How Lasik Surgery Can Make Travel Better

If you love to travel and have been debating whether or not Lasik surgery is worth it, this post is for you. Lasik surgery can make travel better. Way better. I have always loved to travel and adventure, and I honestly love it even more now.

I’ll explain how much I hated wearing glasses and/or contacts. You’ll learn a little about Lasik surgery and my experience with it. I’ll explain the cost dilemma of using your money on Lasik vs Travel. Finally, I’ll tell you allllll the ways that Lasik surgery can make travel better.

My (Bad) Eye Journey

I started wearing glasses in 6th grade. At the time, my biggest adventure was walking down the street to sit in my neighbor’s driveway. 6th grade me thought my purple glasses were cute, and they didn’t affect me much.

I got to high school and started wearing contacts too. I despised running or exercising in glasses. The feeling of my glasses slipping down my sweaty nose was awful, so I learned how to put a little lens in my eye.

Contacts always bothered my eyes, though. I could almost always feel them, like I had a film of grit on my eyeballs. I couldn’t wait to rip them out at the end of the day.

When I graduated college, I started traveling and adventuring more. I visited new places, swam in new oceans, learned how to go backpacking, and tried surfing.

I did all this with the feeling of grit in my eyes or with glasses slipping down my nose.

I’m sorry, but camping with contacts is the worst.

I hated wearing my glasses while hiking, so this meant wearing contacts. By the end of the day, my contacts would feel like they were full of dirt. I would try to “wash” my hands in the wilderness then pull my contacts out and put them into their little plastic container. The next morning, I’d rinse my contacts in my dirt-covered hands and put them back into my eyes, with all the grimy particles still attached to my contacts. The memory of it still makes me squirm.

Y’all, I HATED wearing contacts and glasses.

Maybe you’re thinking I’m being a little dramatic and that’s fine; I probably am. But I truly hated wearing contacts/glasses and have so many memories of good moments that were a little less good because my eyes were burning.

I’m also a Nurse, and I can’t tell you how many times my glasses moved down my face while leaning over to place an IV. I couldn’t wear my contacts to work because hospitals are as dry as the desert.

Okay, that is enough of me bitching about glasses and contacts.

Once I became a real adult who made money and could choose how I spent it, I started thinking about Lasik surgery. I thought about it for years but didn’t want to spend the money on it.

To me, spending money on Lasik surgery meant having less money to travel, which was where a large portion of my income was going.

Then I met my friend Erin. She loves camping and adventure as much as I do, and she had Lasik surgery when she was in high school. She raved about how much better her life was, how much easier it was to travel, and how it was so worth it.

That was when I actually looked into it.

About Lasik Surgery

I am not a doctor, so I’m just going to tell you the gist.

Lasik surgery involves cutting a little flap on your eye and using lasers to reshape your cornea – this corrects your vision, whether you’re far-sighted or near-sighted.

There are different types of Lasik surgery and not everyone is a candidate for it. Like any medical procedure, there are risks involved, and you’d obviously have to talk to your doctor before having this done.

My Experience

I had to go in a couple times pre-surgery to make sure I was a good candidate for Lasik. They checked my eyes, discussed cost, and explained the risks.

When I got there on the day of, I took a prescribed Valium (which weirdly didn’t affect me much), watched a video, and had my eyes fixed.

The actual surgery is weird. You lay down with a big machine above you, and they numb your eye a bunch. They kind of suction your eye – the pressure makes it easier to cut the flap. Then they cut the flap, use the lasers, put the flap back down, and do the other eye.

It’s not painless, but it’s not terrible.

Someone has to drive you home. You wear sunglasses on the ride home, being sure not to touch your eyes. Then you wear a little protective mask over your eyes and sleep for a few hours. My eyes didn’t hurt much, but this obviously varies from person to person.

I took a day or 2 off work and then was back to normal.

Keep in mind that there are some swimming restrictions for a bit. If you’re taking a trip to Hawaii, plan to have your surgery at least a month before to be safe.

I have had some issues with night driving. Other cars’ headlights are SO bright to me now. I can still drive safely, but it’s kind of a bother. I would still go back and get Lasik surgery, though. The Pros definitely outweigh the Cons.

The Cost Dilemma

Here’s the thing. The money you spend on Lasik surgery is money you could spend on travel.

It costs anywhere from $1000 to $3000 per eye. I found a Groupon (not kidding). It saved me quite a bit of money, but it was still expensive. And it was still money that could have been spent on a plane ticket to South America.

I’ve taken epic trips for less than the cost of Lasik surgery, so is it worth it?

I think so.