Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Eyes See, I See

*The following post was half way done on Monday.  I planned on finishing the poem when I got home, but couldn't quite do it, so it is for today's Slice of Life instead.

It's a muggy Monday* in Maine.  And today I get my right eye "lasered" and hopefully fixed so that I can again see the world clearly.

Eyesight is a wonderful thing when it works well, and I have been blessed to have eyesight that was perfect for most of my life.  Aging has caused cataracts to form, but new surgery methods have made it less of an ordeal than it was in the "olden" days.

As this secondary cataract formed, I wondered if this is what the lawyer ads were about when I saw them years ago.  "Were you dissatisfied with your cataract surgery?"  "Problems after cataract surgery?"  I always wondered what that meant.  What would happen?  I now wonder if it was the secondary cataract forming on the membrane in the eye.  If so, I would have been one of those who was not satisfied with the results.  However, now they know that it is something that can happen, and they know how to deal with it in those patients who develop them - like me.

My husband has had this procedure, too, and he assures me that it is pretty simple and fast.  I'm looking forward to suppertime.

Suppertime will mean it is well past me, and I have had time to play with the dogs and sit to read a bit.

Eyes See, I See

I see afar,
Eyes see a star;

I sing a song,
Eyes sing along;

I scream with fears,
Eyes scream with tears;

I scoff and doubt,
Eyes scoff and pout;

I scrutinize dreams,
Eyes scrutinize seams;

I signal for rest,
Eyes signal it's jest;

I sleep in bed,
Eyes sleep in head;

I squint in pain,
Eyes squint in rain;

I study at night,
Eyes study a plight;

I speak with words
Eyes speak inwards;

I see a star,
Eyes see afar;

Eyes sing my song;
I sing along.

©Donna JT Smith, 2015

This was started yesterday, but the laser surgery wasn't quite as immediate as I'd thought it would be.  I was getting halos around lights and blurring in my left eye for quite a while after the procedure.

"Left eye?" you ask.
"Yes, left eye," I reply.

When they checked my eyes, they discovered that my left eye was also developing a secondary cataract.  I had suspected as much, since it was ever so slightly doubled sign wording at night and I needed to squint a bit.

So they did both eyes.  They were horrible when I left the doctor's office.  My eyes were so dilated it was difficult to see anything well.  As they started to improve, my left eye was seeing all sorts of halos around every light, driving me crazy!  Being the baby that I am, it was very discouraging and disconcerting to me, and I had to have some time to cry and whine about it.  After doing that I decided to just close my eyes and mouth and pretend I was asleep.  That worked out much better and pretty soon I wasn't pretending.  I was asleep.

And now it is morning.  I've finished my poem and my eyes are...

...better than yesterday, but not okay yet.

Shoot.  Though my right eye is a lot better than it was, my left is worse.  How can that be?  Lights glare that didn't use to, and they don't want to work together very well.  They both seem to still be scumming over or something, like the medications in the eyes are still there.  If I blink a lot I can move it so I can see more.  Maybe the left is pouting about the right being so good and taking over being boss!  Guess I have to call and find out what's up.  I don't want to have to cry about this.  What a baby!

Has anyone else had this happen after the secondary cataract removal?  Tell me it takes two or three days to clear up, instead of being immediate or one day as I was led to believe.

7 comments:

  1. This sounds awful. I hope that everything starts working together and clearly very soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Half a day later and the left eye seems to be improving some. Still driving me a bit insane with a vague cloud that appears and disappears and glaring of lights, but I do think it may be better than it was first thing this morning. No pain.

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  2. So, do you now see dead people. Sorry, couldn't resist that. Anyway, hope things improve quickly for your. Really enjoyed your poem. Eyesight is wonderful. Hopes for a speedy return of good vision.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I get it! Halos! Good one! My eyesight has steadily and slowly improved today. Tonight I am not getting the strange halos. One more night and then tomorrow should be a normal day!

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  3. Thinking of you ... and sending wishes for quick healing.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Tara. Today was a bit discouraging but improved as it went along. By tomorrow things should be beautifully clear in both eyes!

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  4. Oh no! This doesn't sound at all like you had planned! I hope you are either fully recovered by now or have called and gotten some answers. Thinking of you and wishing you a full and quick recovery!

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