For your eyes only

There was a time when my life was ruled by eyeglasses, and this spanned decades. Eye doctors tell us that when you hit 40, you would normally need spectacles to enable you to read, and I know this for a fact.  So, I have been a slave to reading glasses for several years now and it has become a necessary part of daily living. I need my regular reading glasses to read the newspaper and documents in the office, but this pair does not work well for me when I am in front of a computer, which is several hours in a day. So, I had to get another pair of glasses specifically for the computer which has a slightly different grade. But neither pair works well for me when I am playing poker because there is a certain amount of distance involved, so I also had to get a special one for my regular poker games.  Being a gun sport enthusiast, I cherish my special Sunday forays to the shooting range but found that I could no longer see the sights on my pistols, hence my shots were not finding their mark, so I had to get another pair for my shooting. But of course, none of these work for the fine print on directions for use of specific gadgets, or labels on medicine boxes, etc.  I didn’t bother to get one for this – my driver gets the gadgets working and my kids take care of the others.

One gets weary of such things. It doesn’t even take into account the dozens of eyeglasses I have misplaced or forgot to bring along to an important meeting, so I had to order spares for every pair of glasses that I need. Saying that my life was ruled by eyeglasses of various grades is not an exaggeration.

I was going to resign myself to such a life until I talked to Roda “Daye” Munsayac-de los Reyes, one of our more reliable and loyal Sunshine TV hosts. It turned out that Daye is married to a brilliant young ophthalmologist, Dr. Christian de los Reyes of Medical City’s Lasik Center. As fate would have it, Daye invited Christian along to one of our STV functions and when I learned that he was in fact with the famed Lasik Center, my mind went on a fast-forward mode—what are the chances of my throwing away my dozen or so reading glasses for good, or at least for a good number of years? Christian invited me to Lasik Center for evaluation, and I thought I saw the shadow of a halo on his head just then.

To spare you the details, I was off to the Lasik Center on the 2nd floor of Medical City to be evaluated.  It was a very pleasant wait – the nurses, doctors and receptionists were friendly but professional. After two days, I had laser surgery done on both eyes within three days of each other.  The procedure takes a mere 15 minutes for each eye, but since this shooting sport enthusiast/regular gym rat/macho opted to be sedated, I slept for another two hours after the procedure, to the consternation of my wife who waited patiently outside.  Most others walk away after 15 minutes, Doc Christian said.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that no less than the chairman of Medical City’s Ophthalmogy Department and  head of the Lasik Center, Dr. Victor L. Caparras, was there to perform the procedure, assisted by Dr. Christian who himself is very capable of such procedures. Later, for post-op evaluation and check-up, I got to chatting with Dr. Caparras who turned out to be a certified automobile enthusiast. We were both leaving separately for Europe then, so we were not able to follow through on the initial acquaintance.

Now I can confidently check out the gauges on my dashboard when I’m driving, something I have not been able to do for at least a decade now. I still automatically reach for non-existent glasses when I read the newspapers in the morning, or when I work at my computer, until I realize I have no need for them anymore. My poker friends continue to needle me about succumbing to the ever-growing pressure of turning the years back by being spectacles-free.

I’ve been an erstwhile non-fan of any procedure that impacts the eyes. But the experience has turned me from “a doubting Thomas to a firm believer”.

Just so you get the real score: the doctor tells you before the procedure that a High Definition (HD) for your far vision will not be achieved if you desire a 20/20 near vision for reading sans spectacles. You may also opt for HD far vision but may need some help for your reading. The choice is yours to make.  For me, however, having had my life ruled by eyeglasses far longer than I could take, I weighed my options. While I enjoy driving and have every need to enjoy the scenery while I am at it, I also have had enough of my various types of reading glasses. The options are really broken down into two: to have reading glasses practically all my working and playing (read: poker and shooting) hours, or possibly use far-sighted glasses as the need arises. I made my choice.

Of course, it would have been better if I had the best of both worlds, having 20/20 vision for reading as well as for distance but then, whoever said that this could be done? For now, I patiently read everything in my dashboard when I am stopped for a red light, and have gone back to reading some best sellers after more than a decade of passing up on them. I used to fall asleep after reading two pages from eye fatigue, even with reading glasses. I have shelved all such reading glasses, looking for someone to donate them to, appreciating the fact that my need for distance glasses is for certain uses only, and for a much shorter span of time.  You can’t have both, and you just have to get your specific needs and priorities in check when deciding.

Thanks to Lasik Center of Medical City for making life easier for me.

The Spiral reborn

One devastating typhoon all but wiped out one of the most favored dining destinations here, nay, in the Asia Pacific, which is Sofitel’s iconic flagship restaurant, Spiral. Less than a year and $11 million later, the Spiral is reborn, bigger, grander and with more outlets.

A friend, Yasmine Hidalgo, back from a successful stint in Dubai and now Sofitel’s director of public relations, invited me to the reopening of Spiral which coincided with the feverish preparations for my motor show at the MOA Concert Grounds (it runs till Sunday). Sorry I missed all that great food and the chance to have first look at what the new Spiral offers.

From Yasmine, the new look, created by Spin Design Studio of Japan, validates Spiral’s claim to an honor’s place in world-renowned restaurants across the globe, combining the mesmerizing visual effects of light and water with their magnificent fountain. Their indoor lounge, La Veranda, gives one the impression of dining in a charming outdoor café in Paris, but with the comforts of a glass-enclosed air conditioned elegant setting.

Executive Chef Eric Castille brings his renowned global experience to the fore here through the 21 dining ateliers they opened at the new Spiral. Think French (French stove and foie gras, La Boulangerie, La Patisserie, Chocolatery, Le’epicerie for cheese, etc), Asian (Peking Duck oven, wok, noodles) and other East and West specialties. Sofitel GM Goran Aleks has outdone himself indeed.

Congratulations!     

Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino.

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