LASIK Quest (Sydney, Australia)

I was chatting to my wife today about the potential dangers of eye surgery, and what it might meant to me if something went wrong.

I think I could lead a pretty good life if I lost my legs (I'd spend all day on the Internet!). Things would be a little tough if I lost my arms (but I could still vegetate in front of the television). However, if I lost my eyesight I would be totally lost.

I'm not trying to put down those in society who cannot see (in fact, I have a computer friend from 20 years ago who is blind, and that didn't stop him from being a good online friend). It's just that I realise that so much of my life is based on sight...

• My personal 'bandwidth' to the Internet would be dramatically reduced
• I wouldn't be able to walk around where ever I liked
• I'd need assistance from other people for basic tasks
• I'd feel very disconnected from the outside world

So, I'm understandably a little cautious about this eye surgery stuff. Okay, I've got two eyes and it's unlikely both would be affected. Lots of people have had LASIK and they're okay (it's not less than 1% of people who have problems, and not all of them are permanent). However, it's still a consideration.

Just thinking about having my eye sliced open and lasered is enough to make me queasy. My wife has asked if it's okay that she doesn't have to watch the LASIK DVD because she's just as queasy. I just hope the doctors aren't too! :)

-- Fabbo

Tags: LASIK Laser Eye Surgery