February 23, 2008

I'm Robbo the Llama and I'm An Idjit

It was only last evening as I got ready for bed that I realized a substantial part of the reason I had blurry vision and such a headache yesterday was the fact that I had put my contacts in the wrong eyes that morning.

Boing!

I mentioned this to the family this morning and they immediately started advocating Lasic, a drum they've been beating ever since our next door neighbor announced she was getting the treatment. My philosophy on Lasic has always been this: that the original concept of sculpting the cornea was pioneered by the Soviets and I'll be damned if I trust my eyes -as awful as they already are - to Ivan. In ten years' time when all those Lasic'd people's peepers start swelling up like balloons and bursting, I'm just going to stand by and laugh.

UPDATE: Captain Ned brings up a very good point in the comments about vanity medicine, of which I consider Lasik to be a prime example. Others include cosmetic surgery and/or dentistry, hair replacement and that whole line of products and procedures devoted to, well, enabling older guys to act like randy teenagers again. Frankly, I increasingly find all such fripperies to be morally repellant. Further, I often wonder how so many people come up with the dosh for these sorts of things while, at the same time, howling to high heaven about the health care crisis this country seems to be facing perpetually. And don't tell me it's just Astors and Rockefellers getting boob-jobs, teeth-bleaching and Viagra, either, because it isn't.

Posted by Robert at February 23, 2008 09:41 AM | TrackBack
Comments

I also think we've reached the age that - ahem - it's kinda late to the game. It seems like even Lasik'd eyes begin to decline again over time. But what do I know; my friend just had it done and is over the moon about it.

Posted by: Monica at February 23, 2008 11:10 AM

That age? Why, I'm forty three years YOUNG!

Posted by: Robbo the LB at February 23, 2008 12:15 PM

I've got friends and coworkers who've gone the LASIK route and are happy. I still refuse to do it for one reason. If the surgeon screws up, there ain't no way to fix things. I could care less about vanity, so I'll stick with contacts and/or glasses.

BTW, 44 here, and just starting to do the "hold it farther away to read it" thing. I figure I'm in bifocals in a couple of years.

Posted by: Captain Ned at February 23, 2008 12:50 PM

I know a guy who has problems from his LASIK surgery, which is just one more reason I won't have it done.

I'll wear glasses and contacts for the rest of my life, I won't take the chance of someone screwing up my already crappy vision.

Posted by: GroovyVic at February 23, 2008 02:45 PM

One of my brothers was lasiked, and the very same day he had to go out and get readers because he'd instantly become farsighted.

I just don't see the point of getting it done if you're still going to have to wear glasses.

Posted by: Kathy at February 23, 2008 08:19 PM