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    www.crackingthecover.com

    Setbacks after eye surgery have a humbling effect

    4
    By Jessica on March 20, 2012 news

    There once was a girl who lived in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains. One of her greatest joys was reading. However, there was one thing holding this girl back — her eyes. The girl grew up and got married, and after a time, she decided to have surgery to correct her poor vision. No longer would she need finicky contacts or pencil-thick glasses. The surgery went well and all seemed fine. But the recovery did not go as planned, and her vision became temperamental at best.

    I don’t usually write about my personal life on Cracking the Cover, but as I sit in my office typing at 300 percent magnification, I feel like this is one life event I should share.

    Eleven days ago I underwent PRK. I won’t bore — or gross you out — with all the details of the surgery, but here’s a little background. PRK is the precursor to LASIK and uses the same laser to treat the eye. The difference comes in the incision. Instead cutting a flap (LASIK), the outer layer of the cornea, or epithelium, is essentially scraped off and a contact bandage is applied following the procedure to aid in healing as the cells grow back.

    My actual procedure went fine, but the recovery period has been rocky. There’s been pain and lots of frustration leading up to this point. My vision fluctuates from “good” to “bad” at the drop of a hat. At one doctor appointment my vision reached 20/40, but at the next visit, it was 20/70. It’s still not good enough to drive and I couldn’t even attempt a return to work until yesterday.

    This has been a humbling experience on multiple levels. I’m an independent person, and it’s been hard to depend on others to not only cart me around but to read menus, explain what’s going on in a TV show, or examine a piece of fruit for bruises at the grocery store.

    Whenever I get sick, I like to curl up with a good book and whisk myself away from whatever is ailing me. In this case, I can’t do that. And that has to be one of the most frustrating elements of all. I have piles of enticing books I can’t wait to get my hands on, but I can’t read the type — it’s too small.

    Prior to surgery, I wrote my little heart out, making sure I’d have posts ready for when I was laid up. Those posts have now run out. Over the next days, or possibly weeks, you will see fewer posts from me. I finished three or four YA and middle-reader novels prior to surgery that will be reviewed, and I have a number of larger-type picture books that I can explore. But the whole process from reading to writing to laying things out takes quite a bit more time when looking through blurred vision.

    My eyes will heal — so I’ve been told — but it seems that I need a lesson in patience. I ask that you, too, will be patient. It’s been a full year since I started Cracking the Cover, and I don’t plan to quit anytime soon. Thank you all for your support, and happy reading!

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    Jessica
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    Jessica Harrison is the reviewer behind Cracking the Cover. She loves books and worked as the in-house book critic at a daily newspaper, writing reviews and interviewing authors for two years. When the company cut back, she lost her position covering books, but that doesn't mean she stopped reading. If anything, the whole experience made her more passionate about reading and giving people the tools to make informed decisions in their own book choices. She has been featured on NetGalley's Blogger Spotlight and is on Kindleprenuer's Ultimate List of the Best Book Review Blogs. Contact her at jessica(at)crackingthecover(dot)com and follow Cracking the Cover on Bluesky, Instagram,  Facebook and Twitter (X) @crackingthecovr. You can also read scaled down reviews on Jessica's Goodreads review page. Jessica is also a reviewer on Amazon.

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    4 Comments

    1. Kari Morandi on March 20, 2012 10:51 am

      Wow, sorry for what you are going through. I’m glad your eyes will recover though, and you’ll be able to get back to doing what you love. In the meantime, enjoy your interactions with friends and loved ones — I’m sure the love surrounding you is great.

      Reply
    2. Charlotte on March 20, 2012 3:53 pm

      Gee, I hope your eyes get better soon! I know from an episode I had years ago how frustrating it is not to be able to read, when there you are not at work and surrounded by books!

      Reply
    3. Alethea on March 20, 2012 10:47 pm

      So sorry to hear that! 🙁 Have you considered trying audiobooks? The Bloody Jack series is fantastically good on audio… By the time you finish healing up, you might be hooked on them 😉 I know I am.

      Reply
    4. Andrea on March 23, 2012 9:38 pm

      Wishing you well as you recover! Good luck with everything:).

      Reply
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