"I once was blind, and now, I see," says "Criminal Minds" blond hottie AJ Cook, who explains she's had such severe astigmatism her whole life, she was declared "legally blind."

That is now history. During her hiatus, Cook says "I got contact implants. It was very successful and I'm trying to get the word out there about these awesome implants.

"It's called ICL, and it's a really easy thing, easier than Lasix," she says, referring to the current popular procedure for correcting vision. That was another option I wasn't a candidate for, but I was quite blown away by how easy the whole implant procedure was. It's literally this tiny incision and they take this rolled-up little contact that unfolds in your eye. It's designed to be there for life. And if, for some reason, it doesn't quite work out the way you wanted it to, they can just take it out, and the worst-case scenario is you're back to your original eyesight."

She adds, "It's pretty unbelievable. There really is no pain. I know it sounds too good to be true, but the worst part of it was having to wear my glasses for a month before I did it. The procedure took five minutes an eye. It's so quick...literally, as soon as that contact was placed, I could see. It's crazy. You're not even sensitive to light because they're not taking anything away from your eye."

The actress adds, "When I woke up the next morning and could see my husband's face, I got all teary-eyed. It totally changed my life."

Stephanie DuBois