Friday, February 24, 2012

On the Other Eye




ON THE OTHER EYE

As you may know, I have had cataract surgery on both eyes. Multiple-focus lenses were implanted in both eyes. It may be too early to reach final conclusions, but I can share preliminary results. Colors look brighter.




I never knew how limited my peripheral vision was until I had the ability to look toward each side. My right eye was operated on first. While I wore glasses with the right lens poked out, I kept getting startled by cars coming from behind me on the left. Apparently, I had not noticed them before.




My brain seems less confused than when it had had one lens outside the eye and the second lens inside. I can read average-sized print. I can see in medium and far distance. I have to use a magnifier to read tiny print.



At least twice when I went to bed I reached up to my temples to remove glasses that were not there. My wife tells me I tilt my head to try to see better. That was sometimes useful with glasses. It doesn’t do a thing for implanted lenses.

At this point my vision waxes and wanes. It should stabilize over time. I am definitely improving at not blinking when something approaches my eyeballs.

That’s what I call a mixed blessing.

5 comments:

  1. I love the pictures you chose to go with your blog. Quite appropriate. I'm glad you're doing better every day. I can remember my first pair of glasses when I was twelve. I was amazed at all the color and detail I saw in trees and other things. May you soon be seeing with no problems.

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  2. After getting my first pair of glasses in the 4th grade I was amazed at how clear the letters on the blackboard were and at the shades of green in grass in my yard.

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  3. Warren, I'm so glad you're finally finished with the surgeries. I had new special lenses implanted that changed my legally-blind-without-thick-glasses eyes into can-drive-without-glasses eyes. I call them my bionic eyes. Truly a miracle for one who had bifocals from before third grade! I couldn't drive until I was in my late thirties because only then had they created ultra-light plastics that allowed enough correction.

    It's been several years now, but I still sometimes try to take off glasses for bed and tilt my head up to see through the lower bifocal on glasses that aren't there. I love it, though!

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  4. Linda,

    I wrote the blog with the smallest print in the first paragraph and larger print for each paragraph that followed. too bad the program did not allow that when I saved the blog.

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  5. Congratulations, Warren, and thanks for the inspiration. I had cataract surgery for one eye in early February, but retinal complications in the other eye have keep me from the computer since early January. The second cataract surgery won't come until mid-March. It's nice to hear that someday soon my life (and tiny print) will clear up. Liz

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