Cataract

Over the years, I have heard of people having cataracts removed from their eyes. A young friend in her 60's is having hers removed this week. My  older friend that I used to work with, she has had her removed. 

I can't imagine anything done to my eyes. I wear glasses, and would never have contact lenses, I would not like to put it in my eyes, nor would I know how to remove them. I know people who have bright coloured contact lenses, put in before they go out for the night.

Last year, I took my Mum to have her eyes tested, Richard who tested her eyes said, "Cataract is growing over the eyes, she will need to be referred now, to join the waiting list at the hospital, to have them removed." I didn't like the sound of that.

Mum had a letter recently for her yearly eye test, I took Mum yesterday. When I had booked the appointment, I was reminded about the cataract. I text my older friend, who had her cataracts removed, she must have read my mind for she reasurred me and said, "I hope your Mum get her eyes done, because my eyes were blurred, it was aweful I could not watch the telly," She went on, "It takes 4 minutes to 30 minutes, (I don't know if that was a type text mistake) it does not hurt at all,  with lovely helpful Staff, all I had to do was use eyedrops 3 times a day for a month." Finally she said, "I had to wear patches at night to stop the bed sheets rubbing my eyes."  I know from what I have heard, it is a very common procedure.

As I was to help Mum with her coat on to go to the eye test, she saw a tiny bit of fluff and removed it from the coat. We arrived in good time. Last year I told Richard that Mum has dementia, this year I didn't say anything, both times I was in the dark room with Mum.

I was ever so proud of Mum, as she answered all his questions, of what she could see and read. Richard said, "That line of letters that you have just read, you could not read them last year, it was too small." He did the whole test, then finally he looked deep into Mum's eyes to see the cataract, he said, "It is amazing you can see even better that you did last year, because the cataract has got a bit worse since last year." Richard went on, "Your eyes has not changed, enough for you to need new glasses, it is now up to you, when you are ready to have the cataracts removed, to let me know, so that I can refer you to the hospital." I am not keen for Mum to have them done, Richard went on, "When you are ready, let me know, so that I can do the referal."

Before we went to the opticians, in the morning I had asked Mum, "Do you want your cataracts removed?" Mum who is a retired nurse, had worked all her working life as a nurse, now could not remember what a cataract is, so I told her, "It is a film that grows over your eyes, and it is removed in a simple operation." Mum said, "I don't want it." I said, "OK."

Richard has a good point when he said at the end of the test, "Cataracts creeps up on the person, and they don't always know that the vision is getting worse." Thankfully for now, Mum is OK.