As an adult, I underwent radial keratotomy (RK) surgery about ten years ago (this was when laser surgery was still very experimental; today I would recommend laser surgery over RK). That corrected my vision to 20/25 in one eye and 2/35 in the other and also gave me a mild case of astigmatism. The astigmatism was well worth the improved vision; I am fond of water sports (swimming and rafting) and the ability to see well without losing a contact was great. I also enjoyed the newfound ability to see the clock across the room when I woke up at night.
My vision remained constant at 2/25 (right eye) and 2/35 (left eye) until last fall.
As I aged (and moved to locations with more allergens), I went back to glasses. After all, with my improved vision, I could still be active without the glasses. When we moved last year, my glasses were accidentally broken. With all the hustle and bustle of moving, fixing our new home, and learning a new job, I never made time to get them fixed. I just did without. I had headaches for a few weeks, but then they went away. Without the crutch of glasses, I felt my vision was actually improving.
A few weeks ago, the headaches returned in force along with a weird feeling in my eyes. My work requires me to spend vast amount of time in front of the PC and I compound this by spending much of my spare time in front of a monitor too. And I now use LCD monitors at both work and home and they are not quite as bright as the traditional CRT displays. So I went to an ophthalmologist who said I simply had eyestrain. He also tested my vision and while I still had the RK-induced astigmatism, my vision had improved to 20/20 in each eye. So he prescribed a set of reading glasses (that are weaker than the non-prescription glasses you can buy in the store) and suggested I wear them while at the computer.
I am thankful to live at a time where technology can overcome handicaps such as poor vision. But I am also thankful at how resilient the human body is. I cannot believe that going without my glasses for about seven months improved my vision to 20/20.
When I was seven, I saw the world with 3D binocular vision for the first time, following eye surgery to correct bilateral strabismus. Before the surgery, I saw through only one eye at a time-- my brain would switch from one eye to the other every few minutes. Back in the days before such surgery was available, the brain would eventually have grown tired of playing hopscotch, and would've shut one eye off permanently by age 13 or 14.
Following the surgery my vision also went from farsighted to slightly nearsighted. I got glasses in eighth grade, though have never worn them much. Driving (usually), going to the movie theater, and also sometimes in recent years on those rare occasions when I watch TV. Back many years ago, an eye doctor told me that I would end up eventually having to wear glasses full time. So far (age 47 and counting) I've proven 'em wrong.
Oh, yeah... and I'm still filled with a sense of wonder at seeing the world around me in 3D, like (as I put it at age seven) "one of those 3D greeting cards that unfold and pop up when you open them."
20/200??? Man, that's nothing! I was at
20/500 in one eye and 20/600 in the other.
I underwent advanced corneal shaping and then 3 RKs in one eye and 2 in the other.
I have been at 20/15 for 10 years.
(by way of example, I couldn't see my bedside alarm clock before the surgeries)