That last morning was like any other morning. When I opened my eyes, I looked around the blurry room. The white comforter next to my face was clear, but past that, my familiar room was somewhat of a mystery. Some shadows were lighter, others darker, and rays of sunlight make certain areas brighter. Everything was in its place - or maybe it wasn’t. I could see groups of color - the tan carpet, the worldly gray walls, the brown dresser, the white doorframes. Without the assistance of contacts or glasses, that is all I have been able to see for the better part of my life.

I was finally able to close that chapter thanks to Lasik surgery. It’s funny that I felt a little emotional about this. I wasn’t sure what it would be like to be able to just see all the time - when I wake up, when I go to sleep, all the time! It was strange to say goodbye to my blurry vision. To my days of contacts and glasses, essential items that saved me and transformed me into a functional human being. To my reaching hands in the middle of the night, feeling around my nightstand until I could find what would give me sight. To the colors that help me see the world when I can’t make out the shapes. To the guesses I make of what’s happening in the blurry colors.

It all happened like a dream. I went into the surgery room without my glasses on or contacts in, squinting and squatting while trying to find the chair they told me to sit in. As soon as the 12-minute procedure was done, they told me to sit up. They warned that my vision would be blurry at first, almost like I was underwater. I had never been able to open my eyes underwater because my contacts would’ve fallen out, so I didn’t know what to expect. As soon as I opened my eyes, they filled with tears. What the technicians told me would be “blurry, underwater sight” was already fifty times better than the sight I had been living with for my entire life. I thanked the doctor and could barely contain my excitement. When we walked down to the parking lot, I was amazed - I could clearly see the street signs from 30 feet away. I could read where they said, “do not enter” and “stop”. As we drove home, I could see the arrows painted on the pavement, the billboards announcing businesses, and even the street names of every neighborhood. I read each one of them aloud, completely in awe of the sights around me. It wasn’t even an hour after my surgery - and my eyes, my very own eyes, devoid of glasses or contacts, were already showing me a new view of the world I had never be able to see on my own.

It’s only been one week, and I already feel myself taking this new vision for granted. When my eyes flutter open in the morning, I can already see the whole room. I don’t have to put glasses on or contacts in to simply get out of bed - I just get out and go on with my day. All day long, I can see - it’s simple, it’s easy, it’s carefree. I’m seeing the world through new eyes and I almost forget that these new eyes are my own. It feels so natural, but I hope I never forget the blurry days - because they make these clearer days even sweeter.