I See ...

The months of increasingly blurry vision that I attributed to the addition of prisms into my lenses after the last eye exam over a year ago is actually the symptom of cataracts. I’ve organically taken some corrective actions in an effort to “fix” my blurry vision, constantly adjusting the glasses' fit to my face, which only helps as long as the frames stay in place, purchasing extra bright Ott lights to help me see, and using a magnifying glass for close-up work and small print. All of these actions helped me cope with the frustration of not being able to see clearly; however, the bottom line is that I’ll need surgery when the cataracts are the right size for it, which will be in about 9 months.

What’s interesting is that the development of new replacement lenses may correct my vision issues and, after wearing glasses since I was age 5, there is a distinct possibility that I could be freed from corrective lenses altogether! Those who develop the vision correction inserts for the cataract surgery have been quite successful with a special lens for patients with acute astigmatism, which is one of my issues; thus, with the transplant lenses in place, no more astigmatism. My eye doctor said that I may need OTC reading glasses after the surgery, but perhaps not for several years after it—if at all.

So, cataracts become a blessing in disguise. Of course, having spent the majority of my life with glasses as part of my facial recognition process, it will be challenging to see my face naked, but I’m willing to go there, especially since my blurry vision will also be a thing of the past, rather than an increasingly irritating part of my present and future.