I can see clearly now...

As I mentioned in a previous entry here, I had pretty big news that I would elaborate on later. Well, now is later. I didn't want to jinx myself by talking about it too much beforehand, so only a few people knew it would be happening... but I finally broke down and got lasik surgery! Yes, that's right, I can now see 20/20 without any vision enhancing apparatus. No contact lenses, no glasses... I can practically see through walls, that's how well this has worked!

So why would I go and do this after 18 years of wearing contacts well, you might ask? I suddenly became allergic to my contact lenses in June. They say when you live in DC long enough, it's bound to happen sooner or later. Wearing glasses was ok, but I found it difficult to be a photographer with them on. My career ultimately spurred my decision to go to the same doctor that performed the surgery on my father and younger brother, so I traveled to Niagara Falls to seek him out.

My family has a lot of great traits, but one bad one is our horrible eyesight. The reason my brother went to Canada a few years back is because they offered a type of lasik, Zyoptic, that was not offered here in the states. It is better for those of us hovering around -5 and worse. It also cuts way down on the risk of night halos, regression of correction, and is more accurate for the heavier prescriptions. So that's why the travel...

The day before the surgery, Andy and I wandered around the Falls, and I "found" this written on one of the nearby pillars:


No, I did not put it there. I FOUND it that way. I know some of you still don't believe me... you know who you are.

In case you are wondering, Niagara Falls is big. How big? THIS BIG:


So now it's DAY 4, and my eyes will be a bit swollen for a few more days. I have to wear these special shades outdoors, both to protect my eyes from UV rays, and also to hide my bloodshot eyes. Next week I should look pretty normal, I think. So if you see me around, I will look like this:


This photo was taken by Andy at my family reunion, which happened on Sunday (this was less than 48 hours after the surgery, btw). I will post some photos from that in a separate entry once I get through editing and am able to pull a few photos to share.

I might also post photos of some of my Canadian socks. Most people go on vacations and come back with souvenirs resembling something remotely normal, but not me. All I came back with were really cool, knee high, multicolored socks. You should have seen the customs officer at the Peace Bridge - he asked what we were bringing into the States, and Andy just paused and said, "socks". The guy got this puzzled look and then waved us on our way. I managed not to laugh until the window was rolled back up and we were a safe distance away.

Ah, yes, when I say "my adventures or lack thereof," you really don't know what you're going to get, do you? : )