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Oldgringo wrote:Thanks for askin', Joe. After we get the other eye done and hopefully resolve my electrolyte deficiencies, we'll do spinal surgery after the first of the year. *sigh*

Wul, I'm pulling for you, my friend. & have said a little prayer for you.

Oldgringo wrote:While growing old is a privilege denied to many, it definitely ain't for sissies. You youngsters might as well get braced, it'll be here before you know it.

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Truererer words have never been spoked, spaked, spoken!

Glad eye one went well. Know eye 2 will go the same. My cataract surgery(lens replacement) was a Godsend for me. I now have the best vision in our family.

How did the spinal exam thing go? Hope you are ok on that point.

Yes TAM! It absolutely DOES get better afterward. I was stunned when I started driving again at night because the clarity and detail of distant signs and objects were just as clear and crisp as they are in the daytime. Hard to believe but true. The details that you are loosing in the dark is the result of your lens(the one you were born with) starts getting cloudy, thus decreasing visual acuity. You need brighter light on the object to see it fully. With cataract surgery, the surgeon actually removes the damaged lens you were born with and replaces it with a manufactured one....one that will not deteriorate over time like your natural lens. Like I said before, to be able to see perfectly at night, and eliminating the need to ever wear glasses is a blessing that defies description.

In reading through the thread, I find myself relating very well to some of the posters. I've been VERY nearsighted all my life. Bifocals were the only way to go. 10 years ago, my optometrist told me of the onset of cataracts. To early to do anything about it. Fast forward to last year. I was noticing I was loosing my night vision. And over this past year it got so bad I couldn't drive at night any more. The deciding factor was when I was at a friend's house and he was showing me his guns. He brought out and SKS, and when I pointed it to the ceiling, I could not even see the front sight. It was a low light level room. Went to optometrist to get new glasses, he did some tests & told me I had advanced cataract impairment. He recommended an ophthalmologist. Saw him in early June, 2014. He immediately told me I needed cataract surgery, to which I readily agreed. A week later he did the left eye, then 2 weeks after that the right eye. The surgeries took all of 17 minutes per eye. Totally painless, and for the first time in my life I can see perfectly at distance. I do have to wear reading glasses but a minor trade off. It was a true blessing to be able to see perfectly(at distance). I have no trouble aligning sights with a pistol. About the lenses, all I know is that they are Alcon lenses that he uses in all his patients. I asked him about lenses that would enable me to see up close as well as far away. He told me it would be $3,000 more, and the cost increase would not justify benefits. I'm thankful I've had the surgery. My quality of life as improved significantly.