Welcome to View receiptsA series where we ask interesting people to share exactly how much it costs to get shit done. Regardless of the task, we track every last dollar from start to finish. Next: to achieve perfect vision.
Haley Bowing Have put in a serious job to get good vision. Social Media Manager has gone through glasses, contacts and even Lasik surgery twice to get to this point.
Bowing says she first got glasses in elementary school after she started developing headaches. “I had also mentioned to fight to see the board if I sat on the back of the class,” she says. After her mother took her to get an eye examination, Bowing’s doctor decided that she needed glasses, an experience she calls “terrible.”
“My mom made me get the transitions, so when I was out, or in the class at the window when it was sunny outside, they would switch to sunglasses,” says the 30-year-old. “I felt like Elton John. It was horrible.”
The experience with glasses, and then contacts, pressed bending to eventually get lasic surgery, a type of refractive surgery that corrects things such as myopia, long -term and astigmatism.
Bowing admits that she had to save for her surgery, which she stopped needed twice. But she now has 20/20 sight, and the funky glasses are a distant memory.
Here is the entire price division.
Task: Get perfect vision
Job: Social media manager
Place: Canada
Timeline: Five years
Quince
Contacts: $ 1,800
Glasses: Covered in insurance
Doctor visits: Covered by insurance
Lasik -Operation: $ 2,000
Total: $ 3,800
How I did it
Bowing’s journey to get perfect vision took more than seven years. This is how she made it happen and the challenges she met along the way.
PS: How was your vision before you got glasses?
Haley Bowing: My vision before I got glasses in elementary school was not horrible, but I definitely needed corrective lenses to attend school at all. I hated what the glasses looked like on me. My friends commented on them – of course in a friendly way – but I can only assume that other children talked about them behind their backs.
PS: When did contacts come into the picture?
Hb: I started carrying contacts in eighth grade, and it was a bit of a learning curve. I got used to them, but I had trouble remembering to take them out at night before bed.
PS: Why did you decide to get lasik?
Hb: I decided to get lasik because I heard so many amazing things about it. I hated having to worry about my contacts all the time. There was no brainer. The first time I had the operation in 2013, the experience was quite mild. But at the moment I hated it. (For the recovery period) I was in complete darkness for two days and could not be on my phone or (near) any light source. At 18 years old it is difficult. I was out for a good week before I could work full time again, because I work an office writing work and am on a computer for 8 hours (at a time).
PS: Why did you get lasik twice?
Hb: I got my second lasik (surgery) in my early 20s, five years after my first surgery, because my eyes returned back and my vision aggravated (not ideal!). I did not start having a headache again, but in my routine eye examination they noticed that my vision began to return. Thankfully, I had enough cornea left, so they could do the surgery again.
PS: How was recovery the second time?
HB: The recovery the second time was pretty fast. I would say I was back on my feet and at work on day three.
PS: How much did your second operation cost?
Hb: Nothing. It was covered under “guarantee.”
PS: How is your vision now?
Hb: It has been 20/20 since my second operation. I only got my eyes checked last month, and opticians said they are perfect.
Last thoughts
To bend, the year -long eye health was well worth it. From hating yourself with glasses to loving one’s life without them, 20/20 vision “has changed my life for the better,” she says. The beauty of being able to wake up and walking without having to worry about wearing glasses or contact lenses cannot be overlooked, says Bowing. It has also made her hobbies (such as motorcycle and backcountry camping) more fun. “I’m so happy that I did,” she says, noting that she would recommend perfect vision to everyone. “I strongly suggest lasik, if you are eligible. Also take care of your eyes. They are one of – if not the most – important organs in our body,” Bowing adds.
Corin Miller is a writer specialized in general wellness, health and lifestyle trends. Her work has emerged in women’s health, herself, health, Forbes and more.
