May 8, 2007
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Cataract Surgery
My wife and I are in the process of completing cataract surgery. Our Ophthalmologist left us no choice - he didn't ask if we would like the idea - he just said "I am scheduling you.... The time has come"
Of course we were reluctant. Who wants to have a hole punched in their eyeballs and all the hassles of eye patches and head braces and strange glasses?
Well, turns out our perceptions were a little out of date. They still punch the hole - with a needle so thin you don't even require a stitch afterwards. Through that single hole the surgeon first inserts an ultrasonic probe that shatters the lens, then a vacuum to suck out the old lens. He then inserts a new rolled up plastic lens with hooks to hold it in place. The entire process takes ten to fifteen minutes and the whole prep process takes about an hour. They do one eye at a time with a 10-14 day wait between eyes. You are home and admiring your new visual world in time for breakfast.
It takes a couple of days for your "new" eye to clear but Oh! the difference. New colors are the first thing you see.
This surgery is fairly cheap as modern medical costs go - about $2400/eye, and well worth the cost.
We should have had it done years ago - now we will be able to see where we're going this summer on our annual drive to Maine.
Comments (9)
That sounds really cool. Congratulations.
I am glad it went well for you!
I had the surgery about three hours ago - I'm peering at the computer through one eye but , no muss or fuss. The cloud I am trying to look through in one eye will clear by tomorrow or the next day. By now all the nurse knew me pretty well - all sked asbout my wife and I breezed right vthrough.
It's a happy, well run place that just does eye surgery for for MDs.
Good for ya'll. <<< that's Texan for "you and your wife".
Cataracts develop on the mind too.
my goodness, I just reread my comments - I'm not really quite that illiterate - I just had trouble seing what I was writing and didn't bother to spellcheck
"Cataracts develop on the mind too" - maybe that's what they mean by "Seeing through a glass darkly".
Good luck on the surgery and where are you going in Maine? I was born and raised in Otisfield, Maine.
That's awesome! Congratulations!
At the golf course, I've wondered about a few of our clients as they make comments about colors sometimes (these are older men) I've never asked, "Hey! Do you have cataracts?" as I don't want them to feel insulted, but I sure would like to know!
My friend that needs new lenses still has not done the operation as she doesn't have insurance nor the money. It's scary because she's legally blind (not legal to drive) yet continues to do so out of neccessity. I'm hoping that she'll take care of it before something bad happens.
Thanks for sharing the tale
The deep you dig into the subject and give us the accurate data is appreciable.can-c
I tend to very much agree with what you said but in hindsight I don’t follow the subject enough. You might have a much better grasp than me.