Since I first heard about it in my early twenties I've considered having corrective surgery on my eyes. My vision is not terrible. I'm near sighted by I can still see without my glasses, but how nice it would be to lay in bed and see the guide on my TV without wearing my contacts or glasses! And how great would it be to not have to continually buy and clean my contacts...or accidentally fall asleep wearing them and wake up with dry scratchy eyes or even worse eye ulcers! So with all the changes in my life I've decided this is the year.

The next couple days after the immediate recovery from PRK eye surgery were amazing and fantastic! Having only seen with the aid of glasses since the age of eight, to wake up in the morning and know where I was, what time of day it was and if my fiancé was at home or in the gym was completely and unexpectedly incredible.

If you're anything like me, you're sick and tired of trying to put your contacts in every morning or worse yet, trying to find your glasses as you're running late for an important meeting. I decided to do something about my poor eyesight and look into LASIK eye surgery. According to the latest LASIK surgery marketing, there are constant improvements to the field.

I was in the fourth grade when I was told I needed glasses from the visiting eye doctor who came to our school on his annual visit. Once I had the examination done and glasses fitted, I was amazed at how well I could see the blackboard. Walking home, which everyone did back then, was a wonderful surprise to realize I could see the stop sign crystal clear two blocks away. But as time passed and I got older, my eyes grew worse with each year and I depended solely on my eyeglasses to see, even my hand out in front of me was blurry. Reading a paperback became a tough decision.

LASIK is a way to improve your eyesight, but it was also a serious surgery. Though extremely rare, you should be aware of the possibility of these side effects before choosing to have LASIK eye surgery. So many variables can be responsible for the side effects:

-The laser and the way it is calibrated.

-The conditions of the room (i.e. temperature and humidity).

-During surgery, having the cornea moistened will cause effects

-Your genetics and the way your eye responded to the healing.

In 1998 I had the chance to "throw away my glasses" and undergo LASIK. At the time, LASIK was not an FDA-approved procedure, but was being performed "off-label" on lasers that had been approved for another refractive procedure called PRK. LASIK is performed by cutting a flap into the cornea, flipping it back, burning tissue from the middle layer of the cornea (called the stroma), returning the flap to its original position, smoothing it into place and wait for healing to take place.

I've had glasses ever since I was eight years old, and at that time, the doctor said we had waited too long before getting them. So when my mom suggested that she pay for LASIK surgery for my graduation present, I was ecstatic! To be able to see my toes without the aid of glasses seemed too good to be true. We then made an appointment with the most respected eye surgeon in town, because I'm not trusting my vision with just anyone. He had performed her LASIK eye surgery ten years ago and she is now at 20/20 in one eye and 20/15 in the other.

When we need assistance with our sight the usual aids we use are glasses in the form of frame or contact lenses.

There are a number of reasons why they are inconvenient. They become outdated; they are easily lost; they are easily broken and at times they aren't attractive.

The medical profession's answer to this dilemma has been LASIK "Laser Eye Surgery."

What is Laser Eye Surgery?

The cost of LASIK holds many back from improving their lives. It's a shame that many believe that such an operation is out of their reach. They give up hope and continue living with their contacts or glasses. But the truth is, the price has actually decreased quite a bit over the years, ranging from around $1000 to $3000. Below is an outline of the procedure and cost related facts.

Most people know of at least one family member or acquaintance who has undergone Lasik surgery. They're the eager people telling everyone they come in contact with that the procedure is fantastic and everyone should do it.

The procedure is cutting edge and can make it possible to use glasses or contacts less often. It also carries serious risks, including blindness. Some people are not candidates for the procedure.