Personal Narrative: Strabismus Surgery

Imagine this. You wake up. Blurriness swarms you. ‘What just happened?’ is all that races through your mind. Cold,crying,confused,cringing you feel nothing but everything all at once. March 3rd 2016, my life changed forever. When I was 2 years old I was diagnosed with Strabismus or as many know it as ‘Crossed Eyes’. I got my first lovely pair of glasses when I was 3 years old after trying the ordinary patches or special glasses to try and fix the turn of my eyes. Of course being that young, how I looked or the fact that I wore glasses never once effected me or made me feel less of myself. I was a happy kid playing, making friends and enjoying life. When you are so young you shouldn't care that you wear glasses and you shouldnt even when

We went in for a checkup to see how contacts were working February 16th 2016, I was so ready to drill her with questions on options I should consider. As we were talking she mentioned something about St.Cloud Surgical Center doing Strabismus surgery, in that moment I felt the tingle of excitement. This could be my chance.

The ride home that day was filled with questions and concerns about surgery. Being that both my eyes had a turn to them surgery was very critical and dangerous, and with the degree of my turns I had the potential to go blind. Dinner that night was another debate. Overall my parents choice was clear, all they wanted was for me to be okay, and for this situation that meant surgery.

Eye surgery is a life changing thing rather it be for vision or for any condition of the eye. Not to mention the empty checkbooks after the procedure. My mom and dad gave life to my dreams the day they called me telling me my surgery was scheduled for March 3rd at 8:30 in the

I had just finished facing my fears watching the metallic needle slip so seamlessly under my skin into the veins of my nervous, clammy hand. Hugging my Mom like it could have been the last time I saw her, seeing my dad's face stern and worried. I wheeled down the hall into this operating room, white was all I saw, a bed in the middle for the surgery to go down. As I lay on the bed waiting to be put under I remember seeing the blue masks of the people to be operating on me, I had to put all my trust in them, trusting someone you seen for less than 5 seconds with your life. Absolutely terrifying. The nurse slipping the fluid into my IV as I lay on my back looking up at the white ceiling, this cold sensations rushed over me. Then suddenly, I was out. As I was out my Mom and Dad stayed and waited the whole time, a total of 3 hours. Normal Strabismus surgeries take 1-2 hours, mine took longer because of how bad the turn was in my eyes. The turn of both eyes was the same, a 66 degree turn, normal eyes have the degree between 3-7, you can't even noticed them. The turn was also affecting both of my eyes so I could switch which one I wanted my focus out of. My vision was never effected, I have always had 20/20 vision that's another reason I was upset I had been stuck with glasses and contacts my whole