My friends and relatives are tired of hearing me rave about my improved vision. Lots of people have had cataract surgery and have shared their stories, but to be able to see almost perfectly after only 15 minutes of surgery is truly a miracle to me. Thank you to Dr. Cassidy and all the great, caring nurses.
A few weeks ago I was unable to see television or read or use the computer without being almost on top of it, and now I can see clear across the fields and roads – better without my glasses than with them! Unbelievable! Not since I was four years old and got my first pair of glasses, have I been so pleased.
If anyone is hesitating about having cataract surgery, take my word for it – it’s totally painless. And if you’re 65 or older, and need this surgery, Medicare pays for it.
From talking with friends, terrific improvements have been made since their surgery was done. In my case, there were no stitches, no eye patch and dark glasses only for a few hours. I walked out of surgery and went directly to a restaurant for a late breakfast. I did have a chauffeur for a while.
The day after surgery, I was able to drive to the grocery store (without sunglasses) and other than using a prescribed list of eye drops for four weeks, there is no more to be done; after that time, I’ll go to my regular eye doctor and get a new prescription for my glasses.
Before even considering cataract surgery, I talked with everyone I knew who had been through it and heard many versions of what to expect. I searched the Internet for all the medical information I could find and I read all the booklets the professionals at Eyecare Medical Group gave to me. Still, I was skeptical. How would I keep from blinking? Would I be able to hold perfectly still? What would I do after? Would my “old” glasses still work? I had so much work I’d promised to have done, I was very concerned about meeting deadlines and told people they’d have to give me a few days extra.
But these concerns turned out to be non-concerns. Anesthesia kept me from blinking (numbing eye drops), I had no problem keeping still, and my old glasses were fine. (My new ones will be better, though.)
I should have learned by now that medical advances cancel out experiences from decades ago. What other people went through really may have totally changed. I remember when I started wearing bifocals many years ago. My mother and all her friends warned me that I’d never get used to them. I heard about my grandmother’s experiences (which would have been in the 1920s) and how her eyes “were never right again.” Despite these “old wives tales,” I went ahead and did what the eye doctor recommended and got bifocals, which I’ve worn ever since without a problem.
Bottom line is this: If you’ve been told you have a cataract (a thickening and clouding of the eye lens), find out about having it removed and replaced with a clear lens. Listen to the professionals. Waiting won’t solve anything. It’s not going away, but will progressively get worse. From my experience I can tell you it doesn’t hurt at all. As I get older, my once-famous high pain threshold gets lower and lower, so I am the world’s biggest chicken when it comes to something hurting. And the results of this most common operation of all, are nothing short of miraculous!
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