I had one cataract removed two months ago (11/5/18). My vision had deteriorated to the point that I needed extra light and a magnifying glass just to read my Sudoku puzzles or the ingredients on a label. Forget about reading a book. Reading music was difficult. And I hadn't done any artwork in years. As a musician and an artist, to be essentially unable to see was devastating. Before the cataract surgery, my left eye couldn't focus at any focal length at all, and astigmatism was also an issue. I opted for the $2,000 upgrade to laser surgery that would correct the astigmatism. The morning after the surgery, I was amazed, because I could read the fine print on everything (with neither light nor correction) -- and the lens that had been put in was a "distance" lens! Over the next two months, I experienced needing sunglasses for a week or two, as the sudden influx of light was (wonderfully) different, but I've gotten used to it. I also experienced a "jaggy" light-flashing effect that I've read about -- "vibrations" in my peripheral vision, much like what a fluorescent light does. But that has gone away. My right eye still has a cataract (characterized as "mild"), so the vision in the eye is more sepia-toned, and the eye is slightly near-sighted. But the upshot is that with both eyes together, I can see nearly perfectly at ALL focal lengths without correction. It is a joy to drive now and be able to see street signs well in advance. The greatest joy of all is that I can now see to read and do artwork without correction (and, thus, without the slight distortions presented by lenses). I've attached the first drawing I did in 2019. (It's from a stock photo that I bought rights to. I chose that image because of its mood and strong contrast. Not having drawn for many years, I wanted to give myself a jump-start by using a photograph as reference.) So, I'm going to keep my right eye the way it is until/if it becomes intolerable. (A distance lens would be put in, meaning I'd need correction to see close up, and I like things the way they are right now.) St. Luke's at The Villages -- and, specifically, Dr. Ireland -- changed my life dramatically by correcting that left eye. The gift of being able to do artwork again is precious.
