The Day After #Cataract Surgery

This morning I got the protective shield removed at the eye doctor's office.

And, I could see. With the following limitations: It was like looking through brown sunglasses. Underwater. The images weren't fuzzy, but were "wavy" sort of. And dark. And doubled. And moving. And doubled.

Reasons: My eye has been unused/not communicated with my brain in so long that it is actually seeing the back of my (brown) pupil. Is that bizarre or what? The doubling is, of course, because it isn't facing the same direction as my right eye yet. The moving is because the muscles are twitching in response to being called back into action after several years.

However as the day has progressed the "brown" has pretty much gone away, so it is learning to how to use itself to actually see. The twitching has diminished greatly. I still have that "underwater" sense but it is better, and it will take time for the double vision (MAJOR double vision!) to go away. Everything inside looks "perfect" Dr. D said after his exam, so it is all just a matter of time. I have an appointment next Friday and he said that it may be gone by then even.

Meanwhile, pain around the brow bone is common from the drops they applied to decrease pressure and goes away within a day or so. It was bad enough that it made me sick to my stomach. I took pain pills, and have slept much of the day. He told me not to strain my eye in an attempt to get it to work sooner. It closes itself when it gets tired, and of course when I'm walking I keep it closed or I'd be running into everything - lol...when I'm sitting in my chair I open it and look around until it just shuts itself. A wet washcloth in the freezer for a few minutes per his suggestions has helped the brow pain greatly as well.

If I look around with just the left eye this evening, after my first dose of steroid drops to bring down the inflammation, I see colors which are almost too vivid (of course, having not seen them for a few years, they would seem that way), basic outlines of things (but like underwater), and could manage to get around using it alone although not reading or even watching TV....but a vast improvement from this morning. The double vision will be the biggest thing but he said that, worst case if it doesn't go away, there are lenses that will correct that when I'm wearing the glasses. But he's certain it will as my brain learns to "read" my eye again, and learns how to use my eyes together again.

I am feeling better tonight, and happy to have it done and healing. As my eye and brain adjust to be used again, and being used together, my life will definitely be drastically changed - for the better!