Getting someone to shoot laser beams into my eyeballs is hard work.
Why does it take so much paperwork to get the free laser eye surgery that the Army owes me? Why can't I just walk up to the clinic, tell them I'm blind, and let them put the pewpew in my eyes and give me pain pills and send me away?
After two weeks I finally got the signature I needed to really get the ball rolling on this laser surgery. Two weeks. For one guy to sign one piece of paper. This same piece of paper had to go through at least two other people as well, I couldn't just take it straight to the person, I had to give it to one guy to give to another guy who maybe gave it to somebody else to approach this person to sign my paper. Maybe I have no fear of rank or maybe it's because I know the guy who signed it knows who I am but it would've been really easier if I threw protocol out the window and just asked the guy to sign it myself.
I get my paper back yesterday. It's actually part of a two page packet, the first page being signatures and the second page being medical clearances. I fill out the little portion of page two that I'm allowed to fill out and wait until today to get another portion filled out by a doctor. You see the medical clinic doesn't work past 11am if it's not an emergency. I couldn't take it to them after lunch when I picked the paperwork up.
I get there, the receptionist tells me I need to get my medical records first. It's a desk across the hall, no big deal. Wait for my records, then go back to get told to have a seat. Sit around, watch some CNN, apparently Pluto is not a planet and everything I know about astronomy is a lie and the morning after pill is called Plan B. I think that's the pharmaceutical companies' tip of the hat to Chris. Then the doctor will see me. Except he's more or less a physician's assistant and not a full blown doctor but that's okay, he's just asking me ridiculous questions such as "do you have a history of lupus?". I don't even know what lupus is, no.
I'm done there and now I can go to optometry but oh god, optometry doesn't work on Thursdays. At all. I can't make an appointment, can't get my little blocks checked, nothing. I have to come back tomorrow between 6:30am and 9:00am. So now I'm waiting again. Optometry (rightfully) takes up half of that page of blocks that need checked so hopefully they can get that all taken care of tomorrow and I can get a date set. I'm somewhat nervous about getting my eyes lasered, not because of the risk of blindness but because it sounds like I'll have a really crappy couple of days following it. I've been asking everyone I know who's had it for horror stories so I know what I'm getting into but the upside is that after a couple days of misery I'll be able to see again without contacts or glasses or any of that crap.