Hey, it’s me. I’m back, and I can see — AGAIN!
Sorry about the interruption in my column, but I had a bit of a problem recently. It began when I started to have a hard time reading black print on a white background, such as our own Record-Journal. Then I struggled to read the print on my computer screen.
Oh, I had no problem seeing colors, but it was black letters on a white background that had me worried, and that would be putting it mildly.
When I turned my computer on, it used white letters on a blue background for all of the prompts; but when I wanted to do my column, it used black letters on a white background, and trying to read what I was writing became VERY frustrating.
To make matters worse, my Darlin’ Edna has lost most of her vision and I had to take over many of the things that she handled, including the checkbook. To me, it looked like I was using invisible ink.
Being the thick-headed guy that I am, I initially ignored Edna’s suggestion that I make an appointment with my eye doctors at ReFocus in Meriden.
My first meeting was with Dr. Kevin McMahon and he said I had some serious cataracts in both eyes. He referred me to Dr. Timothea Ryan.
Was I scared? You better believe it.
If I had known then what I know now, I would never have worried, but my Darlin’ Edna says that is my nature, especially when it comes to having any kind of medical procedure done.
Dr. Ryan confirmed my worst suspicion: I would have to have the cataracts removed. She told me what to expect and what they would do to remove the cataracts and, when she was finished, I would have normal vision again.
“Hah,” I thought, “That was easy for her to say, but it would be my eyes that would be operated on.”
A date was set for the first eye to be operated on at the Hartford Hospital Eye Surgery Center in Newington.
Like I said, I am a real scairdy cat when it comes to just about anything medical, especially any kind of surgery, but I have to tell you the folks that were involved in my pre-op and post-op care were as caring as any medical nurses and interns I have ever come in contact with.
As for Dr. Ryan, there are no words that could explain how grateful I am for the new vision that she gave me with her expertise as an eye surgeon. I still can’t believe what I had been missing because of the cataracts.
Over the years, I have met folks who have had cataract surgery and most of them had nothing but good things to say about it. I was still leery about my first surgery.
The first thing I did was order a ride to the operation from Eye Surgery Center. They let you know what time the ride will pick you up and they will also bring you home after the procedure. This beats someone bringing you to the Eye Surgery Center, because you’re there for a couple of hours.
I still had some doubts on my first eye surgery the day of the procedure, but the nurses and other personnel that got me ready made me feel better about what was coming.
I do not know enough about all of the technical stuff that went into the procedure, but in a short time I was ready to go back home.
You read that right: BACK HOME!
The eye that underwent the procedure had a clear plastic protective patch over it, but on the way back home I was dazzled by the colors and sights of many of the things I had been missing.
A couple of weeks later I went back to the Eye Surgery Center to have the cataract removed from my other eye and, needless to say, this time I did not have a worry because of the wonderful job by Dr. Ryan and her staff.
Even as I pen this column, I have to marvel at the sharpness of the print on my computer screen — and this is without using eyeglasses. Hopefully, this will be the first of many more columns that I will do for the Meriden Record-Journal.
And as for Doctor Ryan and her staff at ReFocus and the Eye Surgery Center, a huge THANK YOU for giving me back my sight. I will be forever grateful to you for making my life a bit more normal now that I have clear vision again. I would recommend you to anyone who has cataracts that need to be attended to.
SEE YA’ and God Bless America and watch over our troops, police, firefighters and first responders wherever they may be serving for this great country of ours.