After the cataract surgery
A few weeks ago, I had cataract surgery, first one eye, then two weeks later the next. Before you have surgery, everyone that knows someone who has had that surgery weighs in, and the consensus is that this is a breeze. It was not for me, and it is hard to pinpoint. I have felt a general malaise since the second eye has healed. I know all the advantages. It is a miracle they took off my old dirty lenses and replaced them, and now I have 20/20 distance vision. Maybe that is it; the change in color and brightness has me unnerved. What if sepia softness was my choice? This bright constant California blue-white light feels a little David Hockney-like. I miss my glasses (they cannot redo your prescription till three weeks after). And I am now old. I can see it; I have aged. I say to my kids and my friends, "I look so much older," and they say 'Huh?" And I explain, not to you, to me, I see better.
I ran into someone this past weekend who also just had cataract surgery. We both spoke of how shocking the brightness was and an adjustment. She regrets having her distance corrected and not being able to see close up and the required reading glasses. I am ok with that; just a little lost on not having my correct prescription glasses. The doctor's office called me a few days after my second eye and asked if there was anything they could have done better. I was touched and caught off guard and said no, nothing. I would still say that procedure-wise, but I would recommend a warning if someone were a photographer or artist that your work would look different forever. I will appreciate that I did this eventually. And I can drive at night again without the glare of headlights blinding me. I am grateful and cautious. I am ok with landing here. And I will keep you posted, promise. And I want to know who was cutting my bangs in this picture.
