Cataract Surgery, what you may not know…

(The Cataract as we used to know them)

(Now this is the cataract)

Cataract surgery cleans your cornea of a deteriorated lens, called a cataract. Operative time is less than an hour, it is outpatient surgery.

(The natural lens is clouded)

A small slit is made  beside the  cornea. A miniature vacuum cleaner removes the debris of the cataract or old lens, after if it is broken up and liquefied. Once  the cleaning is completed, a new man made lens is installed. The small slit is allowed to fall back in place, normally no stiches are applied and the cut is allowed to heal with the help of eye drops.

Did you know that as a rule a lens for ‘far sights’ is installed in one eye and a lens for close up is installed in the other. In Sherry’s case the right eye just completed, is for far sights.

The brain adjusts for focus and you never notice. In my case I did not even know this. I must have missed it because my hearing was going at the time.

Now for the results. In my case I did not need reading glasses for a few years, now I use  reading glasses in bad light. BUT the first thing you notice and Sherry already has, colors are more vivid. Whites are WHITE. As your sight goes so slowly you do not notice that the whites have become a little dingy.

We are not sure yet about Sherry’s need for reading glasses. The pupil is still dilated and this eye is for distance anyway. We are hopeful that the Laser surgery has corrected her astigmatism.

Laser surgery for astigmatism changes the curvature of the cornea, either by flattening or raising the curvature, to make the focus correct to the optic nerve.

Now for the costs. In Sherry’s case the cataract surgery is taken care of by Medicare and her supplemental. The Laser surgery for astigmatism is not covered by insurance because it is  considered cosmetic surgery, or unnecessary since eye glasses will counter  that problem.

WE agreed that the cost is worth it, Sherry wanted to be without glasses or contacts, if at all possible.  She opted to give it a try and I had no objections. For you who are interested the laser surgery ranges from $500 to $3500 per eye according to the intensity of the Astigmatism or repairs needed (as I understand it).  Sherry’s was $2000 for the right eye. Yes that is a lot of money, but we have decided we want to make life easier in these last few years of our journey, if we can.

Nite Shipslog

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Next in our climb thru the years, the 1936, less look alikes: