THE JOY OF SEEING - Part 2

 

 A couple months ago I posted that it was time to schedule an evaluation for cataract surgery. I saw the surgeon shortly after that  and this past week I had the left eye done- cataract extraction and lens implant. It was amazing - when the surgery was over and the doctor removed the drape from my face, I was able to see his face clearly, which I hadn't been able to do when he walked into the OR. Then they wheeled me out to the post-op area and I was able to read the white board on the wall from about 6 feet away. Before this I might have been able to see that there was a white rectangle hanging there and maybe I could have seen blotches of color that was the writing, but to actually read something more than a foot away without glasses, without squinting was so fantastic I couldn't stop grinning. Truth be told, the sedation they gave me might have helped my mood, but I have worn glasses since third grade and that's been a lot of years.

     I went home and was pleased to discover what friends had told me- The light was so much brighter, I saw white walls that I thought were tan, and yes even that I had wrinkles I didn't see before.
     I  rested that night  and had a follow up appointment with my original eye doctor the next morning. My vision was a little blurry, but I attributed it to the fact that if I wore my glasses I could only see clearly out of my right eye and if I took them off, I could see clearly on the left. When Dr. John checked my vision in the left eye, I was a little disappointed to hear it was only 20/40 but he said that might improve with time. Then he examined my eye and told me there was an abrasion on the outer layer of the eye, kind of like a blister - it was like looking through a bubble!  He called the surgeon and they agreed to place a lens patch over it to help it flatten out and hopefully reattach over the next couple of days.

     They removed the lens from my glasses over the left eye and I was again surprised- I thought that since I had a lens implanted on that side, I would be able to see equally well with both eyes. No, but no. Well, yes I might have equal vision in both eyes, just not at the same time.  Even without the abrasion, apparently the placement of an external lens on one side and an internal lens on the other can cause distortion, Nobody forewarned me of this, but hopefully after next week when the right eye is done, that should balance out.
 
          I had to go back to the eye center three days after the surgery and they brushed the edges of the abrasion to help it heal and placed another patch lens to protect the eye. The next three days the clarity waxed and waned, sometimes clear, sometimes blurry, sometimes seeing double. This all made my eyes tired and made me annoyed.

     When I woke up this morning I was thinking that continuing to be positive in the face of setbacks was getting kind of old and was I feeling pretty irritable on the drive to the doctor's office. I was reminded of a character in Voltaire's Candide- Professor Pangloss who in the face of misfortune, torture and disease claimed that "all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds". I started to think maybe I wasn't going to be seeing as well as I had hoped and I might as well stop looking for the silver lining.

     This morning, another three days later, it's 95% healed. so I got another patch and I go back tomorrow to have that removed. Oh, and today the vision in that eye is 20/25!  I went out for my walk in the park after my appointment and could truly enjoy the view. At a distance I could see equally clearly with either eye, and if I didn't turn my head to the side too much I could use both eyes together. What a difference in the light with my left eye - the river was clearer, the sunlight reflected on the leaves was brighter. OK, the birdsong and the squirrels chittering sounding sweeter had nothing to do with my eyesight, except that seeing clearly put me in a good mood. .

     Later when I got home from my walk the vision started to blur again, so I took  nap and when I woke it was clearer. I'm typing my story with one eye closed, but it's okay. Next week I'll have the other eye corrected and things will work out as they are supposed to. Maybe not all for the best in the best of all possible worlds, but I trust that I will see well and I will write and walk in the park and live my life  well a day at a time. I'm still looking forward to see what's next. Tune in next time for the Joy of Seeing - Part 3.

The Joy of Seeing

Well, the time has come to have a consult for cataract surgery. I'm scheduled to see the surgeon next week to explore options and decide if I'm ready, but my regular eye doctor told me last month that there isn't much more that new eyeglasses will do and if I have the surgery I might not need glasses at all. That sounds pretty exciting since I've been wearing glasses since third grade!
     I was talking with a friend last week about when I first realized I couldn't see well. The teacher was giving a quiz and instead of just leaving blank spaces for us to fill in, she randomly wrote the answers on the blackboard. I knew the answers to the test, but when I looked up,at the board, I couldn't see George Washington because it was on the far side of the room. Being me, I couldn't just raise my hand and tell her, but instead started crying because I couldn't see. She notified my Mom and I was later taken to the eye doctor for the first time. It was great to be able to see clearly.

    Over the years, I've had numerous changes to my prescription as my sight has grown weaker. Of course, for vanity's sake I gave contact lenses a try, but couldn't tolerate them because of dry eyes. I remember the shock about fifteen or more years ago when a student doctor was doing my initial eye exam and exclaimed "A cataract!"- I guess it was the first time she had actually seen one outside the classroom.  Dr John came in and told me it was in the early stages and not a concern, and I have been doing fine until recently.
     I have noticed I'm not as comfortable driving at night on unfamiliar roads. I have not seen people or animals along the side of the road until I was close to them which kind of scared me. Also when driving on major highways I sometimes don't see signs for my turnoff until I'm almost on top of them.   So when the doctor said it's time for surgery I was a bit relieved. Just last week, realizing I would be out of town late at night I reserved a hotel room rather that try to drive home. I'm glad it was only a mile away from the event I was attending, because I had difficulty locating the driveway. I don't think I would have made it back home at night.
  I am grateful for the ability to see, to drive, to be independent and want to continue to be all that for as long as I can.Yeah, I know there's always a risk with any surgery and maybe I'll still need glasses for some things. but the idea of being able to travel more comfortably is a big motivation to get it done. Wish me well.