I love this. I hate this. My hand hurts and I lack my normal sleeping pattern.
This is all what happens to me and how I feel once a book consumes my mind. Its like a horrible infection that I love at the same time. I know the hubby loves it when he is home, it gives him a reason to play NCAA more because I am distracted.
Right now I am gearing up to shift the book to a whole new place (an actual place). With preparation comes time and detail. A person cannot just travel somewhere and not be prepared.
When a book consumes the majority of your brain, that is when you know you are an author. While I was at the gym I was plotting what to do next in the book, in what order. Never have I written down an outline because most of it remains in my head. I guess one good thing I have is a memory associated with words.
So far, this new style of book is going well. It will be one of my longest books because its been almost 100 pages and still no physical action has been written. But, it is moving quickly. A lot has happened. I have not felt this good writing a book over a year. I hope I don't lose this feeling.
Well, I best get back to writing. I hope my mind will let it leave my brain so I can actually get some sleep tonight. Goal is to reach page 100 by Sunday night. That means only 15 pages to write, which is a lot when I work 8 hours for the next three days.
I hope every writer feels this feeling of obsession, a need to write and the feel of happiness while writing.
Sometimes a slight adjustment could work. It was great hearing how you know this feeling and yes, it is terrible being interrupted because you lose a sense of where you were when writing. Happy writing to you Charliann and thank you for following my blog.


Last Friday, I had LASIK eye surgery performed on my eyes. The results were both immediate and impressive. Here's how it went down.
A couple weeks ago, I decided to go ahead with LASIK after several friends had undergone the surgery. Several friends and coworkers (including my wife) recommended Dr. Michael Furlong in Campbell, California.
The Monday of the week prior to my operation, I went in for a consultation to determine if I would be a candidate for LASIK or CustomLASIK (a more recent innovation in LASIK allowing the correction of higher order aberrations in the eye). At the consultation, they determined that I fit the requirements for CustomLASIK. The main requirement that I'm aware of for CustomLASIK (in addition to those requirements for traditional LASIK) is to not have thin corneas. The minimum corneal thickness desired is 500 microns (average thickness is 520 microns). Luckily, my corneas were in the 580 micron ball park. Everything else checked out and they agreed that they could improve my -8.5 D (left eye) and -9.5 D (right eye) myopia and astigmatism (which is bad enough that the 20/something rating isn't used anymore - it's somewhat worse than 20/4000). They also went through a PowerPoint presentation (or something similar) complete with animations showing me how the operation would proceed as well as the statistical data of patients needing enhancements (additional operations - which was a very low percentage) and other similar information. The staff was very open and answered all my questions. My visit ended with a brief introduction to Dr. Furlong who was happy to answer any questions that his staff hadn't answered yet. By that time, I had run out of questions. It was kind of nice to meet him face to face as my consultation.
The Tuesday before my operation (St. Valentine's Day), I went in for my full preoperative examination. During the hour at the office, they measured my exact prescription (with my eyes dilated), produced a wavefront mapping (a picture of how light rays are refracted by my eyes), and did a few other tests to check the health of my eyes. Having completed that, I was ready for the operation (and I got a recipe for Orzo Risotto while waiting for my eyes to dilate).
On the day of the surgery, I arrived at the doctor's office at around 10:40am (and was on my way home by 11:45am). After signing my release forms, I paid for the operation and was given a small pill (supposedly, a fast acting sedative). I placed the pill under my tongue and waited with Tina in the waiting room for a few more minutes. Then I was taken into a ready room where my eye lids were sterilized and a few final instructions (which I don't remember) were given to me.
They noticed that I was still quite anxious, so they asked if I wanted another sedative. Since the first one was obviously a placebo (or I'm immune to sedatives), I agreed to a second one.
To help calm me down, the staff (and the gentleman prepped for operation before me) chatted with me. As the other gentleman was taken into the operating room, the staff continued to talk to me about chocolate and food. I'm not sure how much time passed as I talked about potatoes and protein content in vegetables.
Soon, I was taken into a dimly lit room where a man (who turned out to be Dr. Furlong) entered and applied some eye drops (anesthetic drops, I think). After a few more minutes of talking about food, I was ushered into the operating room.
Dr. Furlong asked me to sit and lie down on an operating bench. After lying down, I asked for something to hold onto. They gave me a Nerf football to squeeze.
They covered up my right eye and then started with my left eye. Dr. Furlong explained each step of the operation. First they insert something to keep the eye open (so you can't blink) called an eyelid speculum. Suction is then applied to the eye (to keep it from moving) and a device called a microkeratome cuts through the top of the cornea to form a 160 micron flap. The flap is folded up and a computer controlled laser reshapes the internal corneal tissue through a series of quick blasts. The flap is then folded back down and the eye immediately starts to heal.
What I remember, is tiny pin pricks as Dr. Furlong put the device on me that pulls open my eye lids. I remember casually commenting that I could feel that and the numbing eye drops might not be working. Dr. Furlong reminded me that they didn't numb my eye lids and to please look at the blinking red dot. I looked up (which was straight ahead since I was lying down), and saw a blinking red dot surrounded by a bluish white circle or insanely bright light. It seemed to me that the circle of light was so bright that the rest of the world turned dark as my eye adjusted to the brightness of the light.
Then Dr. Furlong said I'd feel some pressure and the lights would go out (probably not what he said, but I don't remember the exact words he used). Everything started to get dark and within a couple seconds I couldn't see anything anymore - the world had faded out to black. I swear Dr. Furlong asked me to keep looking at the red dot - but there was nothing to look at. I might have remembered incorrectly since I did have a double dose of sedatives.
At this point, I felt something rotating on my eye (the microkeratome). No pain, no irritating, I just felt the movement. Then the world started to fade back and the circle of light with the red dot was back - except now it had both a crisp and hazy quality to it.
Then there was a repetitive buzzing, cracking sound and a strobing light that seemed to come from a different direction every time it went off. This seemed to take a lot longer than I expected. It was probably less than a minute, but it seemed to take a quite a while. At the same time, I could start to smell a light odor that reminded me of melting rubber. I was later told I was smelling the burning flesh. There was a device that was vacuuming up most of the smell from the air.
Through the whole operation, Dr. Furlong's voice was there telling me what to do (look at the red light). Meanwhile, I kept thinking: What happens if I accidentally stop looking at the red light? Keep looking at the light; keep looking at the light. Should I be squeezing the football this hard? Being a primarily visual person (and generally nervous when it comes to my eyes � so nervous I never even tried contact lenses because I couldn�t abide the thought of sticking my fingers in my eyes everyday), I usually just close my eyes when I want to avoid an uncomfortable situation or to calm down. Well, unfortunately, I couldn�t � I was forced to watch the blinking red light.
Then the flap was replaced and Dr. Furlong started swabbing my eye with something. I don't know what he was doing, but it just looked like he kept brushing my eyeball - like when I'm cleaning the CCD of my Nikon D100, except instead of doing it once, he kept swabbing and swabbing. He explained that the corneal flap was sealing itself (like a living bandage). Then he stopped and released the eye so I could finally close it.
The operation was repeated on my right eye, but much faster (it seemed).
In less than ten minutes from when I laid down, I sat back up and was told I could open my eyes (because I had closed them as soon as possible). I opened my eyes and could actually see! It looked like I had a soft focus lens on though. The staff noticed that I was quite pale and gave me a Kern�s Mango Nectar. I have to say, I was pretty freaked out over the whole experience, but I made it through.
After a few quick checks, Dr. Furlong had his assistants tape these plastic shields on my eyes (to keep me from accidentally rubbing them) and released me. I don't actually remember much else - I think after the adrenaline wore off, the double dose of sedatives finally kicked in.
The next morning, when I woke up, I opened my eyes and was amazed. The world wasn't perfectly crisp, but I could focus on basically everything I wanted to. The image I could see would be sharp and slightly hazy at the same time. (As if I had a sharp, high-resolution image superimposed with a blurry one.) I was most amazed by the ability to look around without moving my head. (When wearing glasses, the only part of the world that was in focus was the area covered by the lenses. That meant looking up, down, left, or right meant the world was out of focus.) Now, with my post-surgery eyes, I could see - it was amazing. Plus everything within four feet of me looked much bigger than ever. With glasses, everything seemed to have been shrunk, but now, everything was bigger than life.
I went in for my first post-operation examination and there it was determined that I had 20/20 vision in my left eye and 20/15 vision in my right eye. They told me the haziness was due to inflammation and would reduce over time as my eyes healed.
Good to hear things went ok for you!!
Subject: Did you find out?
Did you ask what would happen if you didn't focus on the red dot?
In the current issue of Make magazine Tim O'Reilly writes a little bit about his recent LASIK experience. He said the doctor told him that if he didn't look at the light the laser would detect that and would automatically shut off.
I know this is kind of off topic, but that picture of those flowers is very pretty.
I took am very anxious when it comes to my eyes... your story was very encouraging. Great to hear such good news.
5 years ago, at almost age 50 and with coke bottle glasses near sightedness, I went for it, too. I did it when it was "experimental" and they only did one eye at a time.
During surgery the little red light was a problem. One of my eyes is "lazy" and wanders a bit. I thought I was focused on the light, but the eye was actually moving. 5 years ago the laser did not shut off for this, but the doctor sternly warned me to re-focus, which I could not do. He had to stop and let me get re-oriented a couple times.
Eye one was easy. Eye two was horrible, but it all worked out. Somehow right after surgery, when the flap was floating, my eye lid had a spasm that tore it loose. It felt like tobasco in my eye for several hours until the doctor saw it, freaked out, carefully replaced the flap. He was not happy with it and said there was a micro-wrinkle. I was just happy to get the tobasco pain out of my eye.
After healing, the vision was fine - superb. I had my eyes treated differently - one for near vision and one for far vision. It took all of about a week to get used to it and pay little attention to the difference.
Now, 5 years later, I have had to get fitted for reading glasses. The near vision is slipping due to aging of the lens in both eyes. I can still do without glasses entirely, but when tired I have too much fatigue reading without correction. My doctor said I should never need bifocals or distance glasses the rest of my life! That is awesome.
All in all, this is a wonderful new technology that can correct a disability for life. It is well worth the cost, even the very high cost I paid to be an early adopter.
I got LASIK done a year and a half ago. I'm quite happy and don't regret it at all, but I did notice that the sight in my right eye degraded a bit a few months after the surgery... I can still pass a 20/20 test but my left eye is a definitely clearer than my right eye. When I went back for my checkup, the eye doctor said it was still within parameters and the difference was so small that it isn't even measurable by the LASIK machine (in other words I couldn't get it corrected).
My only complaint is the halos that I see when driving at night from street lamps, oncoming cars, traffic lights, etc. My eyes are just ultra-sensitive to high contrast situations now, like watching a brightly lit TV screen in a dark room. It's something I've gotten used to though, and overall, it's a hell of a lot better than having to wear glasses (which have their own visual aberrations).
Can you post a follow up article about the haziness associated with the healing process?
I just had PRK done on both of my eyes this past Thursday and thought I would share my perspectives. For those who aren't familiar, PRK stands for Photorefractive Keratectomy. A similar procedure called Laser-Assisted Sub-Epithelial Keratectomy (LASEK) differs from PRK in whether the epithelium is preserved. The epithelium, is a soft, rapidly regrowing, outermost layer of the cornea in contact with the air. The epithelium can completely replace itself within a few days. Both PRK and LASEK permanently change the shape of the anterior (outermost) central cornea using an excimer laser to ablate (burn off) a small amount of tissue from the corneal stroma at the front of the eye, just under the corneal epithelium. In both PRK and LASEK, the epithelium is softened (with alcohol) and detached from the eye and removed prior to the ablation. In PRK, the epithelium is discarded. In LASEK, the epithelium is preserved and replaced after the laser ablation is complete. By comparison the epithelium is preserved in LASIK, which accounts for the rapid return of visual acuity for those lucky enough to qualify for LASIK.
Because it does not involve a permanent flap in the deeper corneal layers, (as in LASIK), the cornea's structural integrity is less altered, but there is more pain and visual recovery is slower. PRK does not run the risk of dislocated corneal flaps which may infrequently occur with trauma even years after LASIK.
I opted for PRK after two different Laser Surgery centers determined that my corneas were slightly too thin. The actual procedure was relatively uneventful. I was given a valium pill just moments before I went to the operating table. The valium was less about anxiety during the procedure and more about making sure I was nice and sleepy by the time I got home. The procedure involved the aforementioned alcohol treatment to remove the epithelium. During this step, a disc was pressed onto my eye for about 10 or 15 seconds so I couldn't see anything. Once the epithelium was removed, I was told to focus on the red light, which was blurry throughout the whole process. For whatever reason, I found it pretty easy to focus on the blurry light. The doctor's assistant counted down through the procedure so I knew how much time was left.
Once the laser was done, the doctor washed out my eye with a cold saline wash and then inserted a very thin contact lens that stayed in my eyes for the next four days. She repeated everything on my left eye and I was done in less than 10 minutes.
I started feeling discomfort in the car on the way home. I have to say, the pain was pretty bad that night (Thursday) and through the next day (Friday). The doctor had prescribed oxycodone and I was glad I had it. Every time I took a pill, I ended up sleeping for a couple of hours. I was told that sleep is good for recovery in PRK. I was also given four different types of drops to use: a steroid (7 day use), an antibiotic (7 day use), a pain reliever (4 day use), and natural tears (use as needed from here on).
I went in for my follow up the next morning (Friday) and my vision was about 20/20 in one eye and 20/25 in the other. They were surprised to see my vision this good since I had no epithelium. They said that my vision would proceed to get worse over the next couple of days while the epithelium grew back over my pupil.
By the morning of the third day (Saturday) the pain was subsiding, but the blurriness they talked about appeared. I gave up on watching TV that day and pretty much listened to books on tape all day. Sunday, the third day, was more of the same, with clarity getting better in one eye. By the morning of the fourth day (Monday) I could see fairly well in both eyes and I opted to go back to work. Don't get me wrong, things were still blurry, but I could still read the computer screen.
I went back to have the contact lenses removed on that fourth day (Monday). They checked my vision before removing the lenses and my vision had degraded (as compared to day 1) to about 20/30 in one eye and 20/40 in the other. Again, this was just the blurriness caused by the healing epithelium. Once they removed the contacts, I could feel the grittiness of the epithelium. No pain, just kinda like there was some small dust particles under my lids.
So here I am at day 6 and according to the eye chart on the wall, I'm at about 20/25 and 20/30 in my left and right eyes, respectively. They are getting better by the day. I'm told they should both settle in close to 20/20 over the next couple of weeks.
Obviously, PRK is a much more painful, more lengthy recovery than LASIK. If I had to do it over, I'd probably opt to do one eye at a time, just so I wouldn't have to deal with the blurry vision for so long. Other than that, t's still worth it to me in the long run.
Great article! The graphics totally help! Please give a followup post like a month later. I'm especially curious about the night vision/halo effects.
If there's a suction holding your eye still, why do you still have to look at the red light?
Subject: Modern technology is Great!
That is just wonderful! Good for you. Now no more dirty glasses to clean. You can steam those creations without fogging up your glasses. B) No more specs to lose on the top of your head. Enjoy your New World. :shock: I am happy for you.
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. Now I have some more info to take to take to the eye doctor and know what to expect. Does anyone know of Lasik correction for farsightedness? Would the procedure have to be repeated as the patient ages? Keeping track of several pairs of glasses is annoying. Congratulations on your vision freedom!
I had mine done last year. I can see very well now, however I now have developed "dry eyes" and require a prescription for Restasis and it's not cheap. It does work though. The added solution was punctal plugs for the tear duct drains to keep the fluid in my eyes instead of letting it drain. Well, my left eye is so wet that I need to frequently wipe it dry and my right eye still needs additional drops. I'd rather have my glasses back. Hope works out well for you.
I had LASIK 8 years ago (I was 22 at the time). My doctor explained every detail to me before the operation (not during) so I was pretty well prepared (the doctor also did my fathers cataract). Anyway my experience was very similar to yours only I didn't get any sedatives and I did one eye at a time (week apart).
I personally recommend this treatment to anyone who can go through it, I found it really helpful and enjoyed it a great deal. Even now 8 years after removing my glasses (for good) I still get to bed late at night and start looking for my glasses on my nose. I'm not sure if I see exactly the same as before, but it doesn't matter since its good enough and I can ride my motorcycle.
Wow! Thank you for taking us with you on that journey. I am much more comfortable considering this now. I have contacts, but they get expensive after awhile. You are a wonderful writer, by the way! And if those flowers are part of your portfolio, a great photographer, too!
That was very informational and useful. I have been considering it for a while but like you, I'm a person who is afraid of doing anything to my eyes and never had contacts for that reason.
Some have told me after 40, it's perhaps too late for it. We'll see. Your post helped, though.
Subject: Your Lasik play by play!
I have your website link on my SBC homepage and of course i peek in everyday. You certainly painted a very exact albeit nerve racking picture of Lasik! I appreciated the play by play style because i dont know too many people who've had the procedure done.
Heres to seeing clearly, all that life has to offer!
Huge tip for LASIK recipients and anyone.
My eye doctor just told me to try an over the counter drop called Systane as it is the best eye moisturizer available. He said it will literally improve vision especially when the eyes are tired, after work, driving home.
Ever skeptical, but impressed by his enthusiasm (he did not even sell the stuff) I bought a dual-bottle box for about $9 on my way home from work a few days ago.
I dropped in one drop in each eye and found the stuff was a bit "goopy" in my eye. That lasted for a couple minutes then my vision cleared and (how do I do bold here?) WOW! It really worked! My vision was truly sharper. I could literally see individual twigs on trees several blocks away. Of course, the vision potential was already in my eyes, but this stuff brought it out to its best.
My next stop was ebay where I found 12 bottles for $20.
this article on LASIK was posted on cooking for engineers, and actually that's not too off-base.
I once had the opportunity to interview the inventor of LASIK, and he told me that the idea for the technique came to him over thanksgiving turkey. He had been wondering about a laser's cutting properties on different types of materials, and while he was at dinner it strck him that the laser might be used to cut flesh. So he wrapped a drumstick in a napkin and took it into the lab the next day. After that, he experimented on beef eyes -- er, cow eyes.
I had the same surgery 2.5 years ago. I couldn't be happier. Be prepared to use a lot of saline drops the 1st 3 to 4 months after because your eyes may be easily irratated for a while. Also, I had this experience (no one else I've talked to seems to have had) that sometimes in the morning I had to pry my eyelids apart with my fingers. If I tried to do it the normal way with the appropriate face muscles it was very uncomfortable, painful even. The only thing that I could figure was that my eye mucus became more viscous for some reason. But don't worry, like I said, no one else I spoke with seems to have had that experience & it eventually passed.
About 8 years ago, my company (who I wasn't with at the time) had an awesome deal for LASIK surgery. It only cost about $100 per eye (ridiculous, I know) and at least half the company got it done. There are 5 people in my group who had it done at that time and would reccomend it to anyone. All of them have had relatively little side affects, the most common being halo's, but they have said it goes away. One of the guys who had it done at the time was over 40 - he may only have 10 years of perfect vision, but the most he'll need after that is reading glasses. I'd say that's a good investment.
I also had Custom Lasik (aka Wavefront) performed by Dr. Furlong in Campbell, CA on Jan. 6, 2006, and am extremely pleased with the results. Let me say right at the start that I have absolutely no connection to Dr. Furlong except that of an incredibly happy patient.
I am 52 years old and have been nearsighted (20/400) for most of my life, wearing contacts since age 16.
After age 45 I needed reading glasses, also. I opted for a procedure called monovision, which has worked perfectly for me, where one eye is corrected to be used for reading and the other for distance. My brain does the sorting out, and I see perfectly, near, far and in between (meaning my computer screen), without realizing I am using one eye or the other.
I have friends who used Dr. Furlong years ago who were thrilled with him, and after talking to him, checking into his experience, education and reputation, as well as looking at other doctors, I am very glad I went with him. His very skilled, experienced, calming, confidence-inspiring "bedside" manner, soothing voice and step-by-step explanation of what was happening and what I would be experiencing put me at ease as we went through the surgery.
The procedure itself was very brief and relatively painless. I followed his instructions exactly, going home and keeping my eyes shut for the rest of the day, using drops as instructed, and then was able to drive myself (!!!) back to his office the very next morning for my checkup. Today, exactly 51 days after my surgery, I have experienced no discomfort or complications and I am still thrilled with my results. I have perfect night vision, no halos at all, no sensitivity to headlights or bright sunlight. I think the risk of those problems is greatly lessened with the new Custom Lasik or Wavefront technology.
I hoped I would be one of the patients who ended up happy with the lasik results, but never dreamed that I would be one of those who came out with better than 20/20 vision - mine is now 20/15!!! I ride horses and bicycle, and have no problems with wind, rain, dust or dryness.
I'd advise anyone interested in lasik to find the most experienced surgeon he can. Dr. Furlong's website at furlongvision dot com has a lot of technical information on the procedure for anyone interested in researching it.
I would say I was sorry I didn't do this sooner, except that I think my great results are to be credited to my surgeon's years of experience and the relatively new Wavefront technology, which has only been FDA-approved in the US for a couple years, I think, though used in other countries for much longer.
Sorry this has been such a lengthy comment, but it's hard to contain my enthusiasm!
I too, had LASIK surgery, with a very similar experience to you, right down to the double dose of Atavin. While on the table though, I had each hand held by an attractive young nurse/assistant (yes , I'm male, and I was in my early twenties at the time), whose only apparent jobs in the OR were to mutter in my ear that everything was just fine. Either they had both been recipients of the procedure, or they had been thouroughly briefed by other patients, because both communicated to me exactly what I should be seeing and feeling, and when I should be seeing and feeling it. It was great knowing that there was two people for whom nobody in the universe mattered more at that point in time.
The downside to this was going into recovery with a light blindfold on. The room was dark, and while there may have been other patients in there, nobody said a single word. After being spoken to constantly for a half an hour, the contrast was marked. A toddler left at preschool for the first time would likely have felt no less abandoned.
But seven years after the fact, I'm still 20/15 using both eyes; there has been no regression at all. And halos haven't been an issue, since I had them in a pretty bad way before the surgery, and LASIK seems actually to have improved them.
I had lasik several years ago, and I went to one of the most highly recommended lasik surgeons. Lasik is far worse than glasses and contacts in every respect. My eyes are less comfortable because of the dryness than they were with either glasses or contacts.
My eyesight is terrible now too. Halos, starburst, smeared and blurry images, unstable refraction that changes throughout the day. I wear contacts now all the time just to get by. My vision will never be the same, and I'll always be uncomfortable. There is no cure.
When people make an irrevocable bad decision they tend to rationalize it. Before I had lasik everyone I'd talked to that had the procedure said they loved it and there were no side effects. But now that I've had it and I mention my side effects I find that others admit they have terrible side effects too. You'll find people who rave about it putting on glasses so they can drive home at night, or that later admit that they need punctal plugs just to deal with the dryness.
Don't be fooled. Contacts are more comfortable, and the vision is much much better.
I wore glass for more than 20 years now. I would like have a clear vision without having to depend on glass. After reading some of the horror experience, I guess I can wait for few more year until they improve the procedures.
I had terrible vision, to the point that a book 1' from my face was readable, and 18" was not. Luckily I qualified for LASIK, (just) and had it done as a 21st bday present. 9 years later, there _is_ some degradation, but it was expected. The doctor (whose name escapes me now) had layed all this ot before hand. I do have some haloing at night, but not dramatically.
This, and changing asthma medications around the same time (seretide is awesome) had a dramatic impact on my life. Playing rugby, which I had done for years, became fun again, as I could see the ball, not just follow the pack. I also had a lot more confidence with women (my glasses were hell dorky). I reccomend LASIK, and the new computer assisted LASIK (which an ex-gf of mine had) heartily.
your experience is really great!! congratulations to you... as a 21yr old tired of wearing heavy specs and messy contacts, i am so tempted to go in for lasik.
i have decided to put a hold on my plans for lasik. i hope people realise the risks involved in going for this (or any other procedure, for that matter). and i hope they understand that probability for risk is not just a number... and they don't end up as a statistic ("the rare 2-3%") themselves.
I had a very similar experience, but I went through an alternate procedure called PRK. They told me on the day of the surgery that the shape of my eye was too flat for the flap to stay in place, so PRK was the best option. The difference is that instead of using the flap, they just scrape off the surface of the eye and let it heal back. They could only do one eye, as the other was not usable for a while.
It hurt more, it took longer to heal, and I still sometimes have dryness issues (two years later), but I don't regret it.
My 64-year-old dad has awful vision, the kind where he can't get out of the bed until he puts on his glasses. He was supposed to have LASIK a few years ago. Imagine his excitement after wearing super-thick glasses his entire adult life thinking that he would be free. The day of the procedure, the doctor mentioned [u:ee534c10e7]for the first time in the consultaion process[/u:ee534c10e7]that because of his particular situation, the results were not likely to last even 5 years. He ended up cancelling, but was unbelievably disappointed. So check and double-check on this issue before you go under the red dot!
BE VERY CAREFUL with any refractive eye surgery. Doing it when you are 21 years old is definitely not recommended because the results will not last. People's vision change even after age 50, and they usually tell you to wait until you are over 40. You can only burn off so much of your cornea with a laser before you end up in trouble. Besides, even if you correct your vision, typically at infinity--distance, YOU WILL STILL NEED READING GLASSES. Sometimes, they correct your eyes for what they call monovision, which means one eye is corrected for distance and the other for close-up like reading. One eye will always be blurred AND you will likely have a depth perception deficit because you only have one clear, well focused eye at a time. If you read a lot, you might have your vision corrected for that, and wear glasses for distance work like driving and everything else you do.
If you have myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness), you may have a good result, but if you also have presbyopia (inability to focus close due to ageing--older than 40 or so), you will either need glasses for reading or distance, depending if you correct your vision for close-up or distance.
BE VERY WARY OF LASIK SURGERY. This type of vision correction is "glamourous" but has noticeable drawbacks, most noteably is that it won't last, you will have a halo or star effect in low light (especially when driving at night where you have oncoming headlights and streetlights) AND you will usually still neeed glasses for something you do with your eyes.
Thanks for a fantastic description of what LASIK is really like from a patient's perspective. You outline fears and expectations that most patients have... particularly about looking at the light during treatment.
I am actually the webmaster for the Lasik MD website. Our site is less personal, but has a neutral, objective presentation of all the common variations of LASIK and a lot of pricing information that is very popular.
I had RK surgery years ago before Lasix was approved in the USA. I opted for the monovision. Worked great. My left eye reads and my right eye does distance. After about 10 years it faded and yes, I do have a starburst effect at night.
The Lasix was to improve the left eyes distance vision. It was more painful then the RK surgery which is now outdated anyway. Dry eye was a problem for me for over a year even with the plug and Restasis drops. I have some dry eye now but its relieved by OTC drops.
Now the Lasix is fading in the left eye and I'm getting farsighted in my right eye.
IN spite of this, I DO recommend both or either surgery. I wear glasses for driving and just purchased OTC glasses for reading the very small print. Beats wearing glasses for the last 15 years. Before the eye surery, I kept my glasses beside the bed; put them on first thing and took them off last thing.
Next time, when I have my vision corrected again, I will definitely spend more time and focus on the expected long term effect. Didn't expect the Lasix to fade and cause so much trouble.
Over the past four years to LASIK industry has seen a stabilization in the average price of the surgery. Beginning in 2006 this industry report showed the average cost of the LASIK procedure to be about $2000. The 2007 report showed a small increase to $2100. The 2008 report showed an almost disregard increase of a mere five dollars, and the 2009 report showed the average cost of San Diego Lasik to be $2140. Overall, the last three years have only shown an average increase in $40.
RK procedures have not existed long enough to establish MTBF in human lifespans. At 55 and having myopia requiring correction since the 3rd grade - I'll let you early adopters establish the data pool. Perhaps my grand kids or great-grand kids will have the procedure.
Additionally, I have an airman's license and eye surgery is a primary disqualification for license renewal (or, issuance). I'll keep my glasses.
Hi thank you for your story. I am also interested on lasik surgery. I am kind of hesitant though because I am afraid. Anyways congratulations to the success of your surgery!
I think its kinda scary to get LASIK. I know some have said its worked woinders for them but its so easy for them to ruin your eyes BY MISTAKE!!


The CDM Regulations 2015 impose duties on clients, designers (and Principal Designers) and contractors (and Principal Contractors) undertaking construction projects within Great Britain.
In Northern Ireland, the CDMNI 2016 Regulations apply.
The Health and Safety Executive provides guidance to clients, designers or contractors working in the construction industry on a wide range of issues.
Click here to view a list of publications on the HSE website.
HSE has supported the CDM 2015 Regulations with their Guidance document "Managing health and safety in construction – Construction design and Management) Regulations 201 – Guidance on Regulations" – L153.


text:
Jabulani Linje (7 de novembre de 1994) és un futbolista de Malawi.

Selecció de Malawi
Va debutar amb la selecció de Malawi el 2017. Va disputar 7 partits amb la selecció de Malawi.

Estadístiques

Referències

Persones de Malawi
Futbol a Malawi
Futbolistes africans
Naixements del 1994

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


It's Wednesday! Time for a Megadimension Neptunia VII site update!
Visit http://ideafintl.com/nep-v2/characters and get to know the new heroines of Megadimension, Uzume, Orange Heart, and Older Neptune! (Not recommended for mobile viewing).


text:
Europe's 5G delayed by trade war and security reviews, says Tele2 CEO
By Esha Vaish
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The rollout of 5G services across Europe has being slowed by U.S. sanctions against Huawei and as European governments review the impact of using Chinese equipment, the head of Swedish telecoms group Tele2 said.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration had targeted Huawei
"We have a global supply chain, so whoever you buy equipment from you will find components from China. Even if we buy equipment from Ericsson, which is our neighbour here, you will find Chinese hardware and parts in that equipment,"
INTERVIEW-Europe's 5G delayed by trade war and security reviews, says Tele2 CEO
STOCKHOLM — The rollout of 5G services across Europe has being slowed by U.S. sanctions against Huawei and as European governments review the impact of using Chinese...
Canada Dot Com 2019-07-01
Swedbank cuts dividend amid money laundering fallout
By Esha Vaish STOCKHOLM, July 17 (Reuters) - Swedbank said on Wednesday it will cut the amount of dividends it pays from profits and set new targets to strengthen its...
Ericsson warns on negative margin impact, shares fall 7%
By Helena Soderpalm STOCKHOLM, July 17 (Reuters) - Telecoms equipment maker Ericsson posted quarterly earnings in line with forecasts but said it expected costs related to...
Sweden's EQT targets Asia Pacific as IPO decision looms
By Esha Vaish and Pamela Barbaglia STOCKHOLM/LONDON, July 3 (Reuters) - High above Stockholm's skyline, Sweden's EQT Partners is plotting the next chapter in its rapid rise...
EXCLUSIVE-Sweden\'s EQT targets Asia Pacific as IPO decision looms
By Esha Vaish and Pamela Barbaglia STOCKHOLM/LONDON, July 3 (Reuters) - High above Stockholm's skyline, Sweden's EQT Partners is plotting the next chapter in its rapid rise from a Nordic-focused investor to the world's seventh-biggest buyout firm, with a focus on growth in the Asia Pacific region. With 40 billion euros ($45 billion) under management, EQT has quietly transformed...
Norway\'s Telenor CEO sees decision on 5G supplier in fourth-quarter
By Gwladys Fouche OSLO (Reuters) - Telenor expects to decide on its supplier of 5G technology in the fourth quarter of 2019, its CEO told Reuters, despite having as yet no clarification from Norwegian authorities as to whether Huawei can be one of them. The Nordic country's government has for months been assessing measures to reduce potential vulnerabilities in its telecoms...
Handelsbanken net profit squeezed by rising costs in Q2
July 17 (Reuters) - Sweden's Handelsbanken reported a marginally bigger-than-expected fall in net earnings on Wednesday as rising spending and a slower-than-anticipated rise in interest income overshadowed stronger commissions in the quarter. Second-quarter net profit fell to 4.22 billion Swedish crowns ($449.4 million) from 5.23 billion crowns a year earlier, narrowly missing...
Europe\'s 5G roll-out is being delayed by trade war, Huawei pressure and security reviews, says ...
The roll-out of 5G services across Europe has been slowed by US sanctions against Huawei and as European governments review the impact of using Chinese equipment, the head of Swedish telecoms group Tele2 said.US President Donald Trump's administration had targeted Huawei on security grounds but a partial lifting of restrictions was a key element of a weekend agreement to reopen...
Tele2: A Hold For This Potentially High-Yielding Company
In this article, we'll take a look at one of the largest Scandinavian telecommunications companies. Those of you that know my articles know that I love Telenor (OTCPK:TELNF) (OTCPK:TELNY) and Telia (OTCPK:TLSNF) (OTCPK:TLSNY). Well, another company I really love in the sector, and these three companies really represent my European telecommunications investments (apart from...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, known as EULEX Kosovo or simply as EULEX, is the largest civilian mission ever launched under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union. EULEX supports selected Kosovo rule of law institutions on their path towards increased effectiveness, sustainability, multi-ethnicity and accountability, free from political interference and in full compliance with international human rights standards and best European practices through monitoring activities and limited executive functions with the aim of handing over remaining tasks to other long-term EU instruments and phasing out residual executive functions. The Mission's mandate covered the period until 14 June 2020 based on Council Decision CFSP 2018/856 and has been extended to 14 June 2021 by Council Decision CFSP 2020/792. EULEX works within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

History
A 1,800 to 1,900 strong mission was approved by the European Council on 14 December 2007. This was later increased to 2,000 personnel due to the instability for the lack of an agreement with Serbia. It consisted of police officers (including four anti-riot units), prosecutors and judges - hence focusing on issues on the rule of law, including democratic standards.

The final decision on the mission was planned to be taken on 28 January 2008. This was postponed due to concerns over possible negative effects on the second round of the presidential election in Serbia on 3 February 2008 and the possible signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement with Serbia on that date. The officially voiced reason for the postponement was the lack of a legal basis for the mission. A Joint Action was approved on 4 February 2008 and the final decision was made on 16 February 2008 (a joint action is a method of implementing the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and are binding on member states).

EULEX was therefore set up in February 2008 to support local institutions in the rule of law, right after the self-declared independence by Kosovo on 17 February 2008. After signing a five-point plan between Serbia and the UN, the UN Security Council approved the addition of EULEX as an assistance mission subjected to UNMIK, rather than outright replacing it.

The Mission included around 3,200 police and judicial personnel (1,950 international, 1,250 local), and began a four-month deployment process on 16 February 2008. In September 2012, the Kosovo Assembly voted to extend EULEX to 2014. In April 2014, the Kosovo Assembly once again voted to extend EULEX's mandate, this time until June 2016. The European Council then decided to extend the mandate of the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo until 14 June 2018, before extending it again in June 2018 until 14 June 2020, with an allocated budget of EUR 83.6 million that will cover the EULEX Kosovo mission's expenditure for the implementation of its new mandate in Kosovo.

Current Head of Mission of EULEX is the Swedish diplomat Lars-Gunnar Wigemark.

Heads of Mission of EULEX

Contributing States
EULEX is supported by all 27 European Union Member States and five Contributing States (Canada, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States).

However, some EU countries do not recognize Kosovo as a State.

Spain for instance did not take part in the EULEX mission, since legal questions over how it replaces the UN administration have not been answered, according to the Spanish government. Furthermore, political issues related to the independence claims of the Catalonia region prevented Spain from recognizing Kosovo a self-declared independent State. In June 2008, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos told in a meeting of European Union Foreign Ministers in Slovenia that Spain would not send its contingent to the EULEX mission until there has been a formal transfer of powers from the United Nations.

The other EU countries that do not recognize Kosovo are Greece, Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia.

Political context

The EU has been divided on whether to recognize an independent Kosovo without international and Serbian approval. The Stabilization and Association Agreement with Serbia  was seen as ensuring the unity of the EU on the question, however the Presidency announced it would not amount to recognition of an independent Kosovo

EULEX is legally based on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, which introduced the international rule of Kosovo in 1999. However, the Mission, which was previously planned to be covered by the Security Council's approval of the Ahtisaari proposal, has not received a new UN Security Council mandate due to the opposition from Russia. Serbia also views the Mission as an EU recognition of an independent Kosovo

In November 2008, the EU accepted the demand of Serbia not to implement the plan of Ahtisaari through EULEX and to be neutral regarding the status of Kosovo. On the other hand, EULEX will be accepted by Serbia and the UN Security Council.

Protests
On 25 August 2009, the EULEX mission was subject to violent protests, resulting in the damaging of 28 EU vehicles. Three Kosovo police officers were injured in the clashes which resulted in 21 arrests by the Kosovo police. The attack was organised by a group called Vetëvendosja ("Self-Determination") in reaction to EULEX's police cooperation with Serbia and its actions in Kosovo. There is resentment towards the EU mission for exercising its powers over Kosovo while mediating between the state and Serbia. Policies concentrating on crisis management, rather than resolution, as well as the pursuit of ethnic autonomy and its overly broad mandate over Kosovo's governance is at the stem of the discontent with the EU mission.

Intermediary mediation

Former Executive Mandate

Before December 2018, EULEX had an executive mandate to pursue two operational objectives: a monitoring, mentoring and advising objective, providing support to Kosovo's rule of law institutions – specifically in the police, judiciary and customs areas - and to the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, and an executive objective, supporting the adjudication of constitutional and civil justice and prosecuting and adjudicating selected criminal cases.
The mission implemented this mandate through the Strengthening Division (Monitoring, Mentoring and Advising) and the Executive Division.

Strengthening Division

The Strengthening Division (SD), in full close cooperation with other EU actors, supported Kosovo's rule of law institutions at the senior management level in their progress towards sustainability and accountability. It aimed to strengthen the chain of criminal justice, with an emphasis of fighting political interference, through monitoring mentoring and advising, including the monitoring of selected Kosovo case, such as corruption, organised crime, inter-ethnic crimes and war crimes, providing advice on the prosecution and investigation of these crimes. In addition, it provided structured support to develop the capacity and competence of the Kosovo Judicial Council and Kosovo Prosecutorial Council. It supported also the Kosovo Correctional Service with mobile capacity to focus on handling of high-profile detainees, prisons and detention centres, including the Mitrovica Detention Centre, and provided support to the Kosovo Police (KP) senior management, including a mobile capacity for police to address structural and organisational weaknesses to improve targeting of serious criminality, including terrorism, corruption, organised crime and specialised units. The Strengthening Division also assisted the Kosovo Border Police/Kosovo Customs in the implementation of the Kosovo IBM and migration strategies, including freedom of movement and IBM agreements and joint activities with FRONTEX. Finally, the SD supported the Civil Registration Agency in implementing the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue agreements.

Executive Division

Through its Executive Division (ED), EULEX focused on delivering law services until the progress of local authorities allowed a complete transition of executive functions to them. This means that EULEX Judges and Prosecutors were embedded in Kosovo institutions and served in accordance with Kosovo law. Joint cases were investigated and prosecuted by mixed teams consisting of Kosovo prosecution authorities and EULEX prosecutors. In these cases, the Executive Division engaged in mentoring the counterpart in the form of peer-to-peer cooperation in their investigation and prosecution.
EULEX dealt with highly sensitive cases related to war crimes, terrorism, organised crime and corruption.
EULEX Civil Judges adjudicated property disputes and privatisation matters. In the area of privatisation matters, the mandate of EULEX Judges was restricted to cases falling within the jurisdiction of the Special Chamber of the Supreme Court of Kosovo.
EULEX under its Executive objective supported the Department for Forensic Medicine by carrying out executive functions with reference to missing persons and war crimes.

Current Mandate (2018-2021)
Under its mandate extended until 14 June 2020, which entered into force on 14 December 2018, the executive role of the Mission reduced significantly as Kosovo's rule of law institutions developed and took on more responsibilities. The current mandate has been launched to cover the period until 14 June 2021 based on Council Decision CFSP 2020/792.

EULEX Kosovo stopped in fact its executive functions in the Kosovo judiciary, handing over to local authorities all case files. It currently implements its mandate through Monitoring and Operations Pillars.

The Monitoring Pillar monitors selected cases and trials in the Kosovo justice system. The Pillar focuses its monitoring activities on selected cases which were dealt with by EULEX under its previous mandate that ended in mid-June 2018 and were later handed over to the local judiciary as well as other cases that may affect Kosovo's European path. The Monitoring Pillar also supports the Kosovo Correctional Service in developing a consolidated and professional senior management team as well as sustainable capacities to counter undue interference and preferential treatment of inmates. EULEX continues to provide technical support to the implementation of relevant agreements of the EU-facilitated Dialogue on the normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

Operational functions are undertaken by the Mission's Operations Pillar which maintains a limited residual capability as a second security responder, through its Polish Formed Police Unit (FPU) and provides continued support to Kosovo Police's crowd and riot control capability.

Under the new mandate, EULEX will also retain certain limited executive responsibilities in the areas of witness protection and support for the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor's office.

The Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office
In September 2011, the European Union decided to set up a Special Investigative Task Force to further the investigation into the allegations contained in the Council of Europe report of Dick Marty, in particular about alleged organ trafficking by the KLA.

In the summer of 2014, the Task Force announced that the evidence investigated was of sufficient weight to file an indictment. In order to address these allegations, there had to be an adequate institution for proper judicial proceedings, so the Kosovo authorities have agreed with the EU on modalities of dealing with those serious allegations.

On 3 August 2015, the Kosovo Assembly adopted Article 162 of the Kosovo Constitution and the Law on Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office, following the Exchange of Letters between the President of Kosovo and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in 2014. The Specialist Chambers are attached to each level of the court system in Kosovo – Basic Court, Court of Appeals, Supreme Court and Constitutional Court and function according to relevant Kosovo laws as well as customary international law and international human rights law.

EULEX supports the Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office in line with the relevant Kosovo legislation.

The European Union Human Rights Review Panel (HRRP)
To guarantee the full transparency and accountability of EULEX, on 29 October 2009 the European Union established the Human Rights Review Panel with a mandate to review alleged human rights violations by EULEX Kosovo in the conduct of its executive mandate.

The Panel is an independent, external accountability body which performs its functions with impartiality and integrity. It complements the overall accountability of EULEX which includes the EULEX Internal Disciplinary Mechanism and the EULEX Third Party Liability Insurance Scheme.

The Panel reviews complaints that are submitted to it within six months from the date of the alleged violation, decides if a complaint is admissible and when admissible, it reviews the complaint and renders a finding as to whether or not EULEX has violated the human rights law applicable in Kosovo.

When the Panel determines that a violation has occurred, its findings may include non-binding recommendations for remedial action by the Head of Mission. The recommendations of the Panel and the subsequent actions by the Head of Mission with regard to the implementation of its recommendation are published in the English, Albanian and Serbian languages on the Panel's website.

Effectiveness
The European Court of Auditors in a 2012 report found that EULEX assistance has not been sufficiently effective. Although the EU helped to build capacity, notably in the area of customs, assistance to the police and the judiciary has had only modest success. Levels of organised crime and corruption in Kosovo remained high. The judiciary continued to suffer from political interference, inefficiency and a lack of transparency and enforcement. There had been almost no progress in establishing the rule of law in the north of Kosovo, the 2012 report stated.

According to a February 2016 report by FOL, an accountability NGO in Kosovo, during the first 7 years of operation up until August 2015, EULEX judges delivered 47 verdicts on corruption cases and 23 verdicts on organised crime. This makes a total of 70 verdicts in these respective crimes since 2008. Numbers of convictions resulting from these verdicts was not provided to the researchers. In this period, EULEX prosecutors gained 24 indictments which amount to approximately a 6% indictment rate.

According to Andrea Capussela, a former ICO high official, from 2008 to 2013, EULEX policy was to not encroach upon the political elite's interests, or to only do so to protect its credibility; and in these cases to achieve the minimum necessary result. For war crimes, EULEX was much more successful, as these generally had less impact on current elite's criminal activities and were less likely to expose widespread criminal practices, Capussela concludes.

Controversy
In October 2014, British EULEX prosecutor Maria Bamieh, demanded a corruption inquiry against some of her colleagues, after she became aware that a senior civil servant at the Kosovan health ministry, held in prison after corruption charges, discussed his case with her superiors. Ms Bamieh, who claims to act as a whistleblower, cites several cases of corruption, dating back to 2012. She was suspended on 24 October.

EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said she would appoint an independent legal expert to probe Eulex.
On 24 July 2015, Parliament of Kosovo voted a resolution proposed by VV! that obligates Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga to ask the High Representative Mogherini to initiate investigations.

See also
 EULEX IG - EULEX's multinational police Intervention Group
 Overseas interventions of the European Union
 Kosovo status process
 Kosovo Police
 OSCE Mission in Kosovo

Notes

References

External links
 Official website.
 Council Joint Action 2008/124/CFSP.
 Viewpoint: The EU's toughest operation, BBC News.
 Kosovo 2009: Uncertain Future - spotlight europe 2009/01
 EULEX Kosovo breaks new ground for ESDP, European Union Institute for Security Studies, Newsletter, January 2009
 Kosovo: one year on, Opinion by Jelena Obradović, February 2009, European Union Institute for Security Studies

Rule of law missions of the European Union
Politics of Kosovo
Law enforcement in Kosovo
2008 in Kosovo
2009 in Kosovo
2010s in Kosovo
Kosovo–European Union relations


Destroy the Pubbles as quickly as you can! Find the groups of similarly colored Pubbles and pop them to unleash awesome powerups!Destroy the Pubbles as quickly as you can!Destroy the Pubbles as quickly as you can! Find the groups of similarly colored Pubbles and pop them to unleash awesome powerups!