The eyes have it. I mean ... have HAD it.

What's the deal with turning 43, 44, 45 and having your eyes go south? Who thought THAT was a good idea? I'm almost 48 now and I can't see a darn thing without some kind of correction for near or farsightedness.

I've had to wear glasses since I was 10 or 12 for seeing far away. I got used it. Didn't like it, but dealt with it. But the cool thing was I could see up REAL close for detail work on art projects or just for reading. NOW I gotta have corrections for both distances. (Unless I'm like 5 inches away from something.) Not to mention, I have about a million floaties in each eye.

This is a heck of a condition for someone who makes his living with his eyes as a photographer.

I've been thinking of getting that LASIK surgery for correcting my farsightedness. But then, I'm told, you can't see up close anymore and will always need reading glasses. But since I already need bifocals, I guess that's a moot point.

However, I DO use the 5 inch distance PERFECT vision I still have for looking at the back of my digital camera to check photo exposures. So now the question is, do I get LASIK and see well at a distance, but suffer the loss of ALL close up vison?

Has anyone out there who is about my age had LASIK? If so, what do you think of your results? Can you see up close without reading glasses? If not, is it worth the loss of close up vision to get perfect distance vision? And just how wonderful is it to have a doctor futz around in your eyeballs while you are awake thru the whole process? For the lack of a better phrase, I can just "see" it now. I'd sneeze during the most critical moment of the laser surgery and the doctor would pull back his hand with a puddle of goo that used to be my left eye and opine, "Oh, well, let's try the next eye."

When will they come up with that eye drop stuff Bones McCoy mentioned to Captain Kirk in one of those Star Trek movies? You know, that stuff that fixes your vision with a couple of drops? Why isn't technology keeping up with my eyes' needs?!? I'm a Boomer, d@mmit! We're not supposed to have to age like our parents did!