epi-lasek, ~1.5 years later
May 11, 2008 at 6:27 am (Epi-LASIK, dry eyes)
figured it was time for another update, in case anyone out there is still doing research on the recovery time for this surgery.
I went to a new eye doctor last month, and she told me that I didn’t have any symptoms of dry eyes, and to just keep using a warm compress. [I can get a pair of glasses with a very mild prescription, for driving, but I've been lazy about it because I'm afraid that my eyes might change again, and they'd give me a headache.] So, since my eyesight is close to 20/20, according to the doctors I am a successful story of a lasek patient, with no real grounds for complaint.
if that’s the case, then why can’t I open my eyes easily in the morning, and why do they still feel like they’ve been sprinkled with sand every so often? And did I mention that I have pretty much given up on eye makeup? I used to wear at least mascara on most days, but now I always end up looking like a racoon, since i rub my eyes too much. And eyeliner is literally painful to put on. I also bought a talking alarm clock, saving myself from the painful process of trying to see what time it was.
the one thing I will admit is how much a difference it makes if I am hydrated. The more water I drink, the easier it is to lift my eyelids in the morning. However, this kinda sucks when I want to have a few beers, or a glass of wine…maybe it’s nature’s way of keeping my alcoholic tendencies in check… whaterver, I’m still going to see if acupuncture can help me. I would like to hopefully think that this surgery was worth it someday.
the other good news is that the dry-eye side effect of LASIK is finally getting some national press. I hope that other marginal candidates won’t be as anxious as I was to get my corneas reshaped, now that this backlash is being made public.
why bother traveling?
May 5, 2008 at 7:32 am (random, travel)
living in San Francisco is kind of like living in twenty countries at once, execpt the signs are (mostly) in English. I hear at least five different languages on the street or the bus every day, and am consistenly confused when I see people reading backwards in chinese. It’s become even more of a tourist hotspot since the dollar started dropping… hey everyone, the US is on sale! But I love that I get to come home to my own comfy bed every night. No saggy hostel mattresses for me.
I’m only half serious, of course, since there’s still so much of the world I want to see, but I think about this topic at frequent intervals. I am fortunate to have a life filled with friends who love to travel, several of whom are planning for extended trips or living in countries around the world. So I often ask myself, how come I don’t have this same desire to live in a foreign country? Although, after last year’s adventures, I would strongly consider living in Buenos Aires, Mendoza, or Santiago de Chile, I think that my parents just got this impulse out of the way for me early on… I’m well-traveled, whether I remember it or not!
The other reason I keep pondering the multiculturalism of San Francisco is even more self-centered: It used to be the case, quite often, that I would have the most unique name out of any given group of people. Not so much anymore. I know that’s a good thing, but it’s an interesting way that I appreciate what a unique city this is, and the diverse collection of people that I have met here so far.
Now if only I had magic powers to make it 10 degrees warmer, and clear the fog away…
