A week ago today I was at a clinic to have a cataract removed from my left eye. As always, I approached the procedure with anxiety because let's face it: doctors scare the crap out of me. I’ve lost most of my fears in my 25 years of sobriety – but the one about doctors is still with me.
So even though others had told me how wonderful the results would be, and how painless the surgery is, I had my doubts.
But they were right. I went through four or five rooms where technicians did various vision tests. Then a nurse put drops in my left eye to "numb" any potential pain. She did that four or five times. She was right, I felt nothing as they probed my eye.
Another nurse put an IV in my left wrist. She said they would give me something "to relax" - though throughout the entire procedure I was conscious. And able to answer their questions.
Once in the operating room, they rolled me under a large machine that looked like a robot. The narrow part above my head had what looked like an eye in it.
The doctor said the machine was more accurate and precise than a human. He placed it directly over my eye and said I would feel a "slight pressure" when it came into contact with my eye. He was right - it was slight.
The procedure took only 20 minutes or so. I remember seeing a lot of strange psychedelic shapes and at the end what looked like a lot of tiny insects running around. Finally the doctor asked me if I could see a red dot. When I said yes, he said to tell him when I could no longer see it. And that was it.
They taped a metal plate over my eye and sent me home. They told me to take it off the next morning and that I wouldn't need anything other than reading glasses for that eye. While I was skeptical, they were right.
The next morning I was excited about removing the covering. Since then I've had to put prescription drops in my eye each day. But I only need reading glasses for things close up.
And now I'm scheduled to do the other eye in the next few weeks. And this time I have no anxiety about the procedure.
