Our pals at Eyeful posted a really great story that we had to share.
It wasn’t until his ninth grade English class that Ashton Timmons realized he could no longer read the board. Vision impairment had crept up on him slowly, like it does for so many people.
This was going to be a problem.
Especially for someone trying to earn a degree in mechanical engineering, which Timmons is currently doing at the University of Colorado, Boulder. And especially for an avid surfer, snowboarder and rock climber.
“So I got contacts then,” said Timmons. “Just being young, I got daily disposable ones and I constantly forgot to take them out at night. It was really irritating, so I switched to glasses.”
But then the glasses would have to come off for surf practice, so he’d switch back to contacts. But then a wave would catch him off guard and knock a lens out, and Timmons would be right back where he started.
“Then as I got a little older and started climbing, I couldn’t actually climb with glasses,” he said.
That’s because glasses can affect peripheral vision, which is important when you’re multitasking — maintaining your balance while scanning for a new foothold. Contacts solve that issue, but add a slew of others.
This left Timmons with two ill-fitting solutions for his vision problem. That is, until he was introduced to the Maloney Vision Institute.
Timmons had been under the impression that LASIK wasn’t an option for him. He thought he wasn’t old enough, and that the procedure had higher risks than he was comfortable with.
“But after dealing with contacts and glasses for so long and having them as an issue, I was sort of more ready and open to information,” Timmons said.
At the institute, they were able to address his questions, show him the ins and outs of the procedure and clarify that with new technologies like the iDesign system, patients as young as 18 could get LASIK.
In addition to showing Timmons that LASIK was an option for him, the institute also held his hand through the process and coached him through his nervousness by carefully explaining each step of the procedure as it was happening.
You can learn more about the same types of things Timmons was curious about here.
“It didn’t hit me right away,” Timmons said of the effect LASIK had on his life. “What would happen was I would be surfing or climbing and it was this extremely powerful, humbling experience. Almost like feeling extremely grateful that I could see.
“It is still something that happens to this day,” he added. “I’ll be rock climbing and I’ll be 300 or 400 feet up and look around and it just hits me that I don’t have on glasses or contacts and I can see crystal clear.”
Not everyone is a good candidate for LASIK like Timmons, of course. A variety of factors will help a LASIK doctor determine is LASIK is right for a patient. And even with proper screening, some patients experience side effects like dry eyes or visual disturbances (glare, halos and starbursts).
The captivating effect that nature has always had on Timmons hasn’t changed. When he surfs or rock climbs, he’s as entranced by the view as he ever had been with glasses or contacts.
But now he doesn’t have the hassles of glasses or contacts. He can take it all in simply with his own two eyes.
OK. So you may not be an extreme sports enthusiast, but you can probably identify with Ashton’s desire to rid himself of glasses. Well, we can help!
Schedule a FREE Consultation and one of our amazing doctors can help you determine if you are a LASIK candidate, talk you through any questions and concerns that you might have, and discuss the details of your procedure. Even better, if you schedule before July 31st, we’ll knock $600 off the cost of LASIK with our Summer Savings promo!
Schedule your FREE consultation today.
*Save $300/eye. **Offer valid on all-laser LASIK, PRK, ICL and RLE procedures at participating nJoy Vision locations only. Book consult by July 31, 2016. Complete procedure by August 31, 2016. Cannot be redeemed for cash or combined with other discounts, insurance or special offers.
