I can see clearly now...

Wonder of wonders - the cataracts are gone in both eyes and I can truly see more clearly than I have in years!  To be honest I had no idea how visually muted my world had become....

...yep that photo on the right is what I saw before the surgery. I knew about the fogginess, the glare, etc. but maybe because the loss of color clarity is so gradual you don't quite appreciate how vivid the color wheel is till it is back!

I feel like a whole new world has been opened before me.  My poor friends and family are being repeatedly subjected to a constant refrain of "OH MY GOD - I CANNOT BELIEVE THE COLOR OF THAT!!!"  From the spring trees which thankfully are in full bloom here in Vermont in May....

to the amazing landscapes that I see as I drive around our lush, spectacular state with its rolling farms and mountain vistas...

...I am on this visual journey of appreciation of my surroundings that I feel is a blessing to treasure.  I am almost thankful for what I did not see for awhile so that I could have this insight.  
     The surgery itself went smoothly for the second time...it is so incredible that a "cataract" lens can be removed and another one implanted that restores vision and color and clarity...

....and remove the need for me to wear corrective lens for distance...something that has been a part of my life since I was 10 years old!  I remember when the doctor said you will no longer need glasses for distance vision.  I thought I was hearing things. I asked him to repeat that and explain how could that be.  He did and I slowly began to believe it....and now it is true!

Glasses are gone for distance.  I had hoped to be able to get the procedure to implant the lens that corrects for all distances but alas, thanks to RA and the Sjogrens Syndrome that accompanied it, I have exceptionally dry eyes.  That coupled with a rather significant astigmatism in my left eye made me a poor candidate for that lens type.  But....I am so happy I really do not mind needing to have some "cheaters" around for reading close-up.  A small price to pay.  I will have the constant companion of several different eye drops to be put in each eye 4 times a day for at least a month but I actually find them soothing so - no worries there either!

Today when I went to the grocery store I was wandering around in the produce department just staring at all the beautiful fruits and vegetables...

I never realized what a visual "feast" the grocery store was. I hope this feeling lasts for awhile.  That is one of the reasons I am devoting a blog to it.  That way when I begin to get jaded about the beauty that surrounds me I can come back to this blog and, hopefully, reignite those feelings of wonder.

If I can appreciate to even a tiny extent, the pleasure this critter is experiencing when he "smells the flowers" I will be forever grateful!  I love my new eyes...and I think they look more blue than ever...probably not but it seems like it!

    Life offers us opportunities to make the best of every life situation and I intend to do just that!  I am grateful for all that my life has brought to me because in one way or another it has made me who I am - stronger, more in tune with my world, better able to cope with life's struggles and joys and most importantly better able to appreciate all that I have.  

Please go out and take a stroll, truly take in your surroundings and enjoy the view!
Nan