I Believe In Miracles - written by Betty Denham, CK patient

There comes a time in life when you have to admit that all body parts and features don't work like they once did. This has been somewhat of a difficult process for me as I have always thought I could do anything I wanted to. I really think that out of all the natural disasters associated with the aging process, the one that bothered me most was not being able to SEE.

About ten years ago my arms began to get shorter, and it wasn't long before I had to have glasses just to read -- and forget threading a needle. I just simply hate wearing glasses; they make me dizzy and I can't walk with them on. Eventually I graduated to wearing a contact -- that was much better until something irritated that contact. It sometimes took super human restraint to keep from clawing my eyes out.

Now the miracle... On January 26th I had elective eye surgery. The surgery is called Conductive Keratoplasty (CK) and was performed by Dr. Schanzer at Southern Eye Associates. A tiny probe is used to apply radiofrequency energy to the cornea. This reshaped the cornea back into a curved position resulting in improved near vision. The surgery lasted three minutes. Of course there were hours of tests and preparation, but nothing painful.

Immediately after surgery I could see better. I had to rest and keep my eyes closed as much as possible for a couple of days, but I could see better. The next day I read the newspaper without glasses or contacts. In fact, I have not put those glasses back on and I threw my contacts in the garbage.

Every day I thank God for having my sight back. One of the first things I do when I get up in the morning is look at print to see if I can still see without glasses. The old adage that you don't appreciate what you have until you lose it is true.

On the other hand -- I didn't realize I had wrinkles and blond hair.