Seeing things in a new light

This summer, I finally had cataract surgery on both my eyes. Although an opthamologist from the U of M recommended that I get both cataracts removed more than 15 years ago, I kept putting it off because I was scared of anyone messing with my eyes.That was despite the fact that several friends who had the surgery, or knew people who had it, told me what a positive experience it was for them. I was told that it was one of the commonest surgeries and had become almost routine. Before having my eyes operated on, I had to embark on a series of preliminary tests at the U of M eye clinic to determine the current state of my vision.

There I talked with a handsome young surgeon named Dr. Rashidi who explained to me what to expect. I found him to be very confiddent and reassuring, although somewhat reluctant to answer all my questions during subsequent visits. Before both operations, I had to procure four different kinds of eye drops from the pharmacy which I would take four times a day after surgery. These included a steroid to reduce any swelling of the cornea, an anti-biotic to guard against infection, and a solution of artificial tears to prevent my eyes from being dry. On the night before each surgery, I had to use a special kind of antiseptic shampoo while showering. On the day of surgery, I couldn't eat any solid foods or have anything to drink.

On the morning of each operation, there were a number of preparatory steps before I was wheeled into the operating room. First, I had to take off my shirt and undershirt while slipping into a blue hospital gown. Then a nurse inserted an IV so she could administer a saline solution. A second nurse gave me a local anesthetic to make me feel drowsy and relaxed. After the anesthetic started to kick in, I was wheeled into the OR where Dr. Rashidi performed both interocular procedures, replacing my old lenses with new ones. Each operation took about 40 minutes, during which my head was immobilized and I was told to lie completely still. During that time, although drowsy, I was able to observe most of what was happening around me. I saw a series of bright flashing lights, but felt no pain, only a slight scraping sensation.

After my first surgery, Dr. Rashidi assured me that all had gone well, but that I might experience some temporary swelling because there was a slight bruising of my right cornea. He then assured me that the swelling would go down after a few days if I took the prescribed eye drops. My second surgery went much better and there were no complications.

After I was wheeled from the operating room to the recovery area, a nurse handed me an eye patch to protect the eye that had been operated on. She told me to keep it on for the first couple of nights to prevent injury while sleeping. She also suggested I wear sunglasses while outside to protect myself from bright lights.

After each operation, my friend Mary picked me up from the clinic so that I could stay with her that night and the next day. In the meantime, she took excellent care of me. In fact, I was quite spoiled! When the anesthetic wore off after my first surgery, I felt some discomfort in my right eye. It felt as if some foreign object had lodged itself there. For the first few days, the vision in that eye was also somewhat blurred. However, that all cleared up after a week. After the second surgery, I felt no discomfort at all.

The thing that impressed me most after each operation was how bright everything was. For one thing, colors appeared much more vivid. Not only that, but now I could even read without glasses as long as the print wasn't too small. After each surgerey, I saw Dr. Rashidi for several post-op visits where he examined my eyes again. He assured me that everything was O.K. and gave me a clean bill of health. I was so grateful, I gave him a thank you card. And a week after my surgery both eyes felt fine. Yes, now I'm really glad I took the risk to have these operations despite my earlier misgivings. I think they gave me a new lease on life.