Anytime I spoke with someone who has had LASIK, they each said it was the best thing they have ever done and wished they had it done sooner. Now that I have had the procedure I find myself saying the same words to others.

Truly, it was the best thing I could have done for myself and my only regret is that I waited so long to get it done.

As an Offensive Lineman for the Utah Falconz, having perfect vision is imperative; if I can’t see the ball snap then I’m literally in a world of hurt. My contacts were always dry, causing eye irritation and unreliable blurry vision, which made playing football hard. I had to start wearing glasses because I could no longer rely on contacts and my eyes needed a break from the constant dry-eye itchiness. Boy, it was so difficult to play football with glasses; you lose peripheral vision, the frames pinch your face inside the helmet, shift around while playing and adjusting them through a facemask is difficult. I was frustrated because contacts didn’t feel like an option anymore but I dreaded having to put my helmet on around my glasses. Finally, after several months of worrying about contacts and glasses during football practice, I decided I needed to look into LASIK before the regular season started.

During my first consultation, I knew this was the best option for me and Hoopes was the place to do it. I was instantly impressed with the facility and everyone working there. They had my best interest in mind and worked with me to heal my eye dryness before my surgery, never once pressuring me to get the surgery before it was good to do so. When it did come to booking the surgery, I told them I had football games right around the corner and they worked to schedule my surgery as soon as possible to give me plenty of time before the first game to ensure my peepers were in tip-top shape. The day of my surgery I was very nervous, but the staff and doctors explained everything thoroughly. They walked me through each step making sure I understood what was going to happen so there were no surprises. I was floored by how quickly my vision improved after the procedure; it was instantaneous. I was in awe by how vividly I could see things I thought I saw clearly with contacts. Spoiler alert: your contacts are holding out on you. My vision is now better than 20/20 and the world looks like a whole new, very clear place.

My first football practice was the real test, but I found I wasn’t thinking of my vision at all. Imagine that- I was focused on the game and not if my contacts were going to slide around or go blurry. I wasn’t concerned with the lack of peripheral vision as the ball snapped and wasn’t worrying about my glasses fogging up or slipping down my face. I was able to focus on practice, which is exactly what I needed. Having unobstructed clear vision has been miraculous and it’s a huge boost to the confidence. I go into games now knowing I will be able to see with zero issues and do not miss all the “what if’s” associated with wearing contacts. I could not be happier with my decision to get LASIK and recommend Hoopes to anyone with poor vision. Particularly if you’re an athlete, you owe it to yourself and your sport to look into LASIK. I promise you will be telling others that you wish you had done it sooner.