My encounter with responsibility

I was thinking about having Lasik-laser treatment to get rid of my glasses for about a year now. I was longing get a complete vision after living with the glasses for almost 20 years now. Wait, I am not that old but I took to glasses while at kinter garden. Can I say I was spectacular at that tender age itself?

The time was ripe this week. I came back here to get the pre-treatment check-up done @ Aravind Eye Hospital,Madurai. You could be wondering why someone would opt for a hospital in Madurai when there is 'Sankara Nethralaya' in Chennai itself. Two reasons. A local eye doctor - my relative - has recommended Aravind. I can club this as a visit back home. It turned out to be a good choice.

After the scan it was found that the thickness of the cornea in my left eye is less than what is normally expected of a person having my spectacle power (er.. I mean the refractive error of the cornea). At the counselling, Dr. Venkatesh Prajna, the surgeon advised me not to go for the treatment. I was disappointed.

"Idhi aata kaththa kaadhu sir" he told us, meaning 'Sir, this is not an issue to play with'. He explained us patiently all the terms and the risk involved. Laser treatment is actually removing the thickness of the cornea. My left eye cornea is already less thicker than expected. He assured me that this is not a defect but something unique. He said that it might give problems after 1.5-2 years if I chose to go for the operation. If such a problem comes then it can't be cured by anything, even by spectacles. Later, he said he had explained all these things for my sake as I tend to get disappointed.

However what impressed me was the responsibility shown by the doctor, despite the possibility of earning 35K. The doc, also commented about the money mindedness of the hospitals including a leading eye hospital in Chennai. It has become a big business in Coimbatore, he said.

One interesting thing to note here is, a few of the astrologers predicted that I have some problem in my left eye and I should be wearning spectacles/lens till the end. It is turning out to be that way. I won't lose hope though. I believe in Jyothisha and have good regards for it but I won't make my decisions based on that alone coz I believe more in God than that. After all, astrology is a science discovered by man.