On January 20th I had cataract surgery on my left eye. The other eye was done last December. Today my vision is nothing short of miraculous — a similar reaction I have heard from others who have had the surgery done.
It is time to get back outdoors for a lot of backpacking and camping.
Well, almost time. I’ll explain in a bit.
I first shared eyesight problems in a post.
What is a Cataract?
Before my surgery I didn’t really know. Now I do. Cataracts are when the proteins in natural lens in your eye deteriorates and becomes cloudy. Eyeglasses won’t correct this.
Symptoms include:
-
- Blurry vision
- Seeing double
- Extra sensitive to light (especially when viewing oncoming headlights at night)
- Trouble see at night
- Bright colors are yellow or faded
I had all of these symptoms and got to the point where I couldn’t drive or read a book. I was, in essence, becoming blind.
The Outcome
The vision in my right is now 20/20 and my left is 20/30. The left isn’t as good because my ophthalmologist used a more powerful lens for reading. He is adamant that I won’t need eyeglasses for reading or anything else. So far, he is right, although my brain is still learning how to see with these new artificial eye lenses. I had needed eyeglasses for the past 30 years, so not needing glasses, as an outcome, wasn’t a big deal.
I still have one more scheduled follow-up visit with the ophthalmologist and expect all will be well.
Normal Isn’t Here Yet
I was so anticipating getting back to normal and getting back to my outdoor activities, to include lots of reading time — until 5 days ago.
Last Wednesday Joyce and I were watching a movie and eating popcorn, when I bit a kernel and split one of my rear molars. Serious damage to the tooth and it could not be saved. My dentist extracted it last Thursday and I will need an implant or a partial. Plus, he wants to put a crown on another tooth that could suffer the same fate.
So looks like I am somewhat grounded for most of February too. Oh well, it’s the price of getting old and I am more focused on all the good things that happen everyday.
Some Thoughts on Aging
Heart Health
Back in 2020 I wrote about my heart problem, which at the time, was a complete shock. I shared the experience here. Since then I haven’t had any issues, I swallow a couple of heart medication pills daily, and continue to live normally.
Hearing Loss
I first noticed this back around 2009 or so and my hearing gradually declined over the ensuing decade. I shared all the facts and circumstances in this post.
To be honest, I could function without hearing. It would be sad not to be able to listen to music. Plus one can learn to read lips, and nowadays, movies, TV, and even YouTube videos usually have closed caption options. The only downside is the people around me.
I learned that my hearing, which could be corrected to a degree, was my problem. By not taking action to correct this, I was making it other people’s problem. I have to thank my friend Doug for pointing all of this out to me during a very frank conversation.
My hearing aids have 6 volume settings. In addition there are three program modes. They work great for the most part. The biggest exception is at a gathering, such as a party with lots of people talking and the associated background noises. I tried to avoid these social events when I had great hearing, so not big lose, IMO.
Declining Eyesight
In my opinion, the most important of our five senses. Cataracts made my life difficult, especially when it got to the point where I could not read or drive. Cataracts were a wake-up call for me. I need to take better care of my eyes, especially in two areas — safety glasses and sunglasses.
I’ve always been somewhat careful when working around equipment and in areas of blowing debris such as sandstorms, work working, or working with drywall where safety glasses are really mandatory. But I haven’t been as diligent as I should have been. I will pay more attention.
Given how much time I spend outdoors, I should have worn sunglasses, which I normally hate. The UV light does contribute to developing cataracts. So I shall be wearing sunglasses more often and I will need to be careful that they don’t interfere with wearing my hearing aids.
All of these things add up to minor inconveniences for me. Just deal with them as needed and continue focusing on living a good life!