Lasik: Pre-Op

If you've known me since the 2nd grade, you've known me with glasses or contacts. I wore my first pair of contacts in the 5th grade and never looked back.  Now that I'm 27, I realized that I've spent over 20 of those years in corrective lenses. Holy crap. I'm so blind, I can't see the giant E at the top of the eye chart. (And I'm not being sarcastic.)

Lasik eye surgery was always something I wanted to pursue but wasn't sure when I would have it done. I always thought I would wait until my vision was really awful - but why wait? Jonathan and I discussed it, researched it, and realized it would save us money in the long run, especially if the procedure is done while we're in Lynchburg.

Today was my consultation at Piedmont Eye Center. I had 7 different tests done to my baby blues. Nothing was painful but most were very annoying. On top of my awful eyesight, their light color makes them uber sensitive to light. It's the perfect storm that makes me a perfect candidate for Lasik.

After the results were computed, the nurse spoke with us about all of the nitty gritty details. The total cost for lasik procedure for both eyes, a post-op consultation, Rx eyedrops, and any additional surgery within one year that may be needed is $4,500. (The same procedure in Northern VA can be around $6,000.) But wait, there's more - we're getting a 15% discount because our friend referred us and another 5% off if we're able to do it in one payment. 20% off of $4,500 means we're paying $3,400 and saving $900! We were budgeting about $5,000 and we were pleasantly surprised to have some finances left over to chuck at Jonathan's school loans! Huzzah!

So July 19th is L-Day. It's a 15 minute procedure, one day of recovery, one week of taking it easy, one month of no swimming or eye makeup. The doctor and nurse answered all of our questions and made us feel comfortable in making a decision rather than pushing us into it. They were honest that some of their patients experienced issues but it was often a result of not following post-op instructions. I think the hardest part for me will be not wearing eye makeup for a month. It's like having naked fingernails - homie don't play that. But alas, the benefits far outweigh the risk. Even if I'm not given 20/20 vision, it will be far better than my current vision.


[Note: Please don't picture us rolling in money like Joanna rolled in her cloth diapers last week. We are far from rich. We live below our means, clip coupons, cloth diaper, and buy second hand. At this point in our lives, we've chosen to make investments in people and making memories rather than shiny cars and big houses. Lasik is a long-term investment that has immediate and long-term benefits - and I'm really excited about it!]