If seeing is believing – count me among the devout.

In July, I had LASIK laser eye surgery at the TLC Laser Eye Center in Fairfax. After years of weighing the pros and cons, I am thrilled with the results. The world has never looked so good.

In early 2004, I visited Dr. Daniel Goerl at his Manassas office. Custom LASIK, he told me, is the latest technology in laser eye surgery and, by all accounts, the most accurate and effective.

"It yields potentially clearer, sharper vision due to WaveScan map-guided treatment," said Dr. Goerl.

To show me what he meant, Goerl set up his equipment. I placed my chin in a special rest, looked at a target, and in seconds a computer showed me a highly detailed map of my corneas. This map used by a computer to guide the laser during surgery.

Another process, known as "Intralase," makes the process much safer. Intralase is a "less invasive, computer controlled approach" to making something called a "flap" over your eye's cornea. The laser surgery is done in the tiny area exposed by the flap, and then, the flap is carefully replaced. (It was this aspect of the procedure that triggered my greatest fear).

Normally this tiny transparent "flap" is made with a surgical blade. With "Intralase", however, the flap is made by laser instead of a blade, This "dramatically reduces the risk of complications" (and puts queasy patients, like me, a lot more at ease.)

Dr. Perraut, who has performed more than 2000 Custom LASIK surgeries and 15,000 LASIK procedures, performs all of the Intralase procedures for the Whitten-Perraut practice. To date 98-percent of his patients have 20/40 vision or better after surgery.

Although facts and figures are important when choosing a laser surgeon, his "supporting cast" is equally important. I could not have asked for a better support team.

When I arrived at the surgical center I met with Jamie Kerkstra, who travels with Dr. Perraut to all of the five TLC Centers at which he practices, Jamie told me more about Dr. Perraut and how he works. I also met with Dr. Valerie Seligson, who double-checked Dr. Goerl's data, verified the mapping images to make sure that I was a good LASIK candidate and that my data map was accurate.

On surgery day, I was confident but nervous.

Dr. Perraut explained everything that would happen in the surgery room: what I would see; not see; what I would hear; and how I would feel.

"Being appropriately nervous is a good thing," said Perraut, "Almost nothing you can do will compromise the procedure. If you get fidgety, we'll just have to start the procedure over again." .

A small dose of Valium helped. It also helped to know that Dr. Perrault had the surgery himself six years ago.

After donning an attractive blue shower cap I was led to surgery. Reclining in the chair was very similar to a dental visit. I was shifted from side to side while the doctor placed a guide ring over one of my eyes, lasered a flap, changed the shape of my cornea with the VISX laser and then repeated the procedure on the other eye.

The flap procedure was, be far, the most uncomfortable, but completely bearable.

I was tense, and very stiff during surgery, but I knew that it was going well. I experienced exactly what Dr. Perraut had told me would happen. He talked me through the surgery and uttered encouraging words throughout.

A little more than an hour after I walked in the door wearing glasses, I walked out with near-perfect vision – though it was hard to tell because everything was still a bit hazy.

I was instructed to go home and nap for three-to-four hours– a feat I thought was near impossible.

After nearly four hours, however, I awoke and the world snapped into focus clearly and crisply for the first time since the third grade!

The next morning Dr. Goerl checked my vision and surprised me with better news than I had expected. Only 24 hours after my Intralase Custom LASIK surgery I had 20/15 vision – better than perfect.

Take that and pair it with the Whitten-Perraut Lifetime Commitment program (they'll re-treat my eyes, if ever needed, for free), what more could you hope for?