Seeing things differently

Running long distance events with contact lenses or glasses can create problems. Contacts can dry out, or get blinked out on the trail. Glasses work OK but if it's raining, and it rains a lot in Washington, your vision is obscured by water on the lenses.

When I ran CCC 100 I wore my contacts for about 32 hours before I took them out. Tuesday of this week I eliminated that problem by having Lasik Surgery. I'm still healing and at the end of the day I feel like I've been wearing my contacts for 32 hours. My vision is 20-20 and my eyes are getting less and less sensitive as they heal.

After putting anesthetic drops in your eyes the doctor put tape strips above and below my eyes to prevent any eyelashes or eyebrows from sneaking in the mix. Then they slap some metal eyelid forecepts on the eye they are working on to hold your eye open. I didn't expect them to stick a big old suction cup on my eye. Apparently this holds your eye very still. It also caused my vision to go entirely black. Normal said the doctor as he swung me under the flap laser. The flap laser creates zillions of little bubbles under the tissue of your eye that can be peeled away. Once the flap bubbles have been made (7 seconds) you are moved under the lasik laser for the big burn. By burn I mean I could smell the tissue being removed as it shaped my cornea to focus light properly. They don't tell you that! Only took 20 seconds per eye and then the doctor flips the flap back over and smooths in out. Couple of drops of antibacterial solution and you have 20-20 vision. Only problem is it's like you are standing in a London fog. The fog cleared by morning.

I went running yesterday at night on a paved trail and didn't have any problems. I'll be running a 6 hour run this weekend with a minimum goal of 26.2 and a 50K or more hope.

Have a great weekend!