At my final follow-up examination today the doctor pronounced me a success and said that long-term all I needed to do was have an annual eye exam to make sure my vision was continuing to be stable.
A brief vision test was conducted and I am happy to report that combined my vision remains 20/20. My left eye also remains at 20/20, and the right (near) eye has improved to 20/25. The only ongoing concern is dryness, which the doctor said will taper off over time. This time of year, with dryer indoor air and dry winds outside are particularly tough, he explained. So I shouldn’t be alarmed at an increase in the amount of artificial tears I need. Over time however I should see my need for them diminish if not altogether cease.
On a daily basis I am quite pleased with the new vision I bought for myself. The only times I have any trouble reading or seeing is first thing in the morning (dry eyes), or when I forget to hold things at the proper distance. After years of holding things closer to see them, the muscle memory is hard to break. Once I move things out away from my eyes I can see perfectly.
I would recommend this procedure to anyone who is determined to not need glasses. In my case the determination was necessary to provide patience while my eyes healed, and while a correction to one eye was made. It is elective (perhaps cosmetic?) surgery, but it eliminated increasingly unsatisfactory glasses from my life.