Ah, yes, the "I don't wanna use a cane!" phase. The one every blind/VI person goes through. Heck, including me, and I've been blind all my life!
You clearly already know you're being stupid, but since I imagine that's why you're posting, let me affirm that you're being stupid:

Have you tried the good ol' trick of considering your problem from the perspective of advising a friend, or even a stranger? Would you tell someone else that they're not blind enough to really be blind; because labels are strict and rigid and if you don't fit them exactly and all the time, you don't fit them at all? Or that using a cane would make them look more blind — and that's bad?
Well I hope not, because that'd make you one shitty friend! So how about you stop being a shitty friend to yourself?

Blindness, or visual impairment, is indeed something that applies to you here and now. It doesn't matter that you know there is a possibility that it will not apply quite as strongly later on. Obviously, someone who just covers their eyes does not become blind. But if you're physically unable to see as well as an average person despite your best efforts, then yeah, you are one of us.
(One of us! One of us! Gooble gobble! Gooble gobble! We accept you! We accept you! Gooble gobble! Gooble gobble!)

Human bodies and identities both change with time. And yet, there is this belief that you must have it all figured out, fit into some imaginary box perfectly. That's not how it should work. Your (dis)abilities can change through time, generally towards the disabled end of the spectrum as you age, but also towards abled because of surgeries and new technology. It's much like it is with things like gender and sexuality; who you are and what you're into is hella complicated, so while you may know just what you are as a young kid, if you realise it later, that is equally valid.

Now, realising you're blind isn't nearly as affirming and validating as realising you're, say, nonbinary. Being blind sucks (don't argue with me, guys; it does!). But since you seem uncomfortable with softer terms, those aren't giving you the comfort you need, so you might as well call yourself blind. Although visually impaired honestly isn't that bad. Sure, it has many syllables because of the limitations of English, but it does not sugercoat anything. Impaired and disabled are much the same thing. It states a simple fact, and does not offer any optimistic spin on it, like say differently abled.

Consider, also, whether the reason you do not wish to call yourself blind/VI and do not wish others to see you as such is because you deep down still think of disabled people as lesser. I am not accusing you of being a raging ableist, but we all have some internalised bad habits we need to unlearn. So consider why using a tool to prevent harm to yourself is so embarrassing. Would you mock me for wearing a coat in winter rather than running around naked like a strong and hearty caveperson? Would you mock a boxer for using gloves rather than breaking their fingers? Would you mock someone working with harsh chemicals for wearing a mask? I recken not! So consider why some solutions to problems humans face are considered acceptable, where as others are not. There is clear stigma around disability, and perhaps it is time you decide the opinions of those who unquestioningly believe and perpetuate that BS — including that little devil in your brain — do not matter to you.

So c'mon, grab that cane and go out there. And, if it helps you even slightly, you can keep using it even after the surgery. Doesn't matter if you're "faking" or not, it just matters if you're doing anyone else harm, and as long as you're not pretending to be a blind beggar you're not. There is no visual impairment police. And if there is one, they can all go fuck themselves! ACAB!

One day I might learn that Reddit is a place for shorter posts and my text walls are too much. That day is not today.

Vision loss is a spectrum, and I'd try to not to worry about if you fit in to some predefined box of what it means to be blind or visually impaired.

I get where those feelings come from though. When I lost my vision I lost it all within a few months, but ended up getting some back slowly after I had surgery. During the time I wasn't really sure how to think about myself. I thought "well I was completely blind, but now I can see a bit here and there and the doctors think it might improve over time." It created a lot of doubt, but in the end none of that matters.

You’ll be yourself! Your strong, hopeful, empathetic and fair self :)