(January 20, 2000)

Just when I thought it was all over, it wasn't.

Starting in about November, my left eye began "regressing" a little, to 20/25, and now 20/30. My right eye continues to be 20/20, so the difference between the two began to give me headaches. I visited the eye doctor today, and we discussed my options.

I left his office wearing a contact lens.

The long-term plan is to wait until about a year after my surgery (2 and a half months from now) and see where my left eye ends up. Then, I could get a second surgery. And, it may happen that by then, microkeratomes will have gotten small enough that I could get LASIK this time around instead of PRK. The surgery would, of course, be free because of the TLC Lifetime Commitment.

But for now, I'm giving extended-wear contacts a try. I could never go back to the daily grind of regular contacts after the freedom of wearing nothing at all. I also would probably not wear extended-wear contacts on a long-term basis because I'm afraid they'd be unhealthy for my eyes. A short-term stint, on the other hand, may be fine. I feel so much better already with my two eyes matched again.

I'll keep updating this page as things develop. I'd like to say, though, that in no way do I regret getting the surgery! Even with this hassle, I'm happier than I was before, and am still very optimistic that everything will work out in the end.

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