'A Life Without Glasses' by Katharina Cramer Part 1

Dear readers,

In this report, I would like to tell you about my project "a life without glasses." I've been wearing glasses for as long as I can remember, and for almost as long I've wished I didn't have to. When appearance became more and more important during puberty, and I didn't want to hear what other people said, I started asking my ophthalmologist whether it was possible to no longer have to wear glasses. That's how I ended up with soft contact lenses. To my delight, this worked quite well in my free time, so I could at least enjoy the freedom on my nose there. The only problem was that I couldn't wear them at school or later at work, as my severe astigmatism meant I couldn't achieve 100% vision with them.

After further consultation with my ophthalmologist, we tried hard lenses that were individually adjusted to my astigmatism. With them, I could now see 100% and I was very happy to be able to go around without glasses. Unfortunately, even after a long time of getting used to them, I couldn't wear the lenses for more than a few hours a day because they made my eyes too dry. Then, while I was sitting in my ophthalmologist's waiting room, I saw a flyer about laser eye surgery and asked my ophthalmologist if that would be an option for me, but she initially advised against it given my prescription. For the time being, I stuck to soft lenses and glasses. But every time I went in for a check-up, I asked my doctor again, but to my regret, she stuck to her opinion. Now my wedding is coming up in December and I dared to annoy my doctor again. As we all know, hope dies last, and apparently this argument, along with my persistent pestering, was reason enough for her to finally give in and schedule an appointment for me with a specialist from DOmed for an initial consultation. He would first test whether laser eye surgery would be possible. I made the appointment and was incredibly excited about what he would say and how the operation itself would work. The idea of having eye surgery, even though it was my wish, still worried me a bit, as I had no idea what to expect.

After the initial consultation, it was clear there was hope for me! An appointment followed to decide whether surgery was feasible or not. I can tell you upfront: I can have the operation. Of course, that also causes some anxiety, but the joy definitely outweighs it. I was very nervous beforehand because if the surgeon says no, then that would be the end of my life without glasses and my wedding without lens problems. The assistants were super nice and explained in great detail the seemingly thousands of machines I had to look through, which was enormously reassuring and made me aware of how exactly such an operation is prepared. Afterwards, the refractive manager at DOmed took special measurements of my cornea and my vision, and I was given a detailed explanation of the procedure, which at least partially alleviated my fears about the operation. After everything was ready, I was finally allowed to see the surgeon, Dr. Minir Asani. He first looked at all the test results, examined me, and then said the relieving words: "We can go ahead with the operation!" It goes without saying that I was grinning from ear to ear from that point on. He also informed me that I was a high-risk patient, because with my blood pressure and somewhat dry eyes, the conditions weren't ideal. He explained all the risks and side effects to me and calmly answered any questions I still had. As soon as I left the surgery, I called my fiancé and informed him that I could have the surgery and that he would have to keep the day free. He was, of course, just as excited as I was and is excited to see how everything will go. The long wait was worth it; I finally have the appointment!