I went for my regular eye exam. It was time for a check-up, plus I wanted to get my contact lenses update - I've been wearing an old prescription lens in my right eye ever since I lost my lens down the sink in Paso Robles last month.
My doctor was puzzled at how my prescription seems to have deteriorated, especially in my left eye. So he did a few tests, and dropped a bombshell on me.
I have the beginning stages of cataracts in both eyes. He recommends surgery.
Oh, it's not urgent, and it's not even 100 % certain. But there's enough of an indication that he suggests I schedule a consultation in the next few months, at the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute.
My eye doctor says cataract surgery is simple and recovery is quick - and indeed, both my mother and my mother-in-law have had it, and have done well. The new lenses they would insert would correct my nearsightedness and astigmatism so that I would need only minor correction for reading or for driving. My mother was delighted with the results of her surgery.
If I do get accepted into an MFA program, I want to take care of this before I go back to school. So that would mean sometime next spring or summer.
It's unsettling to realize how my "physical plant" is beginning to break down. Whether it's my gut, my joints, or my eyes, aging is hard to deny.
Have you ever considered a Tai Chi class? There's a lot of emphasis placed on posture, form, and gentle movement. I went to a couple of Tai Chi classes while I was in college, but they conflicted with judo classes... I prefered full-contact fighting to gently moving as if I were in a liquid medium. Hey, I was young.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the cataract surgery.
There are Tai Chi classes taking place outside my office each morning. I have actually thought about joining one, but I think I'll wait until after finishing my PT, just to make sure my joints are properly supported.
ReplyDeleteHopefully this is the kind of thing where you have a lot of things at once and that sets you up for a long run of nothing to deal with.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your physical therapist will be fully conversant in the pros and cons of Tai Chi.
ReplyDeleteStay strong, Aunt Snow!
Tom had a cataract in one eye (before age 50!) and the surgery was relatively simple. He's soon going to have to have the other eye done. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Now ... I'm off to the chiropractor (my back, my hip, my knees)!
ReplyDeleteI think your self-improvement projects are inspiring, body and mind.
You seem alarmed about the cataract thing but my doctor said that pretty much everyone gets them sooner or later. And he told me a few years ago that I was in the beginning stage but that surgery would not probably be called for some years. Keep us posted. I'm curious.
ReplyDeleteSheila
Hey, Sheila.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'm exactly alarmed, but I am somewhat surprised. And it is another reminder that I am actually the age that I am. So...have you planned on when you'll have your surgery? Or will you wait until you think you need it?
I kind of figure I should get it done as soon as it's convenient, since I hope it will improve my vision. But maybe I am being too cavalier.
I will not get cataract surgery until I really need it. It's your eyeballs and things can go wrong even though they do thousands of these operations. One friend has had two bleeding incidents in his eye since the surgery. I'm not sure why anyone would have this surgery before they really need it.
ReplyDeleteSheila