Upper-Intermediate - Considering LASIK Eye Surgery (D1553)

A: 我眼睛痛死了,一点儿也不想看电脑。
wǒ yǎnjing tòng sǐ le, yīdiǎnr5 yě bù xiǎng kàn diànnǎo.
My eyes are killing me. I don't want to look at my computer at all.
B: 那你以后别戴隐形眼镜了,戴着隐形眼镜看电脑对眼睛特别不好。
nà nǐ yǐhòu bié dài yǐnxíngyǎnjìng le, dài zhe yǐnxíngyǎnjìng kàn diànnǎo duì yǎnjing tèbié bù hǎo.
Then you should stop wearing contact lenses. Wearing contacts and staring at a computer screen is especially bad for your eyes.
A: 戴框架眼镜压得鼻梁和耳朵都不舒服。真烦人!
dài kuàngjiàyǎnjìng yā de bíliáng hé ěrduo dōu bù shūfu. zhēn fán rén!
But glasses press on the bridge of your nose and on your ears – it doesn't feel good. It's really annoying!
B: 要不你去做近视眼激光手术吧!只要几秒钟就可以彻底摘掉眼镜了。
yàobu nǐ qù zuò jìnshìyǎn jīguāng shǒushù ba! zhǐyào jǐmiǎozhōng jiù kěyǐ chèdǐ zhāi diào yǎnjìng le.
How about you go get LASIK eye surgery! After only a few seconds you'll be able to take off your glasses for good.
A: 我也不是没想过。我查了很多资料,可看得越多越不敢冒这个险。万一手术失败我不就成瞎子了!
wǒ yě bùshì méi xiǎng guò. wǒ chá le hěn duō zīliào, kě kàn de yuè duō yuè bùgǎn mào zhè ge xiǎn. wànyī shǒushù shībài wǒ bù jiù chéng xiāzi le!
It's not that I hadn't thought of it. I looked up a lot of information but the more I looked, the less and less I wanted to take the risk. What if the surgery is a failure? I'll be blind!
B: 没那么恐怖吧!术前医生会检查你眼部各项指标是不是符合手术要求,有没有疾病和炎症,符合条件才能做。比如角膜太薄就不能做。
méi nàme kǒngbù ba! shùqián yīshēng huì jiǎnchá nǐ yǎnbù gè xiàng zhǐbiāo shì bù shì fúhé shǒushù yāoqiú, yǒu méiyǒu jíbìng hé yánzhèng, fúhé tiáojiàn cái néng zuò. bǐrú jiǎomó tài báo jiù bùnéng zuò.
It's not so bad! Prior to surgery the doctor will examine all the different parts of your eyes and see if they're suitable for surgery, or whether or not you have any diseases or inflamation. Then, they'll only do the surgery if the conditions are right. For example, if your cornea is too thin, they can't do it.
A: 医疗广告都说激光治疗近视几乎零风险,其实返工率很高的。有些医院为了创收,检查未必那么严格。据说有的医院还在用国外已经淘汰的二手设备!
yīliáo guǎnggào dōu shuō jīguāng zhìliáo jìnshì jīhū líng fēngxiǎn, qíshí fǎngōnglǜ hěn gāo de. yǒuxiē yīyuàn wèile chuàngshōu, jiǎnchá wèibì nàme yángé. jùshuō yǒude yīyuàn hái zài yòng guówài yǐjīng táotài de èrshǒu shèbèi!
Medical adverstisements always say that laser treatment for shortsightedness is almost no-risk, but actually the success rate is really low. In order to make money, some hospitals may not be so thorough with their examinations. People say there are hospitals that use second-hand equipment that's already out of use abroad.
B: 你选家正规医院就行了。我有几个同学朋友做了都挺好的,没听说有什么问题。
nǐ xuǎn jiā zhèngguī yīyuàn jiù xíng le. wǒ yǒu jǐ ge tóngxué péngyou zuò le dōu tǐng hǎo de, méi tīngshuō yǒu shénme wèntí.
If you choose a legimate hospital and you'll be fine. I have some friends and classmates who did it and it went really well. I didn't hear of any problems.
A: 现在没问题,不代表十年二十年后没问题。
xiànzài méi wèntí, bù dàibiǎo shí nián èrshí nián hòu méiwèntí.
No problems now, but that doesn't mean there won't be 10 or 20 years down the road.
B: 你这不是咒别人吗?
nǐ zhè bùshì zhòu biérén ma?
If you say that won't you jinx people?
A: 这种手术从临床到现在才二十多年时间,谁知道以后会出现什么后遗症。
zhèzhǒng shǒushù cóng línchuáng dào xiànzài cái èrshí duō nián shíjiān, shéizhīdào yǐhòu huì chūxiàn shénme hòuyízhèng.
This kind of surgery has only been in practice for 20 years now. Who knows what kinds of aftereffects will occur down the road.
B: 既然怀疑就先别考虑了,出去走走,看看远处,让眼睛休息休息。
jìrán huáiyí jiù xiān bié kǎolǜ le, chūqù zǒu zou, kàn kan yuǎnchù, ràng yǎnjing xiūxi xiūxi.
Well, since you don't trust it then don't worry about it for now. Just go out and take a stroll, stare off into the distance and let your eyes take a break.
A: 哎,真纠结!如果技术再成熟些,我还是想做的。
āi, zhēn jiūjié! rúguǒ jìshù zài chéngshú xiē, wǒ háishì xiǎng zuò de.
Agh, I'm so conflicted! If the technology improves a bit, then I'll want to do it.

Key Vocabulary

隐形眼镜 yǐnxíngyǎnjìng contact lenses
框架眼镜 kuàngjiàyǎnjìng glasses
鼻梁 bíliáng bridge of the nose
近视眼激光手术 jìnshìyǎn jīguāng shǒushù LASIK eye surgery
摘掉 zhāi diào to take off
冒险 màoxiǎn to take a risk, to take a chance
瞎子 xiāzi blind person [impolite]
恐怖 kǒngbù terrible
术前 shùqián prior to surgery
眼部 yǎnbù eyes
指标 zhǐbiāo index, indicator
炎症 yánzhèng inflammation
角膜 jiǎomó cornea
治疗 zhìliáo to treat
零风险 líng fēngxiǎn zero risk
返工率 fǎngōnglǜ rate of needing to be redone
创收 chuàngshōu to create income
未必 wèibì may not be
淘汰 táotài to be out of use, to be obsolete
二手 èrshǒu second-hand
设备 shèbèi equipment
正规 zhèngguī legitimate
zhòu to curse
临床 línchuáng clinical
后遗症 hòuyízhèng aftereffects
既然 jìrán since
纠结 jiūjié to be conflicted

Supplementary Vocabulary

桥梁 qiáoliáng bridge
配饰 pèishì accessories
截止 jiézhǐ to end
风险 fēngxiǎn risk
盲人 mángrén blind person
体会 tǐhuì to learn for oneself
捐献 juānxiàn to donate
成功率 chénggōnglǜ success rate
失败率 shībàilǜ failure rate
副作用 fùzuòyòng side effect

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