7 Things You’ll Love Just 1 Week After SMILE

It’s officially been one week since I became the first patient in Michigan to have SMILE for astigmatism and I’m happy to report that I am seeing better than ever! I’ve had a lot of time to think about the reasons why I was so happy to have laser vision correction, and the ways my life has already changed.

I Hated Contacts

One of the things I hated most about contact lenses for astigmatism is how they never stay put. Toric lenses are weighted, and I had enough astigmatism that even blinking would shake them off center, and then my vision would be blurry.

Another amazing thing about ditching contact lenses is that I no longer have to deal with the dryness that comes with wearing contacts every day. Beyond annoying—dryness messes with your vision, and makes it far more difficult to see. I couldn’t trust myself to drive with my contacts in, so I had to keep my glasses on me all the time. My vision just wasn’t as good with contacts as it was with glasses—and thank goodness that’s all in the past now!

So Much is Easier Now

I’m ecstatic for each day that I get to wake up with these brand new eyes, but here are some of the key things that I’ve noticed are easier post-SMILE:

1. Catching up on all the Marvel movies I should have watched four years ago
2. Rock climbing, though it doesn’t make me any better at the sport
3. Scrolling Instagram on my phone
4. Putting on mascara without poking myself in the eye
5. Finding my phone when it’s on vibrate and I’m running late
6. Discovering crumbs in unexplored kitchen crevices
7. Playing Elder Scrolls online when I should be doing homework

It was such a relief to box up all my old glasses for donation. Dr. Haddad and Dr. Rautio coordinate with the Lions Club to send donated glasses to people in disadvantaged areas. I’ve saved one pair to turn into the fanciest pair of polarized sunglasses ever. Now that I’ve put all this effort into fixing my vision, I want to keep my eyes protected!

What’s Next

Every morning it’s amazing that I don’t have to find glasses to see. It seems like such a simple thing to people that don’t need glasses for everything they do—but SMILE has been absolutely life changing for me. Stay tuned for the next installment in this series, when I’ve been one month glasses-free.

Happy Halloween!