suddenly I see
Let’s just skip the whole song and dance where I apologize for letting an entire fiscal quarter go by since I last wrote, shall we? You already know I’m very sorry !!!!
A lot has happened since we last got dinner.
This summer, I had the honor and priv of being cast in season 1 of OVERCOMPENSATING on Prime created by Benito Skinner :) We shot in Toronto so I was traveling back and forth between there and NYC a bit in July and August. I really think the girls are gonna love this show — it’s hilarious, horny and heartfelt, and my character Mimi was a dream role… and NOT just because she’s young as hell. I won’t give too much away, but let’s just say she loves music and making bold HMU choices. <3
Last month, I went to Italy for a friend’s 40th birthday, along with a few of my nearest and dearest. We stayed at a comically stunning villa straight out of CMBYN / Saltburn / Succession (“BOAR ON THE FLOOR!!!”) in a part of Tuscany called Cortona. After that, three of us went to Rome for two days before returning home. The whole trip pretty much revolved around food, wine and vibes — 10/10, highly recommend.
There are definitely other memorable moments of the past few months to share, but what I really want to tell you is that I GOT LASIK. That’s right, after two annoying decades of glasses and contacts, I finally said enough is ENOUGH.
It’s been a long time coming though. My dad got it almost 20 years ago (early adopter alert) and I remember seeing him after his surgery with crazy bandages over both swollen eyes and tears streaming down his face. He turned to me and said “Julia, it’s a miracle! I can see!!!” He looked so happy and horrifying at the same time. My brother followed suit about six years ago too with successful results.
Their reviews, along with a handful of friends who said they wished they had done it sooner, was enough for me to schedule a consultation in August. Four actually, across Manhattan and Brooklyn. While most of them pitched the same spiel, I decided to go with The Big One, the one with multiple offices and a national network that lets you return free of charge if you need adjustments or aftercare. I made the appointment for three weeks later.
Day of was simple. The only thing they ask you to do beforehand is not wear contacts for 72 hours because like a sock on a foot all day, contacts leave an imprint on your cornea. I was nervy but more excited than anything. Yes, I was having surgery on the gelatin balls in my head, but I was finally going to be able to wake up in the morning and see everything clearly! I must have entered the operating room with anxious energy because the second I got under the machine, and the doctor asked me if I was praying. When I told him no, he said “okay, then I’m gonna need you to stop moving your hands so much.”
Over the next four minutes, they numbed my eyeballs then propped my eyelids open with little suction cups to prevent me from blinking as they peeled back my corneas. Once the incisions were made, they led me to another nearby machine where the actual lasers shot little squiggly lights that looked like fireworks into each eye for about 30 seconds. They reattached my corneal flaps, taped these plastic shields over my eyes and that was that. I put on the medical-grade, BRAT-coded sunglasses they gave me, slid into an Uber and was home by 4pm. And while I was totally fine being there solo (despite my inappropriate bodega guy’s offer to come with), it woulda been nice to have had someone with me. Someone to guide me into a car and tuck me into bed and have food ready when I woke up later that night.
The next 24 hours weren’t painful but they were uncomfortable. It felt almost impossible to fully open my eyes because they were so dry and raw, and when I did tears would immediately pour out. The one upside was that I physically couldn’t look at any screens for a day…. hey babe, wanna be less addicted to your phone? Just get eye surgery!! For the rest of the week, I carefully followed all the instructions — I showered with goggles on to prevent water exposure, wore sunglasses around the clock even in my bright ass apartment and applied prescription drops on the hour.
Then on the third morning, I accidentally did the one thing you’re NOT supposed to do, the biggest no-no of all, as I was waking up: I rubbed my eyes. It was maybe for one second but I immediately freaked out that I had detached something and just blinded myself. I scheduled a follow-up exam the next day and they assured me nothing happened and that my eyes were just really dry.
This was all six weeks ago. And here’s the part that I kinda don’t want to tell you. My vision? Still not perfect... It’s better! Definitely better, but not 20/20 yet. Actually it appears to still be changing. Sometimes things look sharp and clear and other times I find myself squinting to read a sign or wanting to look away from a bright street light at night. Apparently, the healing process takes a few months and until then your eyes may feel different from day to day. So I guess we’ll just have to wait… and see.
[Sorry if this was a really boring post lol. I realize that the only people who might be interested in this are those considering Lasik themselves, and I may have only added to your hesitation, but I’m honestly happy to answer any questions you have. Sending love, light and good vision <3]