the trick is to keep breathing

Hrm, well, I have an aunt who is 'legally blind' - following the canadian definition, of course. She has a degenerative eye disease that has been reducing her eyesigh since she was a kid. So, in her entire field of view, she can maybe see ~5% of an image in front of her.

I always thought that that idea of 'correctibility' was key. My aunt (& her other blind friends) can't improve their eyesight to the point where they can say, safely drive a car. It's a (obvious!) disadvantage but they can also, say, get support from the CNIB (canadian national institute for the blind).

Do I get to claim that I am sight-impaired? Or am I robbing the truly blind of sympathy and attention if I do so?

Honestly, I really doubt that. I suppose that there is a kind of 'hierarchy of sightedness' - my aunt is grateful that she still has some sight, because some of her friends don't even have that - but you being concerned about your vision doesn't take anything away from anyone.

As for laser eye surgery, most of the people I know who did laser eye had moderate problems and were successful in their operations. I do know that not everyone can participate in the treatment (my aunt, for example) and that it's very important to go to a good clinic. I say just speak with your optometrist next time you have an appointment.

-TP