Cataract Surgery

by Wendy, Retirement Enthusiast/Coach
(Michigan)

Well, folks. I've have both eyes done... cataracts gone, new bright and shiny lenses in! I see 20/20 with both eyes (slightly less with each one)!

Its really quite amazing how this all works - and how far eye surgery has come!

I did the two eyes two weeks apart... so one is already working well before the second surgery happens. My surgeries and healing afterward went so easily.

Remember -- I've never had a surgery of any type before, so even the anesthesia was new to me. Yikes! Nerves Galore!

Speaking of Anesthesia, getting the needle into my arm was the worst part of the surgeries First time, got THREE pokes! Then had to have another Nurse try... she got it in! Yes! Second surgery, first time!

I got drops, drops and more drops while I waited for the laser process.

My head was kinda tied into position, between the head of the bed that circles my head and something across the forehead, my head couldn't move... and thats good as I might jerk away! :)

They wheel you under this huge square machine, and you see bright lights -- thats it! You've been lasered -- your cataract has been broken up! It happened so easy!

More drops, more waiting and you are wheeled into surgery. Again, they strap your head down and tell you they are starting the meds... and that is all I remember until the meds were stopped and they were releasing my head!

Later, I told my husband -- Hey, I remember it all, I didn't forget!
He says, you remember them cutting your eye?
Oh well, no... wait, I remember getting ready, and I remember coming awake -- hey what happened? My first anesthesia, amazing!

After the first surgery, when one eye was done and one was not... I did lots of comparison. I WAS shocked that the color white was so much brighter! Colors were completely different too! WOW!

Side Story: when I told one of the technicians I couldn't believe the difference with colors, she said that one older woman always loved her plum business suit. She wore it all the time and got lots of looks,...she loved that. After she had surgery, she was shocked to see it was candy apple red, and remembered a funeral she had attended wearing it. She didn't know!

I tell you that so that if you have cataracts, you have old yellowed-brownish lenses inside your eyes. When you get them done, you have baby clear lenses (that hurt your eyes in the sunshine until you adjust). That never occurred to me!

So I was very lucky that everything went perfectly!

I will get glasses, I feel naked without them! I've worn glasses since I was a toddler.

I purchased tri-focal reading glasses from Amazon -- clear on the top for long distance, 1x magnification for computer work, and 2.5x for reading. Pretty cool! You can get several pairs for $15! Crazy!

However, in time, I will get prescription glasses with clear on the top after my eyes have completely healed.

Just wanted to share my new experience!

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