Gina Horkey: Why I Decided to Pursue LASIK

Posted by NSES in LASIK Journeys

Holy Hannah, I can see! Without glasses. Without contacts. And it feels amazing! In fact, if I could have fully envisioned how my life would be improved after having LASIK, I would have done it YEARS ago. Why I Wanted LASIK Do you want to know what the most inconvenient part of wearing contacts and glasses was for me? My biggest pain point was actually settling in to watch TV before going to bed each night. Weird, right? I can’t imagine we’re much different than any other couple with young children. We do the whole dinner, clean up and playtime thing and then put the kids to bed. Most of the time we’re pretty exhausted by this point (and it’s totally winter here right now, so it gets dark really early), so we’ll get ready for bed ourselves, watch a show or two and head off to dreamland. And after having kids, I’m most comfortable laying on my side. (I know you other mamas can relate!) Lying on my left side is especially advantageous as our small flat screen is mounted in the corner of the wall, kiddie corner from my side of the bed. Now, pre-LASIK I couldn’t see that 20ish inch screen from my spot on the bed without the aid of contacts or glasses (or barely with them to tell you the truth). And when I’m tucked in for the night, glasses it is. But lying on my side wearing glasses is EXTREMELY uncomfortable. Trust me, In the spectrum of the world’s problems, I understand this isn’t a very big deal. But it bothered me EVERY NIGHT for years. The frames would dig into the side of my head and it sucked. During much of 2015, I often thought to myself, “If I went and had LASIK done, I could see the TV without glasses. I would be so much more comfortable right now if I just bit the bullet, figured out where to get LASIK and budgeted for the cost. So, eventually I did just that. What Prevented Me from Getting LASIK Sooner 1. The cost. My procedure all-in actually costed less than $3,000. I had heard of places advertising LASIK for $250 an eye, but I’m not the type of deal seeker to always go after the cheapest priced product – especially if it means potentially getting the cheapest quality of service. I think I called someplace way back when and was quoted ~$4-5k. I’m not saying that’s expensive, it just wasn’t in my budget at the time, therefore not a priority. I can now say that it was probably the best $3,000 I’ve ever spent! 2. Not knowing where was the best place to get it done. Afterall, we’re talking about eyeballs here people. My sight is pretty important, so it’s not something I wanted to risk losing. Especially if the whole goal was to fix it permanently. I’m not saying that LASIK is risky, I’m just saying that it feels risky. So you kind of want to find the right fit when it comes to choosing a LASIK surgeon. And after my first appointment at North Suburban, I left feeling excited and confident that Dr. Lobanoff could get the job done! (Side note: I didn’t know he was an award-winning LASIK surgeon...

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