The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart. – St. Jerome
AS we get older, we are confronted with issues that cause visual impairment. Mine struck only now. I am particularly curious because nowadays everyone seems to be telling cataract-related stories. We never talked about this in the past. Even newspaper articles talk about cataracts nowadays and the subject is widely discussed in TV talk shows.
According to an earlier study conducted by the Philippine Eye Research Institute, cataract is one of the major causes of visual impairment. Cataract is a condition where the lens of the eye, that part which helps to focus light, develops a cloudiness. It is very common as one gets older as proteins in the lens begin to break down. Cataract however, is not only age-related. From https://www.lindavision.com/, I read that genetic disorders, use of steroids, ultraviolet rays, smoking, diabetes and radiation therapy are other factors that speed up the breakdown of the proteins.
Getting rid of cataract requires surgery by an ophthalmologist. Once the cloudy natural lens is removed, it is replaced with clear, artificial lens or intraocular lens. The surgery is an outpatient procedure with a fast recovery. Unlike other medical surgeries that require patients to be admitted to the hospital, cataract surgery patients can leave the hospital after the procedure is done and the requisite number of recovery hours are met.
Some of my friends have undergone cataract surgery. Although many of those who’ve had cataract surgery belong to the older generation, nowadays there are young patients, some even their 20s, 30s or 40s.
The same online source enumerated the types of cataracts that affect young people: nuclear sclerotic cataracts, cortical cataracts, posterior subcapsular cataracts, traumatic cataracts, diabetic cataracts and congenital cataracts.
My neighbor, Tita Mel, had her cataract surgery only last year; she is in her 70s. It started with her vision becoming blurry, and when she consulted an ophthalmologist, she was told she had cataract. But she had to wait until it became “ripe” for the procedure to be done. She had her surgery done in a government hospital so the expense was minimal, plus she had her health insurance. Today, she has better vision and no longer needs to wear eyeglasses.
Whenever I see her at the lobby of our condo these days, she’s always recommending a new movie to watch on Netflix or Viu. With her ‘new eye,’ she has become an ardent watcher of tv dramas and avid reader of books.
I had confided to an officemate, Cristie, that when I get up in the morning, my vision blurs I have to blink two or three times to be able to really see. This kind soul shared that she was to undergo a “cataract” procedure herself and promised to share her experience after her procedure.
Coincidentally, that same week, a group of friends came to lunch at the office conference room and we dwelt on the topic of cataracts. Turns out that one of the younger executives had her eyes checked at the American Eye Institute and the ophthalmologist recommended a laser cataract procedure, putting a tri-focal lens on the affected eye. She related how fast the procedure was, which finally convinced me to see an ophthalmologist. Another executive shared that her case was more serious. She had glaucoma and it was a more complicated procedure. She is only in her 40s so she wondered how she could have contracted such an eye illness. Her story made me nervous as she said hers may have had to do with her genetic history.
Later when Cristie came out of her cataract surgery, she recommended that I go to her Indian ophthalmologist, Dr. Reju, at the St. Luke’s Hospital. And true enough, after a thorough examination, the doctor recommended surgery on my left eye. He made me decide whether I wanted a premium lens or just a basic lens. I opted for the premium lens.
The surgery was fast but what I found irksome were the many pre-surgery requirements like a cardiology clearance and x-ray, plus a thorough blood chemistry test, not to mention preparing the Phil Health card, senior card and medical insurance which the hospital required. I guess those requirements are SOP for seniors like me.
I breezed through the surgery; in 30 minutes it was over. For half a day, my vision was blurry; I went around with special protective glasses even at night. But after a few days of discomfort my vision on my left eye became almost perfect. Maybe after I have my right eye treated as well, I can go around without eyeglasses although reading glasses would still need to be worn.
There were so many kinds of eye drops to be applied for a week, but after the medical follow-ups a few weeks later, just one eye drop bottle is now required, which the doctor said may be for life.
There were many do’s & don’ts like avoid bending, washing the eye with water, avoid applying make-up (which is not problem for seniors), vigorous coughing or sneezing, lifting heavy objects as a preventive measure for bleeding. But now I’m okay, ready for my next cataract surgery on my right eye when it is “ripe” enough.
I meet so many incidents in my Spiral of Life but I meet these challenges head-on and perhaps this makes me a better person or just an experienced person in life. Maybe all of us will encounter incidents like this.
