Aftermath......

I had my cataract surgery on Monday, as planned.  I have to say, although it was mostly painless (the THREE injections into my eye beforehand to paralyse it were 'uncomfortable' rather than painful) it most certainly wasn't my idea of fun.  I could 'see' the various instruments inside my eye as the surgeon was working, which was really disconcerting.  Thankfully it was over relatively quickly, and my eye was bandaged and covered with a rather fetching protective plastic guard.

After 4 hours I had to remove the eye guard and instill the steroid/antibiotic drops. The eye had been bleeding and was completely bloodshot on one side.... think zombie crossed with vampire.  Not a good look. 

I'm now three days on and slowly coming to terms with my new visual landscape.  Initially, my vision in the operated eye was very cloudy, but it's clearing now, and sure enough, for the first time in my life, I can see things in the distance without my glasses.  However, as predicted, if I wear my glasses I can't see with the new eye, and if I don't, I can't see with my old eye, although it's good for close distance.

This visual mismatch is making me feel dizzy, queasy and disorientated, and I'm alternately covering one eye or the other, depending on what I need to see.  My depth perception is all skew-whiff and flat surfaces look alternately concave or wavy/wiggly.  The surgeon had said that my brain might compensate in time, but I don't think it's got that message yet.  I suppose you need to have a reasonable degree of brain 'plasticity' to overwrite neural pathways, and knit two such different visual fields together.

The operated eye is extremely light sensitive, so I've been lurking in the twilight of darkened rooms, away from the blinding sunshine, donning sunglasses when I have to step outside into the unaccustomed heat, now that summer has finally decided to put in an appearance.

Work isn't on the agenda this week.  I was hoping to get back to it today, but after 30 minutes trying to thread a needle using only my good close vision eye I abandoned the attempt as I obviously need both eyes to work in harmony.  There are myriad other things I could be getting on with, but the heat is both searing and energy-sapping so I'm going to call it a day and retreat to the coolest spot I can find.

Thankfully the temperature is forecast to start dropping tomorrow, so I might get out of sloth mode over the weekend. 

Stay cool if you can....... 

The eyes have it.....

I'm going to be working like a demon this week, clearing my desk of all outstanding orders and one interesting commission, which is very nearly finished.

Yes, yes...... I know I said I wasn't taking any more commissions, but this one was serendipitous and interesting and, for once, I actually knew where to find all the bits I needed for it.

The reason for all this activity is that next Monday I'm having surgery to remove cataracts from my left eye.  My vision has been getting increasingly blurred and hazy over recent months and after tests and scans, I was approved for the surgery, which has been scheduled really quickly, considering the current situation.  It helps that it will be done in a dedicated specialist opthalmic department in a small local day hospital, relatively isolated and insulated from the chaos wreaked by Covid.

I've been told that it will take a few days, perhaps longer, until my vision in that eye settles down.  Having been shortsighted since childhood and having had to wear glasses since I was 5, I was amazed when told that I would likely no longer need glasses for distance, although, perversely, I would need them for reading/close work.  Four weeks post-surgery I will see an opthalmic optician, to asses the other eye and test my vision in the 'new' eye.

In recent years, as my near vision has deteriorated, I've worn varifocal lenses, with zones for far, middle and near distance.  I'm confused that post surgery, the distance vision in my left eye should be perfect, but I will still have to wear glasses for my right eye.  And my current pair won't be correct for the operated eye, so I'll be in the weird position of not being able to see properly with my glasses through the left lens.  But if I take them off, then I won't be able to see properly with my right eye.   Plus I'm also going to have to wear reading glasses for my left eye.

Nightmare! 

Hopefully,  at the subsequent optician appointment, I will be assessed as needing to have the other eye done too, despite the cataracts not being so bad, purely to balance out my vision.

Inevitably this will have a knock-on impact on my work in the intervening period, as I need good close vision.  With that in mind I may be unable to do some of the more intricate stuff... I'll just have to wait and see..... no pun intended.

Also this.....