“ ‘I SEE’ SAYS THE BLIND MAN”

My optometrist told me, “Everybody gets cataracts in their eyes if they live long enough.” Apparently I have lived long enough. I was one of the 60 percent of all adults over age 60 with a cataract, which is a clouding of the eye's internal lens. As we age we learn more about our bodies, oft times because something needs fixing – just like when your automobile goes awry, you learn the name of the part that needs replacing. In my case, it was time to trade in the old lens in my eye for an aspirin sized plastic optical lens. Just call me your “bionic legislator.”

I selected Dr. Robert O. Ford as my eye surgeon. It was comforting that my referring optometrist is referring her own mother to Dr. Ford. Dr. Ford also did cataract surgery for my former legislative Chief of Staff Bill ”Tom” Moffatt, and I had witnessed that surgery. I had also heard Dr. Ford testify before the House Labor and Commerce Committee on eye care issues, and was impressed.

Was I nervous (translated: scared “fill-in-the-blank”)? Yes. But not to worry. Everything was painless, fast, and professional. I was especially impressed when Dr. Ford volunteered a short prayer for God’s gift in helping him to help me to see better. To me, whatever gifts any of have are a Gift from God, whether the Gift is excellence in eye surgery, parenting, the arts, daily work, or whatever. I also liked it when I found out Dr. Ford is a jet pilot – hey, us jet pilots can do anything!

The actual cataract surgery involves “phacoemulsification” as a way to extract the cataract clouded natural lens through a tiny 3mm incision. Next an ultrasound probe is used to break the lens apart without harming the capsule in which the lens resides. These fragments are then sucked (“aspirated” is the euphemism) out of the eye. A plastic intraocular lens is then inserted into the eye where the old lens used to be. No “embroidery” stitches are needed to close the incision, because it’s self-sealing.

So how am I doing?

Well, the cataract was removed, the new lens put in place, and the eye surgery was completed about 11AM. It’s now about 9PM, and I’m at my computer writing this blog, and doing great. I’m already seeing much better. The most difficult part of the operation was walking through the door! In fact, I’ll have the smaller cataract in my left eye replaced with another Superman lens in September. What a wonderful age in which we are privileged to live!