrated with glasses that constantly slipped down my face. Last Friday at the zoo in a pique of near-rage I emailed Josh and asked about the surgery. The following Monday I setup an appointment, Thursday I came in for an evaluation and after discovering I was a candidate I took the plunge and set up an appointment for yesterday morning.

The abrupt nature of my decision meant that I hadn’t researched much about LASIK, SBK or even eye health in general. Sitting in the pre-op room I realized I didn’t know anything about the surgery I was about to have. As Joel told me about what I’d experience some of the details were off-putting. My eyelids would be held up during the one- to two-minute surgery. A tiny suction cup would be attached to my cornea to keep my eye in place. I would briefly lose my vision. A laser would be turned onto my eye to cut me open and reshape my cornea. I had a moment of doubt – did I really want to do this? Are glasses really that bad? But that last question which probably runs through everyone’s mind is what sealed the deal for me. Glasses are bad. I had prosthetic eyes. I could eliminate the prostheses forever (though I may need reading glasses one day). If I had a peg leg or a fake tooth I imagine I’d leap at the chance to replace those with a normal and functional part.

The operation was easy. There were no surprises and the entire experience was quick. I laid on the operating table for about 10 minutes total. Each eyes was numbed, held open then operated on. There were two phases to each eye and no pain involved. When the small suction cup was applied there was pressure, but it was just a minor discomfort. When the laser fired it apparently triggered a receptor in my nose that creates the scent of a freshly opened can of tennis balls. (Joel had told me in advance that some people think it smells like something is burning.)

All I had to do during the surgery was stare straight ahead and not freak out. Both were easy enough, though if you are claustrophobic the surgery would be a challenge. Sitting in the room after the surgery as Joel told me what I needed to do to take care of my eyes, I couldn’t help but look around. Everything was blurry, but my vision was immediately better than it had been before the surgery. The exit sign two rooms away was legible almost immediately. After a short walkthrough of the post-op regimen (mostly drop-related) we moved into the exam room so Dr. Hunter could check me over again. During the exam I looked down and found I could read his name on his scrubs. For the next hour my face was stuck in the biggest smile I could muster.

The first day I had to apply moisturizing drops at least every fifteen minutes. Whenever my eyes got too dry my vision would blur, but with the drop everything would sharpen. By the end of the day I could see nearly everything clearly. The first days I have sunglasses to wear all day and googles to wear at night. For the next week week I have drops to administer at meal time to help with the healing process. For the next few months I’ll drop artificial tears every couple of hours until my eyes start producing tears at normal quantity again.

This morning I went in for my followup. My vision is 20/15. Amazingly, it will continue to improve slightly over the next week.

Now, I can see.