Title: Wishing to wake up being able to see Author: Kelli Konzen I am a 26 year old who has been wearing glasses since age 7. My vision is so poor that I have no other choice but to wear glasses or contacts at all times. Each morning I wake up I have to physically pick up my alarm clock and bring it within a few inches of my face to view the time. Needless to say, my eye sight is horrible. LASIK would greatly improve my quality of life by making my normal every day activities easier and more carefree. I have just recently been diagnosed with chronic dry eyes by Dr. Michael D. Boehm, MD, at Eye Surgeons Associates. Due to the chronic condition I have been told that I will have to use Restasis (chronic dry eye treatment) for the remainder of my life if I wish to continue wearing contacts. To make matters worse that cost per month for Restasis is quite costly. As a recent graduate of a Doctorate of Physical Therapy program I am tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Any additional monthly bill contributes to the stress of my current financial situation. LASIK has been a long term goal of mine. Due to the costly procedure however, it is not an achievable goal for me anytime in the near future. Each and every morning I wake up worrying and thinking about how my eyes are going to look and feel for the day. Judging how my eyes feel upon waking up in the morning is the determining factor for whether or not I will be able to wear my contacts versus my glasses. Working in a hospital setting, which is already a dry environment, makes for a struggle if I decide to wear my contacts for the day. My eyes become very blood shot and irritated during a days work of wearing contacts. I often get the question, "you look tired, did you sleep okay last night?". I have taken the privilege of being able to wear contacts for granted. I now go through each day worrying about when I will have time to put drops in my eyes (as I have to on average about 5-6 times each day for comfort) and which days I will be able to wear my contacts which I prefer over my glasses. I would consider it a blessing to have LASIK. My each and every day would be a much easier, less stressful, worry free day. LASIK would benefit my life tremendously and assist me in continuing to provide my patients with the highest quality of care they deserve so they too can carry on with a better quality of life. Please consider me a candidate for the free LASIK! I greatly appreciate your time spent reading my essay! Thank you, Kelli Konzen