My Room 101: An Eye Opening Experience
"The thing that is in Room 101 is the worst thing in the world...By itself, pain is not always enough. There are occasions when a human being will stand out against pain, even to the point of death. But for everyone there is something unendurable -- something that cannot be contemplated." ~ O'Brien's description of Room 101 in George Orwell's 1984
For those of you who've read 1984, you probably remember Winston's Room 101: a huge rat gnawing on his face. In all honesty, I could handle that. What I cannot handle is having my eyes pried open with tongs, while bright red, green, and white lights flash incessantly directly in my eyes, knowing that every time I feel a sensation on my eyeball, it's either a blade or a laser. What I have just described is the procedure I underwent yesterday after school. Lasik Eye Surgery.
Am I exaggerating? Yes. And no. That is what really happened, and there was something reminiscent of Chinese Water Torture about the whole thing. It wasn't the physical pain that was a problem, for there was no pain; it was the threat to my mental stability. I really did think about Room 101 while I was lying under that big machine shooting a laser in my eye (and yes, I could smell the burning flesh).
Oh I do so love to be dramatic! But I also value a reasonable mind. So in the spirit of rationality, I will admit that I did not go crazy, I did not come to love Big Brother (phew!), and I did walk home a mere 30 minutes after the procedure. I awoke this morning able to see much better than I could see yesterday morning, and I am just as sane as I always was -- though I'm not so sure that's a good thing.
Final Verdict: If you're pretty darn blind, if you HATE dealing with contacts, or if you're planning on climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, I highly recommend it. Otherwise, I can think of several other less torturous ways to spend your time. In all, it was, literally, the most eye opening experience I've ever had.
For those of you who've read 1984, you probably remember Winston's Room 101: a huge rat gnawing on his face. In all honesty, I could handle that. What I cannot handle is having my eyes pried open with tongs, while bright red, green, and white lights flash incessantly directly in my eyes, knowing that every time I feel a sensation on my eyeball, it's either a blade or a laser. What I have just described is the procedure I underwent yesterday after school. Lasik Eye Surgery.
Am I exaggerating? Yes. And no. That is what really happened, and there was something reminiscent of Chinese Water Torture about the whole thing. It wasn't the physical pain that was a problem, for there was no pain; it was the threat to my mental stability. I really did think about Room 101 while I was lying under that big machine shooting a laser in my eye (and yes, I could smell the burning flesh).
Oh I do so love to be dramatic! But I also value a reasonable mind. So in the spirit of rationality, I will admit that I did not go crazy, I did not come to love Big Brother (phew!), and I did walk home a mere 30 minutes after the procedure. I awoke this morning able to see much better than I could see yesterday morning, and I am just as sane as I always was -- though I'm not so sure that's a good thing.
Final Verdict: If you're pretty darn blind, if you HATE dealing with contacts, or if you're planning on climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, I highly recommend it. Otherwise, I can think of several other less torturous ways to spend your time. In all, it was, literally, the most eye opening experience I've ever had.
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| Lying in bed approximately 3 hours after surgery. I was getting bored of sitting there doing nothing (can't read, can't watch t.v., can't play games on my iPad), so I took a picture of myself in all my patheticness. I was working really hard to open my eyes that wide. Aren't you proud of me? (No seriously, it was really hard to open my eyes that much.) |
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