Eye Glasses

 

The glasses on the lower left of the photo are my prescription glasses I was using prior to the cataract surgeries. They're not quite as thick as Coke bottle bottoms but I was seriously myopic. The two pairs in the middle are obviously sunglasses. The heavy duty ones in the back came in the little ditty bag I received from the surgery center. The spiffy pair in front are a freebie from Linde who was a sponsor at the Shell Eco-Marathon I went to out in California. Not sure why I picked them up other than to have them as a spare if a student needed to do some cutting and didn't have any dark lenses. The lower photo are my new readers and behind them are my new safety glasses. They have clear lenses on top with a bifocal of the proper strength. 

Because I wore prescription glasses most of my life and as a welder I needed plastic lenses, I never wore sun glasses or got a pair of the transition lenses. So with the UV I got from the weld shop along with the UV I received from spending a lot of time outside, not really a surprise I ended up with cataracts. Much like my hearing loss, much of the damage could have been prevented with a bit of common sense and making a small investment in PPE - "too soon old, too late smart."

I've been wearing the new safety glasses all day long since I got them. I can read and watch TV simultaneously like is normal with out having to take the reading glasses on and off while switching back and forth from the newspaper to the television. Since I've been wearing bifocals for years, no adjustment necessary. It's my understanding that Medicare pays for one pair of glasses after a surgery like mine, so depending on what the eye doc tells me next week, I think I'll get myself a pair of bifocals like the safety glasses only a little more fashionable. 

The Missus reminded me that my driver's license specifies that I need correctional lenses. I received a card for each eye after the surgery documenting that I have a corrective lens in the eye which should suffice for that. 

If you've stayed with me to this point, the bottom line is the cataract surgery is nothing short of a miracle. Seventy years old and I no longer need glasses. The other point to be made here is protect your eyes properly and you may not need surgery. Likewise, protect yourself from falls, chemical exposure, loud noises and all the rest of the hazards of the workplace and around the house. The Missus used to work as a beautician back in the day and she was in contact with permanent solutions and hair dyes, along with breathing in who knows how much hair spray and cigarette smoke. Just might have contributed to her developing cancer a few years back.