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.

After my PRK eye surgery on Tuesday, my mother drove me home. I didn't feel much of anything at this point. The valium that I had taken, mixed with the high levels of adrenaline my body had used, made me very relaxed and exhausted. So the painkiller and the sleeping pill that I was prescribed to take felt a little unnecessary. And after taping the eye shields onto my face (a rather unattractive look), they definitely did make me fall asleep quickly and deeply. The rest of the day after my eye surgery then was uneventful, painless and spent sleeping.

It's been seven years since I had Lasik surgery and I'm very happy with the results, but it wasn't the cake walk I expected- More on that later.

I'd been wearing really thick, coke-bottle glasses since my early teens and progressed to contact lenses only to suffer from allergies related to the cleaning solutions. So I spent a few years considering Lasik and, unfortunately, allowed many people to talk me out of it.

The decision to have lasik surgery can be one of the most important in a person's life. There is a drastic change in lifestyle afterward, not to mention the risks and the expense. It falls below marriage and buying a house, but is in the same league as buying a car. Changing 20/40 vision to 20/20 might not warrant such a huge move. Making sure to choose a reputable surgeon is a must. This is not an area for bargain-hunting.