i got lasik surgery mainly to travel - was it worth it?

For years I watched as more and more of my friends got LASIK surgery but I kept delaying, afraid of having a blade or lasers near my eyes.  My fear slowly dissipated especially since most of my friends did not experience any major side effects from their surgeries after more than a decade, but a touch of fear still lingered...

It was not until another frustrating trip overseas where non-english speaking airport workers once again attempted to confiscate my saline solution from my carry-on luggage that I decided that I needed to get LASIK.  No more worrying about having enough daily contacts with me, in case some of them rip. No more lugging around a large, heavy saline solution bottle.  No more trying to explain that the large saline solution bottle is an exception to the 3 ounce carry-on rule.  No more!!


I got several recommendations from friends and co-workers and settled with Dr. Cornell in Beverly Hills.  I paid over $5000 (which included pre-op visits, the surgery, and multiple post-op check-ups) but I was happy to pay full price since these are my eyes.  I often see commercials about 2 for 1 deals, etc., and that simply makes me nervous.  Don't get me wrong - I love a good bargain.  I just don't think that I should try to get a bargain basement deal for eye surgery.

Dr. Cornell and his team were incredibly thorough and the surgery went relatively smoothly.  There was a slight complication in getting the suction tube on my left eye so after repeated attempts, I ended up looking like a vampire for a few days.  But all in all, it was still amazing to experience improved vision immediately.

Was it worth it to me?

YES!!!!

Not only did I achieve my key motivation which is being able to travel without the hassle of bringing contacts and saline solution, my general life and visual comfort has also dramatically improved.  I never realized how dry and uncomfortable my eyes really were on plane rides while wearing contacts, which then contributed to my overall discomfort on long plane rides.

It's been over 6 months since my surgery.   This will be my first international trip since the surgery.  I am looking forward to swimming in Capri without worrying about losing my contacts!