Thanks to LASIK I’ve had perfect vision for the past 18 years, but now I’m 45 and have had to start wearing glasses again to see close-up. This was a tough blow for me. Before the LASIK surgery I was blind without my glasses. I was extremely nearsighted and couldn’t even see the big “E” on the eye chart. I find it ironic that now I can’t see things close-up, but my far vision is still crisp and clear. It’s frustrating to have to depend on glasses to see again after what I went through for my perfect vision.

My LASIK Surgery Nightmare

I wore glasses and contacts until my late 20s when I finally got the nerve to go get Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK). I try to avoid going to the doctor for anything, so volunteering for surgery is not something that comes easy. I told them upfront that I had anxiety and would probably need extra of whatever soothing meds they were prescribing. They set me up with one little Valium and said I’d be fine.

I wasn’t fine.

I was still nervous when I sat down in the chair. They struggled with the eye clamp that holds your eye open for surgery. All I could think of is Alex in that scene in A Clockwork Orange where they force his eyes to stay open. I started to cry and just remembering telling them “It hurts” over and over. The doctor kept telling me I needed to calm down. It wasn’t exactly said in a soothing manner, but more of an order. They got one eye prepped and continued to struggle with the other while mentioning I had “small eyes” and that was what was giving them trouble.

They Could Hear Me Screaming

While I was still pretty much freaking out over the eye clamp hurting, they went to work lasering one eye. My eyes were stinging and there was a slight burning smell as they operated, all while yelling at me to “look at the light.” I don’t think the actual laser part hurt very much, but I was still crying and apparently started screaming “Stop, it hurts!” while they were lasering. I really wish people would listen to me when I tell them I’m going to need a higher dose of anti-anxiety medication. But they didn’t, and the end result was them having to stop the surgery, bandage up one eye and send me back to the waiting room. I recall the doctor angrily yelling, “She’s too anxious, she needs more Valium, send her back out.”

So back out I went, bandaged and still crying. The whole waiting room turned to look at me as I walked in the room, and the nurse cheerily called out, “Next!” My friend that was there to drive me home said everyone out there could hear me screaming and crying, and apparently now everyone was freaked out. They gave me another Valium and said we needed to wait for it to kick in.

I am happy to say I was much more relaxed on their second attempt. The eye clamp still pinched, but not as bad. The surgery was over with quickly this time, and I got to go home.

Waking Up to Perfect Vision

I went home to rest and the first thing I remember when waking up was looking at the clock and being able to see it clearly. And then it hit me that I was looking at it with no glasses. It was perfectly crisp and clear, as was everything around me. The LASIK experience was awful, but the result was better than 20/20 vision. I could see super tiny print from far away. I went from being nearly blind to have eagle sharp vision.

And it stayed that way for at least 15 years before age started creeping in. I only went to the eye doctor a couple times in those years because every time I did, they were so impressed with my vision that they’d always ask who did my surgery. I had a hell of a time getting it done, but I’ve always been super happy I got LASIK. It was life-changing to be able to go without glasses.

*As a side note, I went down a rabbit hole when looking up the doctor who did my surgery- Dr. Glenn Kawesch, M.D. in San Diego, CA. It appears there were multiple lawsuits against him, and he was sentenced to jail for millions of dollars in tax evasion. He died of a heart attack just a few years after I had my surgery done. Kind of crazy since the last time I saw him was on the Jessica Simpson MTV show, doing her LASIK.

And Then I Hit My 40s

It started around 42. I noticed I couldn’t see the finer details when I was making costumes. And unless we were in bright light, the little words on menus were hard to see. I decided to see the eye doctor, who proclaimed my vision was still amazing and what I was experiencing was Presbyopia. He said it was a natural thing that just happens as we age, and there was nothing I could do about it. He said he could prescribe me prescription glasses, but all I really needed was a pair of readers.

Nothing quite makes you feel old, like a doctor telling you you’re getting old.

And so I went straight to the drugstore and picked myself out a pair of “old lady glasses” complete with sparkly rhinestones in the corners. I figured if I had to wear them, they should at least be fancy.

Readers, Readers Everywhere…

As my age has advanced, so has my presbyopia. I now need readers constantly, and unfortunately, I seem to lose them constantly. I refuse to wear them around my neck, opting instead to wear them on top of my head. The result is often me looking for a pair of glasses, while actually wearing glasses.

I tried out glasses from department stores, ones from the Dollar Store and glasses in bulk from Amazon. I currently have readers stashed all over the house, in every purse and in the car. They are a necessary part of my life now. And since I realized I’ve never getting rid of them, I need to just embrace them. And by embracing them, I finally got myself a really nice pair and you know what? There is a difference!

Check Out My New Peepers

I am at the point where I need to use glasses on the computer, so I was very intrigued when Peepers contacted me about trying a complimentary pair of their blue light blocking glasses. They have a big selection of readers that look more fashionable and less “old-lady.” I went for a new spring style called Meadow with tortoiseshell on front and a floral print on the sides. Wow, what a difference!

I don’t know if it is because they are blue light blocking, or maybe just a higher quality lens, but everything is crisper, clearer and more sharp than my cheap Dollar Store glasses! I liked them so much that I joined their affiliate program. So if you are in the market for a really nice pair of glasses, with the added bonus of blue light blocking without the annoying yellow tint, you need to click here and check out Peepers! (that is my affiliate link, so I really appreciate it!)

Since I liked my new glasses so much, I used them for a new Harleen Quinzel cosplay (aka Harley Quinn). But I also use them for every day seeing! I love the way they help alleviate eye strain with the blue light blocking aspect. Blue light, which is emitted from our ever-present electronic devices, is tough on eyes due to its high energy and short wavelengths. The eyestrain can lead to headaches (like my migraines) and blurred vision, and disrupt sleep patterns by keeping you up at night. Which is why these are great for before-bed reading.

Peepers Focus™ Lenses filter out 40% of harmful blue light, have a 7-layer anti-reflective coating and a UV400 protection. All that and no yellow tint! I personally recommend them if you need a good pair of glasses. They also offer sunglasses, kids styles and blue-blocking lenses with no vision correction.

I figure if I have to wear glasses again, I might as well wear ones I really enjoy! How about you? Do you wear glasses? Have you tried the blue light blocking styles yet? And what do you think of my new Peepers? 🙂