Cat Eyes

When I was a little girl, my mom used to tell me that I had "cat eyes" because I could see well in the dark. She also told me that if I ate my carrots I'd have healthy eyes and be able to see even better. Over the years, I continued to eat my carrots, and developed a secret sense of pride in my perfect "cat-like" vision.

Throughout grade school, junior high and high school, I was thrilled that I never had to go to the eye doctor, or wear glasses or contacts. I silently boasted about my 20/20 vision that never seemed to fail me. I sailed through my freshman year of college, still seeing as clearly as ever...or so I thought.

For spring break my sophomore year of college, I took a road trip with a couple of my roommates to southern California. On one very dark night, I found myself driving down a busy highway in the heart of San Diego being hammered by a heavy downpour of rain, and it suddenly occurred to me that I could not read the road signs!!! Terror struck as the thought entered my mind for the first time in my life, that maybe....perhaps....there might be a slight chance.... that my cat eyes had finally begun to fail me. As we returned to campus to finish off the semester, I decided that it was time to visit the eye doctor. During the course of my visit, I learned the ugly truth....I was nearsighted, and was in need of corrective lenses.

Nearsighted or not, there was one thing I knew with absolute certainty: I COULD NOT get glasses. I WOULD NOT get glasses. I LOOK HORRIBLE in glasses! I've tried on a thousand different frames and they all accentuate the roundness & crookedness of my nose, and make my eyes look smaller than they really are. I really was not about to consider wearing glasses. So, there was really only one solution to the problem...I got contacts. I wore the contacts to class for the rest of the semester, but would take them out as soon as I got home because I hated the way they made my eyes feel. They also seemed to fall out easily, which was really annoying. I remember one time I wore my contacts to a movie and halfway through the show, I rubbed my eye and my contact popped out. I couldn't get it back in, so I just held it inside my mouth throughout the rest of the show. Ridiculous, I know. Anyway, I wore the disposable lenses for as long as they lasted, and then never went back to the eye doctor. My vision really wasn't that terrible, and as long as I wasn't driving at night in a rain storm, I did pretty well without them.

It's been about ten years since the last time I wore contacts. I've managed to do just fine without any correctional lenses, and I've still been able to pass the driver's license eye exam...barely...if I squint. All of that changed yesterday, however, when I went to Capitol Eye Care and had Lasik eye surgery performed by Dr. James G. Luetkemeyer. The procedure was quick and painless. Everything went smoothly, and I now have my "cat eyes" back. It's amazing how crisp and bright everything looks to me now! I can see the leaves and berries on the top branches of the trees! The sky and clouds are brighter and more beautiful than ever! It really is a miracle of modern technology that a laser can reshape the eye so that it can measure up to its full potential. I'm thrilled to be able to see clearly once more!!! And I didn't even have to eat any carrots.