The $3,800 Cost of Achieving Perfect Eyesight

Welcome to Show the Receipts, a series where we ask interesting people to share exactly how much it costs to get shit done. No matter the task, we're tracking every last dollar from start to finish. Up next: achieving perfect eyesight.

Haley Bowing has put in some serious work to get good vision. The social media manager has been through glasses, contacts, and even Lasik surgery twice to get to this point.

Bowing says she first got glasses in elementary school after she started developing headaches. "I had also mentioned struggling with seeing the board if I sat in the back of the class," she says. After her mom took her to get an eye exam, Bowing's doctor determined she needed glasses, an experience she calls "horrendous."

"My mom made me get the transitions, so anytime I was outside, or in class by the window when it was sunny outside, they would transition to sunglasses," the 30-year-old says. "I felt like Elton John. It was awful."

The experience with glasses, and then contacts, pushed Bowing to eventually get Lasik surgery, a type of refractive eye surgery that corrects things like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.

Bowing admits she had to save for her surgery, which she ended up needing twice. But she now has 20/20 vision, and those funky glasses are a distant memory.

Here's the full price breakdown.

Task: Getting perfect vision

Job: Social media manager

Location: Canada

Timeline: Five years

Contacts: $1,800

Glasses: Covered by insurance

Doctor's visits: Covered by insurance

Lasik surgery: $2,000

Total: $3,800

Bowing's journey to get perfect eyesight took more than seven years. Here's how she made it happen, and the challenges she faced along the way.

PS: What was your vision like before you got glasses?

Haley Bowing: My vision prior to me getting glasses in elementary school wasn't terrible, but I definitely needed corrective lenses to participate in school at all. I hated the way the glasses looked on me, though. My friends commented on them — in a friendly way, of course — but I can only assume other kids were talking about them behind my back.

PS: When did contacts enter the picture?

HB: I started wearing contacts in eighth grade, and it was a bit of a learning curve. I got used to them, but I had trouble remembering to take them out at night before bed.

PS: Why did you decide to get Lasik?

HB: I decided to get Lasik because I heard so many great things about it. I hated having to worry about my contacts all the time. It was a no brainer. The first time I had the surgery in 2013, the experience was pretty mild. But in the moment, I hated it. [For the recovery period] I was in complete darkness for two days, and couldn't be on my phone or [near] any light source. At 18 years old, that's hard. I was out for a good week before I could work full-time again, since I work an office desk job and am on a computer for 8 hours [at a time].

PS: Why did you get Lasik twice?

HB: I got my second Lasik [surgery] in my early 20s, five years after my first surgery, as my eyes were reverting back and my vision was worsening (not ideal!). I didn't start having headaches again, but in my routine eye exam they noticed that my vision was starting to revert back. Thankfully I had enough cornea left, so they were able to do the surgery again.

PS: What was recovery like the second time?

HB: The recovery the second time was fairly quick. I'd say I was back on my feet and at work on day three.

PS: How much did your second surgery cost?

HB: Nothing. It was covered under "warranty."

PS: What's your vision like now?

HB: It has been 20/20 ever since my second surgery. I just had my eyes checked last month, and the optometrist said they are perfect.

For Bowing, the yearslong eye health journey was well worth it. From hating herself with glasses to loving her life without them, 20/20 vision has "changed my life for the better," she says. The beauty of being able to wake up and go without having to worry about putting on glasses or contact lenses cannot be overlooked, Bowing says. It's also made her hobbies (like motorcycling and backcountry camping) more enjoyable. "I am so glad that I did it," she says, noting that she'd recommend perfect vision to everyone. "I highly suggest Lasik, if you're eligible. Also, take care of your eyes. They're one of — if not the most — important organs in our body," Bowing adds.

Korin Miller is a writer specializing in general wellness, health, and lifestyle trends. Her work has appeared in Women's Health, Self, Health, Forbes, and more.