Phacemulsification
Small-incision cataract surgery
I was prescribed my first set of glasses when I was in 2nd grade. I couldn’t see the chalkboard from the front row of the classroom and was the first in my class to be called “4-eyes”. And I had some beauties … big, brown, plastic frames with fancy gold sides that I added fingernail flower stickers to make them look cool. (Ok, it didn’t help.) That ended any dreams I had of being a swimmer or any manner of sports actually. My glasses either had to come off or fog up because back in the day my parents couldn’t afford specialized goggles. However, my dance instructor allowed me to go onstage without them as long as I knew the dance well enough not to run into anyone. That worked until I hit 8th grade when my sister found me an eye doctor stupid enough to give a growing girl some soft contacts.
The trouble with soft contacts is they tend to worsen your prescription over time. As I grew older, my vision just kept getting worse until somewhere in my 30’s, I hit -11 and -11.5, legally blind. And even then, my distance wasn’t the best because contact manufacturers either didn’t make soft contacts that strong, or my astigmatism was too great for total correction.
In the mornings, nothing happens until I put my contacts on. I can’t read my shampoo bottles and everything is done by touch more or less. I can’t wear my glasses when I dry my hair because they are generally fogged up. Doing my make up is a joke. So, I have generally worn my contacts from 5:30am until about 9:00pm or later, depending on my evening plans. Again, not generally approved by the AOA (American Optometric Association).
To answer the question you must be wondering by now … Lasix is not an option for me. My eyesight is too poor.
My oldest sister was one of the first patients in the PNW for RK surgery, or Radial Keratotomy. This procedure was one used prior to Lasix for vision correction, pre-laser surgery. Following years of struggles, she ended up needing corneal transplants and sued her surgeon in a class-action medical malpractice suit after he skipped the country for his country home in England. (I’ll add for context that this was the same doctor who gave me contacts at the age of 13.)
At age 50, I’d given up on any dreams of vision correction because of my fear of losing my sight altogether or the exorbitant cost of a surgery not covered by my insurance. I’d flirted with the idea for the last few years, but couldn’t envision us spending well over $10,000 on surgery to improve what I would deem an “inconvenience”. My husband thought differently.
Right around my 50th birthday, he asked me to inquire with my eye doctor during my last annual eye exam (which for me was as depressing as a pelvic exam) for a referral to an eye surgeon who could perform the vision correction surgery. I instructed her to select a nationally recognized surgeon for me. Someone who she would trust. Lucky for me, he is local. She told me she was recently involved in a conference where Dr. Paul Israelsen spoke on the latest Cataract Surgery advancements and how his clinic was excelling in the field.
So I maxed out my FSA funds and made an appointment.
“Your vision is so poor that I will agree to perform your surgery.” He explained that my quality of life is strongly affected by my inability to live a full life and the beginning stages of cataracts can already be measured. After a bit of back and forth about surgical costs (the office does not often get requests for patient paid vision correction surgery) the doctor reached out and indicated because of my declining blurry night vision over the past several years, he would bill the surgical costs to my insurance company.
I had no idea my quality of life was affected - I have never known the ease of clear vision. I guess it’s like my nephew who thought everyone’s feet hurt because adults around him would say “Oh, my feet hurt.” It never occurred to him that he should tell my sister about his feet hurting so he could get orthotics.
Appointments were made. Dave and I foot the bill for the corrective lenses - at 1/2 the cost of the total procedure.
I can hardly believe this is happening.
Initial thoughts - there is NEVER a good time to do this. Between a kid graduating college, trip to Mexico, summer holidays, work, having to wear glasses for weeks at a time, 2 separate surgeries, no makeup for over a month I think! (I mean really WTH.) Maybe sometime in the fall before we leave for Europe, I might have better vision and be able to wake up and actually SEE the Cliffs of Mohr and the Isle of Skye. Maybe I won’t have to worry about spending all night at the Temple Bar because my contacts are drying out. Maybe I don’t have to carry boxes of contacts with me because you never know when one will break. Or allergies!!
I think I can be okay with all of that. Now I just need mom to give me strength and the surgeon a good night’s sleep and a steady hand.
More updates to come! (First I have to reschedule the 1st surgery because there’s no way I’m wearing my glasses on the boat during Fourth of July weekend!)
Much love,
Gabby