Cataract Operation No. 2

Last Tuesday was lovely, sunny and warm with a light breeze blowing. Perfect gardening weather. But not for me, I had my cataract operation.

Human Eye – Credit Petr Novák CC BY-SA 2.5

This was my second cataract operation, I had my left eye done back in 2014. Doesn’t seem like 5 years but I looked it up in my blog and it was – cataract operation. This time was a little different, but basically the same.

It’s a very direct route from our house to the hospital but the road was being closed that day as they were installing a bridge across the A487 for the Caernarfon bypass. Typical! My daughter kindly took me over using an alternative country route and we arrived half an hour early.

The ophthalmology department still runs like a well-oiled machine. The nurses are really friendly and put you at ease, just in case you’re a bit nervous. I think they checked which eye was being operated on 4 times!

They wheel you in to the theatre, I assume it makes it more difficult to run away. Once they get you on the table things move really quickly. The doctor carrying out the procedure was getting some instructions from the consultant which, I admit, worried me a little. I wondered if I was her first! I wasn’t but even if I was, someone has to be.

The lightshow wasn’t as good as last time, but still interesting. It gives you something to concentrate on, anyway. Before you know it they’re helping you back into the chair and the main room where they offer you a drink. Unfortunately they’d run out of whiskey so I had a cup of tea and some ginger nuts.

Val was supposed to pick me up but a tyre blew on the car so my daughter came instead whilst she got that sorted. One of those days, obviously.

The Good News

This time there was very little post-operative soreness and my eye wasn’t even bloodshot like last time. Obviously the procedure has really improved. You still have to be careful though and follow the care plan. 4 drops a day for 4 weeks.

The Really Good News

When they replace the lens the new lens corrects your vision to some degree. As both eyes are now done, I can now see better than I have done since I was 10 years old and started wearing glasses. I should be able to drive without glasses! That’s a first for me.

I still need reading glasses and for the computer screen but may be able to get away with those cheap ones rather than the vari-focals which cost an arm and a leg. It’s very strange taking my prescription specs off to see into the distance.

We moan about the NHS and waiting lists but compared with the USA – be grateful. The discussion with the doctor here is about what is the right treatment option. In the USA it’s about the costs and what your insurance will cover. I know where I want to be.

The Bad News

For the first month I have to avoid heavy lifting and gardening for a month. Not a problem last time when I had the operation in January and nothing much was happening outside but I could do with being out now. Still, what can’t be cured must be endured!