I wore glasses for most of my life. When I was in elementary school, other kids made fun of me for the ’fancy’ glasses I wore, or because I didn’t look cool. As a teenager, I was classified as a geek, before being a geek was hip. I got used to those remarks and easy stereotypes. It hurt, but I got used to it.
My glasses were the first thing I looked for as I woke up. I couldn’t see much without them. If I placed them in a unusual spot the night before, say on the coffee table in the living room, it could be a challenge to find them. Other times I forgot to put them away as I was going in the shower. Those who wear glasses all day know what I’m talking about. Glasses become part of us.
Every now and then people asked me why I didn’t wear contacts. The idea of ’putting my finger in my eyes’ kinda scared me. I also believed that nature made me so that my vision wasn’t perfect, and I had to deal with it the most basic way, with glasses.
In the summer of 2010, I decided I needed new glasses. I used the same pair for 10 years, which is way too long, so I was due for new ones. But then the idea of laser eye surgery popped. I had heard a few people saying the operation is very common and easy. I started reading a bit more about it and got an appointment at a clinic for an evaluation. I was a good candidate for the surgery.
I had the surgery on September 21, 2010. 10 minutes later, I didn’t need glasses anymore. I remember sitting on my couch a couple hours later, being able to read the time on the cable box on the other side of the room, and laughing of joy, excited. That was the moment I realized what happened. The next days were like a game of trying to read everything, and gauging how far I was able to read and see things clearly.
This surgery has changed my life in many ways. I gained more confidence in myself. The glasses were a burden that I got rid of, I felt I wasn’t considered as a geek anymore, I could be anyone. Kinda like Clark Kent becoming Superman.