I suppose it might be self therapeutic to comment on my current eye condition. Cataracts are a clouding or discolouration in the lens of the eye and the condition is strongly linked to inevitable aging although steroid use (not guilty), genes and UV exposure may exacerbate the condition. Cataracts generally start off in the periphery of the lens and gradually 'close off' clear vision but mine are central and have developed extremely rapidly (since they were spotted by an optician in May this year). So what's it like? The first indication (that has grown worse with time) is the dazzle caused by bright sunlight (especially difficult when the sun is low), Gradually the world takes on the appearance of a Turkish bath perpetually full of steam (alternatively, its like having your swimming goggles 'steamed up'). All colours become greyed and there is no such thing as a clear, bright day. What things do I miss most?
1. Independent transport (I gave up driving as soon as the condition became evident)
2. Being able to read books and papers in standard font (its demoralising going to the large print section of the library) and having to do all reading inside under dim illumination (scatter is a problem here)
3. Being able to see the image through the view-finder of a digital camera
4. Locating the keyhole with a key
5. Telling when I have filled the teapot with boiling water
6. Being able to tell a step from a pattern on a walkway (especially ornate marble stairs)
7. Easily distinguishing the comma from the full-stop on the computer and being able to locate the cross in the top right hand corner of the screen
8. Seeing where a disturbed insect or bird has flown to in order to photograph it
9. Moving, with confidence, over uneven ground
10. Recognizing people at a reasonable distance
So what happens next? My eyes will be operated (one at a time) in a day surgery unit under local anaesthesia (the operation has a 96-98% success rate). A tube is passed into the lens of the eye via a small incision in the cornea and ultrasound used to liquidise it so it can be sucked out (a bit like a spider ingesting the contents of a captured fly after injecting enzymes). A folded plastic replacement is then inserted into the 'skeleton' of the old lens. The small hole in the cornea then heals without the need for stitching. There then following a period of rehabilitation (4 weeks in total) with eye drops. I do hope that I will have at least one functional eye for the Dorset 2007 field course. Luckily, the surgery on my right eye is scheduled for 8am Thursdays 6th of September so, if all goes well, I should be available for the trip. The left eye would be done about 3 months later.
2 comments:
Hi Paul - I am lucky enough to live in France, where both my eyes were done on the French National Health Service within three months of telling my GP of my problem. As I am a pensioner, it all came free and passed off without hurt or bother. After 30 years of wearing the darn things all the time, I no longer need specs to go out with or to watch TV. I have a pair for reading and another weaker pair for the internet. The weaker pair came from a supermarket in England for about a fiver and the reading pair cost me nothing, because the opticians put the free lenses into some old frames I had knocking about.
As for my vision, last night I was out watching the meteorite shower (counted four in 20 minutes at 2.30 am your time) without specs.
I notice things I never knew existed - especially when travelling by car. And all the world is many times brighter. At first after the two bouts of surgery, my eyes tired easily, so much to take in, but now they are rarely weary.
By the way, your sight may be bad, but you have a lovely site.
best wishes - ken whitmore
Labastide Esparbairenque, France
Thanks for your comments Ken. Irritatingly, I would be on holiday in France if it were not for the cataracts. Roll on the operations and the return of colour, movement and clarity!
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