Today, as I sit here writing this blog entry, I can barely see past my computer screen. I had cataract surgery in my right eye last week. My vision is currently 20/100 in this eye, until I am able to get eyeglasses made with my new prescription, at which time I will be able to see 20/20 again. While it is currently very difficult for me to see, it is still a vast improvement from my uncorrected eyesight before the surgery. My uncorrected left eye, which will have cataract surgery this coming week, is now much different than my right eye. Therefore, until both eyes are corrected, I am only able to see with one eye at a time. This is because my nearsightedness has been so severe, that my brain can't reconcile the differences to allow me to use both eyes together.
People tend to take for granted the things that they don't have to work hard for, or that are given freely to them. Eyesight tends to be one of these things. I am fortunate that, since I was in elementary school, I have been able to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct my nearsightedness and astigmatism. It is easy to forget that these are luxuries not everyone is able to experience. Having cataract surgery, and struggling to get through this past week and all of next week, is a simple reminder to me that something as precious as the gift of sight can be lost. There are many people in the world who are completely blind, or who have the use of only one eye. I know friends, family, and acquaintances who have, or who have had, visual impairments. Unless you are one of them, it is likely that you, like myself, have not given much thought to how precious sight truly can be, or what it might actually mean to lose it.
We've all heard the saying "Stop and smell the roses." I have always been a believer in doing so. If you've read any of my other blog entries over the past four years, you will see that this is a common theme. We need to be aware of, and appreciate, all of the positive things in life, no matter how big or how small. So, in the weeks preceding my first cataract surgery, I spent a lot of time intentionally stopping to smell the roses...or rather, to see them. I would literally stop to think about the positive visual moments I was able to have...seeing a smile on my children's faces, or a beautiful sunset, or the way the rain would fall on my window. The thought of the possibility of losing my eyesight crossed my mind, and it was not a pleasant one. Prior to my cataract surgery, I had received laser surgery on my retina to strengthen weak areas that could potentially lead to retinal detachment, and subsequent blindness. People keep asking me why, at age 44, I have cataracts. Statistically speaking, it is not the norm. The honest answer is, I don't know why. Nobody else seems to know either. Maybe it is my extreme nearsightedness, maybe it is bad genes, maybe it is my cancer medication side effects. Whatever the case may be, the reasons why are not as important to me as the wonderful fact that I can do something about them!
In a few days I will have my cataract removed in my left eye. Even now, without being able to see clearly, the removal of my right cataract has allowed me to view the world differently. I see colors brighter than before my cataract was removed. The moment I became aware of that, I realized that I may have been seeing the world differently all along. Think about that. What if the reality you have always known, the way you've visually perceived the world around you, is incorrect? I'm talking about vision in this blog, but the idea can just as easily relate to almost anything. We've all had lightbulb moments where we realize in hindsight that something was different than it appeared to be. To put it simply, whether its cataracts or life, we can't see clearly...until we can see clearly.
So, when the days become hectic, and the pressures of children, work, relationships, and life get overwhelming, please remember the following: Always take time to stop and smell the roses. Don't let life's precious moments pass you by unnoticed. The world is a beautiful place, as long as you are willing to "see" it!
