I Can See Clearly Now

Track: Unidentified Ambient Music
Baptist Eye Clinic,
Kyoto, Japan.

One week ago I took the plunge and had LASIK eye surgery. Although in the week leading up to the operation I was excited and confident, on the day of the procedure I was pretty nervous.

As I lay on the operating table with green lasers burning my cornea, my knuckles tightened and I was thinking, “I sure wish they’d play some relaxing music!”

Right on cue a calming ambient piano etude came wafting through the room.

Under normal circumstances that style wouldn’t have been my bag – it was a tad too George Winston/Wyndham Hill for my tastes – but under the circumstances I was prepared to cut some slack and the music's bland, spacey vibe definitely helped bring down my stress levels.

It provided a suitable accompaniment to the awesome and slightly daunting laser light show which was erupting on my retinas. Fiery sparks of green mingled with flashes of red, and I almost forgot the fact that I was undergoing a life-changing and slightly risky medical procedure.

Lasik surgery isn’t something which should be entered into lightly. I did a great deal of research - over a ten-year period - before making the decision to go ahead and I had a fairly realistic set of expectations. So far I've been impressed with the professionalism and support of my caregivers.

It’s now been a week since my operation and my prognosis is excellent. My eyeglasses are history and, as Johnny Nash sang in his 1972 pop-reggae classic, I Can (for the most part) See Clearly Now.

VIDEO: Here's Johnny Nash giving a fine vocal performance on his classic hit. He's also sporting some splendid leather threads. The backing orchestra doesn't seem entirely comfortable with the reggae vibe.