More cataract surgery on the schedule next week

By Lethbridge Herald on May 13, 2023.

LEAVE IT TO BEEBER
Al Bieber – Lethbridge Herald

Here we go again – time to see a doctor about a cataract. On Monday, I’ll be having a cataract removed from my left eye so will be out of the office for a few days.

This time around I won’t be taking an entire week off – no time for that – but will be off for most of it.

The first go at cataract surgery in February was an overwhelming success thanks to the talents of Dr. Eddie Kwan who will once again be operating on me early Monday morning at Chinook Regional Hospital.

That first surgery was life-changing in a real way. For the first time since Grade 5 started – about 20 years ago, lol – I don’t use a corrective lens for my right eye. 

Before the surgery even with glasses, I couldn’t read a license plate from across the street – don’t ask why I would want to – or even the previews of Netflix programs while sitting 10 feet from a television.

Now I can see the fine print on TV including the track positions of drivers while watching NASCAR or Formula One races, the latter which has become my No. 1 weekend TV fix thanks to the Netflix documentary series that has been airing for a few seasons now.

Before my first eye surgery, I was nervous beyond words. 

I must have made eight or nine walks to the restroom in the two hours before the actual surgery while waiting for my eye to dilate. 

The nerves were for naught because the procedure was done in several quick, painless minutes. 

If you haven’t experienced an eye being operated on, it’s definitely interesting. The eye is propped open and thanks to freezing, nothing is felt. But the colours a person witnesses are like out of what I imagine a 1960s acid trip would have been like. 

The bizarre colours were just mesmerizing, the only thing missing being In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida or White Rabbit playing in the background.

After wearing a plastic patch over a taped-shut eye for 24 hours, I was back in Kwan’s office to see whether the surgery was a success and I was shocked to find I had clear vision with the repaired eye.

I’m still in awe of the difference that surgery made. Before Kwan operated, I was getting increasingly fearful of going blind due to the speed the cataract was growing.

But since the operation, I regularly don’t even wear glasses at home or in the office, relying on the strength of my right eye to compensate for the diminishing vision in my left.

If the second surgery is as successful as the first, I’ll be able to toss my glasses aside and use only readers for time spent at the computer or phone or to read restaurant menus. 

And I’ll be rid of the depth perception problems that have plagued me in recent months. With the difference in vision strength, I’m more clumsy than ever. Walking up and down stairs is challenging and I have to gingerly step off a curb in case I miss.

So when I take Ben dog for his first post-operation stroll on Tuesday, fingers crossed that normalcy will have returned.

I know eye surgery can be intimidating for some but anyone experiencing cataracts and is reticent about having them fixed needs to put fears aside. Those couple of hours spent in a hospital are well worth being able to see normally again.

Others – including my cousin Penelope – have told me how much it has improved their lives and they’re right. Colours are more vivid than ever before, and just being able to have the freedom of not donning eyeglasses in the morning is hard to describe.

If your doctor has recommended the surgery, don’t hesitate. Do it – you’ll never regret the decision.

With me being immobile for a few days, our veteran reporter Delon Shurtz will be handling the editor’s desk again in my absence. 

Next week is going to be a busy one because the Chamber of Commerce is hosting two candidates forums in one night. And city council has a meeting on Tuesday afternoon. Thankfully we have a couple of really talented young students from Lethbridge College – Justin Sibbet and Steffanie Costigan – working for us before they return to classes in the fall.

The work they are doing is absolutely amazing. They’ve just finished their first year in college and the work ethic they’re both showing and their quality of writing suggests far more experience than they actually have. Thanks Kris from the college for recommending them. Both have bright futures in the business and I hope one day we can hire them both full-time.