Boo

Something you should know about me: I used to be really, really blind. So nearsighted that I couldn't see my hand if it were two inches in front of my face. I never knew what it was like to wake up and be able to see in the middle of the night...or the morning...or ever, really. I started wearing glasses when I was five, and switched to contacts in eighth grade.

And then, a miracle! In April of 2005, I had lasik surgery. It has been truly amazing - I mean, I can see! After the surgery, I was 20/20 in one eye and 20/15 in the other. For a long time after my surgery, I would be amazed every time I would wake up in the morning...and be able to see. Now that the years have passed, I have started taking my eyesight for granted.

Bad, bad Mrs. Smith. Over the last few months, I've had a lot of difficulty seeing at night while I'm driving - issues with auras around streetlights/headlights, depth perception issues, etc. When someone brakes in front of me...I can't exactly tell where they are. Not good! I'm also getting a lot of tension headaches behind my eyes during the day as I stare at the computer. Also, not good.

This afternoon after work, I went to the eye doctor. What she told me made me cry a little bit (don't worry...it was in my car, afterwards, not in front of her!). I need glasses again. Not all the time, but for driving at night, and probably some reading during the day. I am slightly nearsighted (again) and show signs of having astigmatism in both eyes (again).

Needless to say...I am crushed. When I had my surgery, my opthamologist told me that I shouldn't need reading glasses until I'm in my 40s. I just turned 27.

Blindness is something that has always scared me - especially having eyesight as bad as mine. I can't help but wonder if, in a few years, I'll be back at square one again, blind as a bat?

Until then...I'm off to figure out how much of my glasses my vision insurance will cover.