Sir:
A few years ago I found I had cataracts in both eyes. Not too bad — I could still see to drive and shoot — but enough that open sights became more difficult and oncoming headlights a bit of a problem at night. Slowly they got worse, until I was 20/80 in my left eye and not much better on the right (shooting!) side. Like many folks I am reluctant to get treatment until it’s absolutely necessary. I put it off, in part because getting the new flexible lenses cost $2,500 more per eye than insurance would pay. Finally I realized that sophisticated procedures like this might not always be available. I decided to get it over with.
I had my left eye done in December. Within a week I was 20/15 in that eye. I still use readers for fine work up close, but from arm’s length to forever, I have better vision than I have had in years. The first thing I noticed was how bright the world is. I had my right eye done yesterday. I am already seeing better than before the operation, although it will be a few days before we know how much better. The doctor says there is every reason to expect comparable results, 20/20 or better.
The bottom line is that many of us are probably putting off operations that would improve our quality of life immediately because they are not yet 100% essential. I suggest that you bite the bullet and take care of them while you still can. TEOTWAWKI is not the only thing that could soon put these treatments out of reach. – Randy in Maine