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Cataracts Real Stories

Cataracts: Real Stories


Real stories are personal stories shared by members of the DIYHealth community. These are stories of hope and triumph over a medical condition, inspiring us to stay the course.

Top Real Stories

1. And there was light

I had been suffering from cataract for three whole years and had gotten used to the foggy vision. I am not much of a risk taker, so when everybody else was getting the laser treatment for cataract, I decided to wait for a while. Apart from the fear of being operated upon, I could not afford the surgery. Last Christmas, my daughter noticed me struggling to read the newspaper and chided me for not getting the surgery performed as soon as I was diagnosed with cataract. She took me for consultation the following week and paid the entire cost of the operation. She even stayed with me for two whole weeks, helped me with the eye drops every day until I was able to use them myself. Going in for the surgery has been the best decision ever and my vision is as good as it was when I was eighteen years old.

2. Of cataracts and bookworms

I have been an avid reader all my life. From classics to Mills and Boon to James Hadley Chase page turners, I enjoy reading them all. Not a day goes by without reading those mandatory fifty pages before bed time. However, cataract, an old bookwormโ€™s bane, has made it very difficult for me to read more than two pages of a book. Sometimes, my husband reads out passages from books, but I cannot depend on him every time I want to read a Bronte piece in one sitting. A friend suggested audio books and I have ordered a few from an internet shopping website. Once they arrive, I can hopefully listen to my favorite books which will be a new experience in itself. My husband recommends to opt for a laser operation to remove the cataract, and I cannot wait to get it done.

3. Just like granny's eyes

My six-year-old granddaughter is constantly told by people that her eyes are like mine. Last week, as I told her a bed time story, she kept looking into my eyes. After I had finished, she said that our eyes did not look the same and said that my eyes were foggy. I then explained to her about cataract in words that children can understand, and told her that my eyes would look just like hers after next weekโ€™s operation. We then looked at old pictures of my early childhood and school days. Somewhere in the middle of the album, we both realized that the resemblance between us did not end at our eyes; my granddaughter looks exactly like I did at her age! This moment of bonding with the little one made me forget all about cataract and cloudy vision for a while. The next week, my eyes were operated upon and I was asked to wear dark glasses for a week. Little Tamara bought a pair of sunglasses exactly like mine and posed for a picture.

4. Vision restored

I had my first ever operation at the ‘young’ age of 66 years. It was a 30 minute affair to remove the cataract that clogged my eyes. Although I couldnโ€™t feel a thing because of the anaesthesia, negative thoughts of going blind kept creeping into my mind. When the red beam that actually removes the cataract was brought into focus, I remember clutching the sheets in panic, hands trembling. The chief surgeon, however, asked his team to halt the surgery for a few minutes and comforted me, assuring the procedure would not harm my eyes in any manner. He is a very busy man, one of the most popular surgeons in the country and performs over 10 eye operations a day. Dedicating his valuable time simply to comfort an old man made me hold him in high regard. I have seen the best of the world after my cataract operation.

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