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I’ve been technologically enhanced.
Apr. 19th, 2008 05:08 pmSometime in Jr. High, I was fitted for my first pair of prescription glasses. It wasn’t very strong and I could get through the day mostly without them. Mainly I needed them because I had a habit of sitting in the very back row in class and the chalkboard was a little fuzzy. But I was one of the resident whipping boys, and the last thing I needed was one more excuse to get picked on. So I didn’t wear them all the time. Also, I tend to resent using any kind of aid to do things at an average level. I feel too much pride at the fact that whatever I’m good at, I’m good at it through natural ability and developing skill without “cheating”. For instance, I prefer to be able to hit my mark when I’m shooting a rifle without using a telescopic sight or laser sights. I know, it’s silly, but I still do it.
As I got older, my prescription didn’t increase very much. My very first driving test was passed (just barely) without the “prescription lenses required” mark. But by the end of high school, I was not comfortable existing without them and I was unable to complete my next driver’s eye exam without the glasses. I’m so sensitive to my vision being “perfect” that I can tell the instant my prescription changes, even when the eye doctors’ instruments have trouble recording the very minimal changes and often don’t recommend new lenses for such small changes.
When I turned 18, I tried contact lenses, but those took a minimum of 30 minutes per eye to get them in. No one could really figure out why because I didn’t have any unusual complications with my eyes, I could touch my eyeball with no problems, and the lenses themselves seemed normal. But it was such a hassle that I only wore the contacts when I went to the nightclubs because my glasses interfered with my comfort in dancing. When my prescription changed the next time, I gave up on a separate pair of contacts and just bought a new pair of glasses, resigned to my fate.
I have never liked my glasses, I doubt anyone really does. Halfway through my first time in college, I changed my major from the more mundane sociology (marriage & family counseling) to the more dynamic film major. I was specializing in cinematography and my absolutely favorite thing to do was to run a handheld camera for a live band and for exciting action-based sequences. My glasses interfered with the eyepiece of the camera and every time my prescription changed even a little bit, I had trouble telling if my camera was in focus.
Then I heard about Lasik. The first horror stories that usually come about when a new medical technology is made available didn’t deter me. I simply decided to wait several years until it became as routine as an appendectomy and all the kinks were worked out. But I’ve been dreaming of having the procedure ever since I first heard of it oh so many years ago.
This year was a rather serendipitous year. As I prepared my 2007 taxes, I realized that I made more money last year than I have since I quit doing computer work and got into the entertainment industry full time. This should have been a cause for concern because making more money means paying more taxes. And, since I had more money coming in, I ended up spending more money last year too, so I still didn’t have any cash. But my tax write-offs also increased proportionately, giving me the biggest tax refund I’ve ever received since I started paying income taxes at age 12 (not counting that bullshit “economic aid” tax refund)!
At the same time, I heard a radio ad claiming to offer Lasik procedures for as little as $300 per eye! Now, I know they only offer those kinds of deals for the easiest procedure that very few people qualify for, but I figured if Lasik had gone down in price from the $3,000 per eye I had last heard to $300 per eye, surely whatever procedure I ended up with would be close in price to my rather hefty tax refund!
So I decided that Lasik is what I was going to spend it on.
As I got older, my prescription didn’t increase very much. My very first driving test was passed (just barely) without the “prescription lenses required” mark. But by the end of high school, I was not comfortable existing without them and I was unable to complete my next driver’s eye exam without the glasses. I’m so sensitive to my vision being “perfect” that I can tell the instant my prescription changes, even when the eye doctors’ instruments have trouble recording the very minimal changes and often don’t recommend new lenses for such small changes.
When I turned 18, I tried contact lenses, but those took a minimum of 30 minutes per eye to get them in. No one could really figure out why because I didn’t have any unusual complications with my eyes, I could touch my eyeball with no problems, and the lenses themselves seemed normal. But it was such a hassle that I only wore the contacts when I went to the nightclubs because my glasses interfered with my comfort in dancing. When my prescription changed the next time, I gave up on a separate pair of contacts and just bought a new pair of glasses, resigned to my fate.
I have never liked my glasses, I doubt anyone really does. Halfway through my first time in college, I changed my major from the more mundane sociology (marriage & family counseling) to the more dynamic film major. I was specializing in cinematography and my absolutely favorite thing to do was to run a handheld camera for a live band and for exciting action-based sequences. My glasses interfered with the eyepiece of the camera and every time my prescription changed even a little bit, I had trouble telling if my camera was in focus.
Then I heard about Lasik. The first horror stories that usually come about when a new medical technology is made available didn’t deter me. I simply decided to wait several years until it became as routine as an appendectomy and all the kinks were worked out. But I’ve been dreaming of having the procedure ever since I first heard of it oh so many years ago.
This year was a rather serendipitous year. As I prepared my 2007 taxes, I realized that I made more money last year than I have since I quit doing computer work and got into the entertainment industry full time. This should have been a cause for concern because making more money means paying more taxes. And, since I had more money coming in, I ended up spending more money last year too, so I still didn’t have any cash. But my tax write-offs also increased proportionately, giving me the biggest tax refund I’ve ever received since I started paying income taxes at age 12 (not counting that bullshit “economic aid” tax refund)!
At the same time, I heard a radio ad claiming to offer Lasik procedures for as little as $300 per eye! Now, I know they only offer those kinds of deals for the easiest procedure that very few people qualify for, but I figured if Lasik had gone down in price from the $3,000 per eye I had last heard to $300 per eye, surely whatever procedure I ended up with would be close in price to my rather hefty tax refund!
So I decided that Lasik is what I was going to spend it on.
