Yesterday I had the last post-op inspection for my right eye, and got the paperwork for the countdown to next Tuesday’s procedure for my left. By now, two of the eye drops had run out, but I was still taking the steroid Durezol. My doctor decided that by now it was doing slightly more harm than good (probably elevating the intraocular pressure a bit), and so I’m finished with it. My vision continues good — better than 20/20 — and there are no complications. I’m still getting some eyestrain from sustained reading, which means taking regular breaks (which is advisable for all sorts of reasons), and when I’m tired my asymmetric vision is a bit unpredictable, but overall things are going fine. As I mentioned before, the biggest issue is driving in twilight or darkness – DON’T.
On Saturday I’ll start on two of the eye drops — the antibiotic Vigamox and anti-inflammatory Nevanac — in my left eye, three times a day. Kate will drive me in to the Surgecenter (such a clumsy name!) on Tuesday at 7am, and I should be home by lunch.
This morning I was belatedly going through the materials I’d brought home from the Surgecenter, and found a laminated card and a booklet. The latter was the “Product Information” for the synthetic lens. It advised me (in tiny print) that I should keep the card and show it to any eye doctor that I encounter in the future. (What, no micro-RFID tag embedded in the lens?) Reading the booklet reminded me of one of the things that has impressed me about all of this. The surgical techniques are wonderful, and I’m very grateful for the skill of my ophthalmologist, and the way this procedure has been made simple and painless. However all of this medical wizardry would be nothing without the extraordinary materials science that has gone into the creation of the lens. Think about it: a clear, plastic lens, with carefully calibrated UV filtering, refractive index and curvature, designed to remain crystal clear for many years, and capable of being rolled up so that it can be inserted through a 4mm incision and allowed to unroll into place. It’s an acrylate/methacrylate copolymer; the lens is 6mm across, and the diameter across the “legs” is 13mm. That’s impressive….