My life as a “nerd” began in when I was eight years old. My grades were slipping in a very noticeable way and the teacher suggested my parents have my eyes checked. It turns out she was right, my eyes were so bad it was a miracle that I could see the chalkboard.
I was always a shy and bookish kid who actually enjoyed learning so thick glasses were the last straw. The coke-bottle specs were the final piece to the nerd persona that I was labeled with until my sophomore year of high school when I ditched the glasses for contact lenses and gained forty pounds of muscle.
I went on for another thirty-two years of wearing soft contact lenses, taking them out every night and putting them in each morning. As you can see from my contact lens prescription below, I was almost completely blind without corrective lenses.
Today, all that changed. My good friend Juan (@luckyfellow), drove me to my 9AM appointment at the Whiting Clinic today for a procedure called, “LASIK Femtosecond.” I’m not sure but I think femtosecond might be Latin for awesome.
After a short play-by-play of how it would all go down by the clinic staff, I climbed onto the table and was prepped for the LASIK laser to do its job. My eyes were numbed with drops beforehand but I declined the Valium they offered me for the pain, opting for CBD oil instead. The laser then cut a hinged flap in my cornea.
Dr. Whiting then pulled back the flap to expose the underlying corneal tissue. After that the laser reshaped my cornea to correct the defects. The flap was then gently repositioned without sutures. Amazingly, each eye took approximately twenty seconds from start to finish.
I was sent home with three different kinds of eye drops and told to take about a four hour nap. There was discomfort for the first five hours after the procedure. It felt like I had soap in my eyes, a small price to pay for a lifetime of perfect vision.
After a four hour snooze I awoke to better than 20/20 vision....20/15 to be exact! The picture below was taken shortly after I woke up, hence the squinting.
Thanks to the wonders of technology and Dr. Whiting's skilled hands, today marked the end of an era...no more glasses or contacts. I'm very grateful for this chance to see the world with this new set of eyes.
NOTE TO SELF: Do NOT try to take your contacts out tonight. Old habits die hard. 😂: )
As always, I thank you for reading.
Yours in the Chain,
Eric
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wow! wow! wow! i cant help but get so amazed at the kind of man you are.
Probably let me share mine, i also had issues with the eye while growing up. And then somehow somehow, i really didnt get to talk about it to anyone because those kids using glasses in my school (nerds), they faced some level of bullying. so i just didnt want to go through that phase and then i had o keep it all to myself. it deteriorated but i just had to speak up much later (when i decided to put the world behind me). Went for different sessions with the doctor, and later went for surgery to (not sure its a laser surgery). Felt much better and out of love, i'm kinda using a contact lens fit into the iris. Always had phobia for coke bottled glasses though. lol.
But then, you have shown so much strength and strong will i must say.
I'm a new follower on your blog and i wished there would be something from @ericvancewalton everyday.
wish you beautiful and a quick recovery too.
And hey! make sure you dont scratch those eyes else i'll get a whip for you
I'm really grateful for contact lenses. My glasses were THICK, especially in the 1970's and 80's.
wow. are you sure thats not gonna be discomforting? rather that shades, theres this fabric eye cover i usually put on at night, (for light sake though) and i'm sure that could be more comforting.
I had Astigmatism too while growing up, i was really unfaithful witth the wearing of glasses and application of eye drops as prescribed but then, My dad really helped and today, its all gone.
If you were faithful to this routine for 32 years, i'm sure this recovery process wouldn't be much of a big deal.
Wish you super eyes and recovery my friend
Your friend in the Blockchain
Eldahcee
I WISH I could wear a mask instead of these sunglasses but the doctor said I can't have any pressure on my eyes at all for five days. @luckyfellow was a lifesaver yesterday, if he couldn't have given me a ride I would have had to reschedule my appointment. I appreciate your comment!
wow. You had a surgery today and few hours later, you already sharing the story?
Tthhis shows so much strength i must say.
From your previous motivational post, to this inspiring one too, i would have really wished you write more often.
Been committed to a process for 32 years. I'm sure as a kid, you would have faced some level of criticism or mockery from fellow kids (quite common in my country though). But your strength is exceptional i must say.
I wish you speedy and complete recovery.
and @luckyfellow, thanks for helping our friend.
It means a whole lot
Yes, my appointment was at 9am and I was fine by 2:00pm! Thanks for your comment!
I can't believe that you got LASIK surgery today and are already writing about it. That gives me hope. My vision is significantly worse than yours so I can't get LASIK but I might be able to get something called PRK. I actually just bought a new pair of glasses today. I hate wearing glasses because they make me look, well, not my best.
It's really cool that you were able to get the surgery and already seem to be in great shape. I have a similar story to yours. When I was 5 years old I was given a pair of glasses for the first time and that's when I realized the world was full of individual objects.
Previously I had no idea. It was definitively eye opening.
It's truly amazing how quickly the eye heals. After that 4 hour nap my vision was a bit cloudy but corrected to 20/15. A friend of mine is doing PRK. I had to wear my glasses for a week prior to getting LASIK and I forgot how much peripheral vision you lose wearing glasses. OMG, @jeezzle, your eyes must've been really bad before they discovered you needed glasses. Your world probably looked like a surrealist painting before the corrective lenses.
Good story dear Eric , am also faces eye sight problems and also done my laser treatment two year ago .
Thanks! Awesome. How's it working for you after two years?
Some times I feel dry eyes , other wise it's all right .
A very good post @ericvancewalton, your words can be a great motivation for all of us in living this life. In this life, every man has all the advantages and disadvantages of each. If you have flaws in your eyes, but you have smart thinking, because you are a bookworm. So you can succeed in steemit. I am very happy to hear that your eyes have become normal again after surgery. I am sure you will be more successful for the future.
Since I've seen people with problems with eyes, because my mom has a problem with her eyes, she can not see, because of the cataracts in her eyes. After I checked, the doctor told me to be in surgery and needed a lot of money. But we have no money, so my mother can not I surgery. But now I am saving for my mother's surgery. Thanks for sharing, and hope you have a great day... :)
Thank you @reynakarina! I'm sorry to hear about your mother, I hope she can get the surgery she needs soon!
thanks again @ericvancewalton, my family and I are trying to earn money, so my mom can see again well, let her life not suffer anymore. Thanks also for the prayers from you...
Glad l could help my friend.
wow. the helper is also in the blockchain?
Such a sweet soul. Thanks @luckyfellow. (on behalf of his followers. hahaha)
Woooooow!. That must be such a relief, with every sense of excitement. Congratulations, and i am happy for you. Hahahaha, "The coke-bottle specs" part got me laughing, really.
I am glad you have this sorted out, after several years of using it. I know the pains were worth it, due to the blessing of the vision you got back. God bless that friend of yours who took you there. This is really good. Well done and congratulations again.
NB: I am typing this response with the laptop. Just to say thank you again.
I would love to partake in the memory project, so you can expect my entry soon.
Thank you for all you do and congratulations on having your vision fully restored. This is really nice. What a relief. No...No...No..don't touch those eyes.
OMG -6.25 for each eye, man this is huge, you must be having spectacles much thicker, like the bottom of the glass bottle.
I'm having -1 for each eye, I'm also fed up with these spectacles...
anyways congratulations on perfect eye surgery, this worked for you man...
Thanks @muhasib! Yeah, even with modern advances in optometry the lenses in my glasses were really thick.
@ericvancewalton this is so exciting
I am happy for you. I know you must read a lot.
What a great era we live in when these procedures are available.
Thanks @rebeccabe! I do read quite a bit, mostly on screen now. I agree, some of the modern tech is a true miracle. I hope you and yours have a great weekend!
Me too as far as screen reading. I love books; had quite a collection at one time.
How are your eyes? I am so happy for you. You said you used some oil. Did they put that directly in your eyes? Not sure how it is used; I know I could have researched. :)
I still like books better too. My eyes are getting better every day, yesterday they were a bit cloudy but they cleared up around the end of the day. The CBD oil was for the pain and inflammation, you just take it under the tongue. The clinic gave me steroid drops and antibiotic drops that I have to use 4 times per day for the first five days right in the eyes. Four days out it's still strange to go to bed without taking the contacts out and to wake up and be able to see. Hope you're having a great weekend @rebeccabe!
I am so happy for you and see you in great health with great eyesight. Sending you energy now, not that you need it :)@ericvancewalton
Thank you @rebeccabe! I'll take all of the positive energy I can get, echoing it back in return. Namaste.
It is really amazing how it has changed the lives of people, technology, receive an incision in the cornea and a few hours to be enjoying the view is incredible, congratulations for the success of your operation dear friend. @ Ericvancewalton
I wish you a wonderful day
Thank you @jlufer! I hope you have a fabulous weekend.
That's amazing @ericvancewalton, I did not realise it was so fast! I still wear glasses, could never stand the idea of popping things in and out of my eyes!
Friends who've had this procedure, all rave about it, I really should go for it, still don't need reading glasses.
Enjoy the new eyes :)
Thank you, @lizelle! It was amazingly fast. My eye doctor said I still don't have any signs of needing reading glasses at (almost) 47 but he said a majority of people need them by age 50. You must be one of the lucky few!
Must be my Mom's genes, she's 87 in Sept & still only needs glasses for distance, we are lucky! You may be the same as most of my friends needed readers once they reached 40, so let's hope you've escaped that :)
You got a winning ticket in the genetic lottery! That's awesome @lizelle! I'm almost 50 and still don't need them so maybe there's hope that I won't.
congratulations on your new eyes! I imagine the world is much wider with access to your full peripheral vision.
Thank you, Ruth! It’s mind-blowing.
Then: "ditched the glasses for contact lenses and gained forty pounds of muscle"
Now: "ditched the contacts for lazers that shoot out of your 20/15 eyes!
Congrats on the new sight brother!
Haha, thanks my friend! Just call me Godzilla. At least now I can see my targets. 😉
@ericvancewalton, Firstly I have lot of curious what to did your eyes. But finally glad to hear you got normal after LASIK operation. Actually you have better friend like @luckyfellow. If not you was probably blind. But fortunately you met Dr. Whiting. He has amazing skills for treatment using glorious technology. Thanks god....
This is so inspiring, congratulations.
Your story is almost inline with mine, except that I never use glasses to correct mine. Let me sharpen my writing skills as I put something down about it....
I believe your teacher was quiet inquisitive. Most kids here fail out of school and nobody bothers to check the cause. They simply blame it on playfulness
I am glad you eventually got full control of your sight. It is not easy dealing with sight issues.
PS: post resteemed.
Wow! Eric! That must be absolutely amazing for you, after a lifetime of not being able to see well unaided - I'm wondering whether things look different without glasses/contacts?
It's like a miracle. Contacts are pretty close to 20/20 natural vision but they have their drawbacks (dry eyes, eye irritation, cost, etc.). The LASIK corrected me to 20/15 so I can see better than I did with my contacts.
Very surprising to read, your eyes so much week that age , now days it's common but I don't think that time it is possible .
Great story sir ...I wish you good luck.
You really great person ..I am your big fan
Awsome family photo..
eye is major part of my body.......everyone should over care there eyes.......
I wish you good luck.
I had something of a similar experience :)
Good work.
I appreciate your blog.
Great History and good post, congratlations, greetings from Venezuela!!!
Your life is a miracle!
love to read it....
It is really amazing how it has changed the lives of people, technology, receive an incision in the cornea and a few hours to be enjoying the view is incredible, congratulations for the success of your operation dear friend. @ Ericvancewalton
I wish you a wonderful day
Your story is inspiring and makes one believe there is hope for every situation.
Thanks for sharing @ericvancewalton
Congratulations! I'm glad that everything went very well!