I am now two weeks removed from my surgery and am very happy. I have 20/20 vision and can see every wood chip on my ceiling first thing in the morning. Exciting stuff.

It went like this:

For years I have been going back and forth with the idea of signing up for laser eye surgery. On the one hand, it seemed like a very expensive and somewhat unnecessary expense… My prescription wasnt that bad and I could manage with contacts and glasses. But, on the other hand, not worrying about contacts or glasses, especially when traveling, is objectively awesome. It really is.

So, I promised myself that I would only book the procedure if I came upon some commercial money (I consider money I earn filming commercials to be pretty much fun bonus money… As its a ridiculous payday for the work put in). Commercials came in and still I pushed the surgery back (new camera toys seemed like a good idea, as did a trip to Coachella, plus that Street Fighter arcade stick wasnt gonna buy itself), and then in August, I booked a Bud 66 commercial and decided that as soon as my last round of contact lenses run out ill go ahead with it.

Research time:

Its your eyes. Scary already huh? Research is definitely required and here is mine…

I had consultations with Bochner, Herzig, and TLC. I decided against Lasik MD because I couldnt find a single reason for why they charge approximately $1000 more than the others, and I disqualified the cheap ones because they seemed to be using an older method, had a higher fail rate, or (and this might not be true) had an army of hamsters manning the machines.

Bochner, Herzig, and TLC were all saying pretty much the same thing. They were all around the same price point and had a ton of experience using custom Lasik. All said that I would make a great candidate. So really, what it came down to was the people and the overall feeling I had at the centres.

Both Herzig and Bochner were just a few hundered dollars more expensive than TLC and, after my consultations, I really felt like the only place that money went was image and location. Both are located in the downtown Yorkville area, and both have a spa-like feel… Lovely waiting room, extensive catalogue of magazines, snacks. All fun things, but not really what I cared about in making my decision. What TLC had, and why I went with them, was a very nice and knowledgable group of people at the centre who took the time to fully understand and answer each and every one of my questions. Bottom line was that I just felt more comfortable with them. I did feel like they cared about the individual clients and believed in their service. Also, they have their lifetime guarantee policy, where they will do a follow up operation years down the line if my vision regresses.

Another nice thing: After I signed up for the surgery they knocked off $100 because my one day followup would be in Mississauga and I didnt have a ride. They didnt have to do that for me. I would have taken a taxi and not given it much thought. But the fact they did again made me feel appreciated and taken care of.

Morning of the surgery came and I was feeling fine. Not really nervous at all. It didnt really hit me until I was in the operating room and then it all washed over me at once… With my eye pried and a team working around me it suddenly made me realize just how fragile this whole thing is. My eyes, the keys to my whole world, are just these gellatonous little balls filled with nerves and wires and things I dont understand… One wrong move and… Before I could really complete my panicked train of thought the thing was done. 10 minutes. 10 minutes of following around blinky lights, some blackness, and listening to fancy whirring sounds. No pain.

After the surgery my eyes were uncomfortable. They felt gritty, like I had a long expired pair of contacts in place. TLC gave me a stylish pair of sunglasses to wear out and told me to get home and get to bed (where I got to wear an even sexier pair of glasses, erm, “eye shields”). After waking, already my eyes were feeling better. Next day they were much much better still and I already had 20/20 vision. The slight grittiness lasted just a few days but after about a week I started feeling about %99 normal.

So thats it. So far so good. Now that ive done it it really does seem like the biggest no brainer. Before, Id wear glasses unless I went somewhere special. Some days, when nothing spectacular was happening, id just make do with long distance blurriness. Now, I can see everything all the time. The amazing and the mundane.

Hey, whats that piece of dust doing hanging way up there??? Gaaaahhhh I cant reach it!!!

So a question ive never been asked and am now eager to reply to is: “Dan, based on your experience as an actor and photographer, what is the best recipe for guacamole?”

Guacamole Recipe:

–       Avocado

–       Tomato (take skin off, boil in water…make it soft…little pieces)

–       Garlic (minced)

–       Salt and Pepper

–       Touch of Cumin

–       Saffron

–       Lime

–       Optional: Yogurt

(You’re welcome)