LASEK Evaluation for Jenni

I went to the UofM Eye Center for a LASEK screening a few weeks ago.  Since Jake's surgery he's been teasing me about how awful wearing glasses can be and how he can't imagine life without LASEK.  I'm convinced.

I didn't always have bad eyes, in fact I had 20/15 vision as a kid.  I remember in 8th grade I was sitting in math class (a favorite).  The teacher was using a black dry erase marker to write stuff on the board.  I raised my hand and asked if she could get a new marker cause the ink was running out and making it hard to read.  She said it was a brand new marker and looked at me like I was crazy.  I was pretty embarrassed cause, well, that was my favorite class.  This cute boy (who I had a crush on since like 2nd grade) was sitting next to me.  He leaned over, took his glasses off, and said "hey - try these" I didn't think I needed glasses, but they were Jared Buttars' glasses, so of course I was going to try them on.  I put them on and I was SHOCKED at how I could read the white board.  SHOCKED!  I went home and tried to convince my mom to take me to the eye doctor.  This was right before Christmas break and I remember getting a pack of playing cards with extra large writing for old people as a joke cause my mom didn't think I needed glasses.  But despite her convictions she took me and guess what - I needed glasses.  I know, surprise ending!  We picked them up on our way out of town, we were going to Vegas for the weekend.  I don't know if you wear glasses and remember when you first got them or when you get a new prescription.  The word becomes so detailed.  It's like watching a blu-ray after years of VHS.  The trees on the mountains.  Faces on people in a crowd.  The stars at night.  It was magical.

Well, the magic's worn off.  I'm ready for a permanent solution that isn't susceptible to tiny fingerprints.

Jake drove me to my appointment cause they said it can be hard to drive home with your eyes dilated.  What we didn't realize is that the screening takes 3 hours!  (they're very thorough).  So Jake finally left with the girls while the nurse took me from one crazy expensive eye scanning machine to another crazy expensive eye scanning machine.  She said she recognized us from last winter.  Hopefully that's a good thing...

My vision isn't really that bad.  It's just not great.  But my eyes look really healthy so the surgeon is hoping to get it back to 20/15.  I also found out that I'm left eye dominant and that most engineers are.  My pupils are 7mm wide.  When your eyes are dilated they are super light sensitive and they can't focus on things up close.  I got a glimpse of what life will be like in my 40s.  That night I went to Chilis with a bunch of ladies in my ward and I had to wear sunglasses inside cause the light was giving me a headache.  Such a diva.

Jake took the girls to a nearby park to play.  The twirls loved swinging!  Scarlett hitched a ride back to the car!

This is a totally random story... but that same winter in 8th grade my math teacher was going out of town.  She said we were in a time crunch and didn't want to lose a day of learning the material.  Since the sub probably wouldn't know what she wanted to teach, she asked me to teach the class!!!  I was so excited (nerd!)  I remember my mom let me wear her light blue cashmere sweater that day.  But I woke up that morning with terrible asthma.  I used my inhaler way too many times.  My mom wanted me to go see Dr. Yeates but I wasn't going to pass up this opportunity.  I didn't want to use my nebulizer cause the albuterol makes my hands shake like crazy and I was using an overhead projector in my lesson.  So she let me go to math (how many kids beg to go to math?) and then after she made me do my neb on the way to Dr. Yeates.  That night I was admitted into the hospital for bronchitis and pneumonia.  I was there for like a week.  But at least I got to go to math!