Although it's taking me a long time to get used to the extremely high humidity here in the Philippines, living here has already proven to have some health advantages over the dry heat of Arizona, where I previously lived.

LASIK Eye Surgery

I had LASIK surgery on both eyes about 2 1/2 years ago, in Scottsdale, Arizona. After surgery, I had 20/20 vision. I was lucky; some people never get that result. Because of the dryness of the desert air, however, my vision didn't remain at 20/20. This is something the doctor told me about before I had the surgery: It can take a year or more for the eyes to obtain a permanent focus.

Because of the high humidity here in the tropics, my eyes remain moist all of the time. Ever so slowly, my vision has been returning to that magical 20/20 number. I'm now able to stare at the computer screen for long periods without getting the intense headaches that near-perfect vision can cause.

I'll tell you one thing, though. It was the most frightening experience of my life (and I've been shot at a few times). Although each eye was held open by a speculum, if I moved for any reason while the laser was operating… I cringe at the thought of the consequences. My 21 year-old son wants to have it done to his eyes but I told him to forget about it. He involuntarily shudders once in a while and the risk is way too high for him.

Dandruff

The dry desert air also causes a form of dandruff which is really just dry scalp. I don't get that kind of dandruff here in the Philippines. When I lived in Arizona, I used to massage my scalp with baby oil once a week to prevent my dry scalp from flaking onto everything.

Needless to say, I no longer have to deal with the baby oil or the dandruff anymore.