Doing real well. Good job on it, no needles, just eyedrops, one iv, which is a piffle, and stare straight at the light, which is real, real bright.
Of course you have doubts—I’m pretty possessive about the body parts I was born with, but the new one is functioning well. Only real pain was the incision pain after surgery, managed with 2 Advil—about like getting soap in your eye level pain—and the fact you have one eye dilated a whole lot, and the other not.
The new lens is set for distance, and it’s already way sharper than the other one. Still having a little filmy (too much light) effect, but I’m real happy.
Most of the time (3-4 hours) was waiting. The operation itself is about ten minutes. They hand you a bottle of oj and a plastic eye shield and tell you come back tomorrow (for the followup exam.) Now one eye sees in slightly browned tones and one eye (the new one) sees brilliant whites.
It’s a wonderful age we live in. Now I’m under don’t-bend-over restriction and no lifting anything heavier than a milk bottle.
the first cataract surgery, I felt when he put the new lens in and unfolded it…quick, stabbing pain, and then gone, kind of like I’d gotten poked. After that, no trouble at all. I didn’t experience any post-surgical pain in the eye, that I remember.
But definitely glad you’re seeing better out of that eye, and you will appreciate the difference when you can take the patch off and use that eye. Then it’s a matter of when you and the doctor decide to do the other one, especially if you’re seeing brownish colors through it, that’s a sign it’s starting to manifest itself.
Left eye or right eye today?
It’s my understanding that the new artficial lens has a different sensitivity to ultraviolet light than does the natural eye’s lens. Ths, plus your natural eye’s diminished abilities due to cataracts and normal aging are supposed to account for the difference in perceived colors, besides acuity.
Yes, it’s absolutely amazing how much of a difference it can make and how great it is that we can do something so miraculous, thanks to scientific and engineering progress in understanding how the body works. It also says a lot about how elegantly fine-tuned the body is, any organism, that it can do such remarkable things and stay in such good shape most of the time.
A few years ago, wow, maybe almost ten now, my grandmother went in for a hip replacement. This was a very big deal for her and for me. She was in her mid to upper 90’s. We were surprised (and amused!) that a friend of ours from church, a gentleman also in his upper 90’s, was in for the same. They both did really well, a real tribute both to their good health and activity, and to the doctors’ skills. One day while still in recovery at the hospital, the man, Ross, walked from his room to my grandmother’s with a stuffed teddy bear as a get well gift. Heh, what a neat guy. He was someone my dad respected a lot also. My dad was my grandmother’s son-in-law. There’s an added twist: Some years after both my grandmother’s and Ross’ spouses had passed away, the two seemed to have some sparks going, and this was remarked upon favorably by all parties. My dad and I both said we’d be happy for them if they wanted to marry. His family liked the idea. Other church members all did. Ah, but the twosome decided they’d already been through taking care of someone for years, getting old, and they were both getting old, and they didn’t want to do that to each other or their respective families. They remained friends as long as both still lived. There was nothing more than courting, mutual respect. I don’t think they had any sort of formal dates. But even so, it was heartwarming, if puzzling, to see. 🙂 And both did great with their hip replacements. That had been the second for Ross, the first and only hip replacement, thankfully, for my grandmother. 🙂
So one never knows what life can bring!
My own eye condition requires a more tricky technical solution that so far eludes modern medical and bioengineering abilities. There are a number of ethical questions that could ensue if we could provide a cure. Whether we can do that within my lifetime, I don’t know. But my vision is such that I’d try it, at least for the weak eye, and if that worked, the better eye, which is also well below average abilities.
Who knows? There’s been so much progress in the last few years, it might become possible after all.
Great to hear you’re doing well, CJ! Take it easy and let Jane and others pamper you a little. 🙂 Best wishes for tomorrow’s checkup.
No patch. A transparent shield to sleep in for first two nights. I’m sitting here watching telly, but I think the eye will require some rest soon. 😉 Good news is, my regular glasses aren’t that ‘off’ for the new lens for reading.
I’m so glad to hear it went well. Now rest, and don’t be tempted to do more than you should. Let Jane and the kittehs spoil you!
Glad to hear it went well. Others I have known who had cataract surgery commented afterwards that colors were much brighter than they had been.
Wow. Surgery on an eye would totally freak me out. You’re a brave person, CJ!
Not so much for this. Just eyedrops, a bright light, no needles, no knives, just a pleasant conversation with the doc, while they make a tiny, tiny incision you can’t even feel: a little pressure, no pain. Worst is the brilliance of the light you have to stare into, but there’s no point in which there’s NO vision, just kind of a haziness for about a minute. Whole operation takes about 5 to 10 minutes, and there’s no stitching, nada, doesn’t even need that much. YOu don’t even wear an eyepatch except when sleeping, and 2 Advil takes care of post-op pain completely.
I’ve had more than one surgery with a local–most recently, they were adamant about putting totally under, even though it was a minor sub-cutaneous deal. But looking right at the knife? Gods in pink feathers!!!
Tee hee, I expected “amazement”. That seems to be the usual reaction. Glad it went that way for you. 🙂
I’m happy all went well for you.
Glad all went well. It’s a new world after the surgery.
I’m going to have to do this. Not yet because I don’t have any vision problems, but eventually. And I am freaking terrified. I hate hate hate anything coming near my eyes. It’s all I can do to just put drops in when I need them. I’ll have to plan for something to take my mind off of what’s going on. Ugh.
If you’ve done without sunglasses a lot — you’ll find you need them now, even on a cloudy day, if it’s a bright cloudy day. Other than that, you’ll enjoy the change! Take it easy, take time to adjust, and plan for the other eye. So glad it went well for you!