This morning, as usual, about 5am, I went outside before turning on any lights. The wind was blowing, and it was strangely foggy. Not the damp sort of fog I sometimes encounter in the early hours, but a windy dry fog. What a weird morning, I thought. Then, I came back inside and turned on the light.
It was foggy indoors too! It wasn’t the weather. It was my eyes! After a while things cleared, back to normal, but my concern has not faded. Why do things like this tend to happen on a long holiday weekend?
The number one reason for foggy or cloudy vision is cataracts, and I do have cataracts. They seem to be on a fast track, but apparently getting this fixed is not. A year ago, my eye doctor told me I had cataracts, but seemed to have no concern. This spring, my new eye doctor expressed surprise that I was seeing as well as I do. It was time to refer for surgery, she said. She warned me that it could be months before I had a consultation with a surgeon.
Since I am planning to be away for a little while in mid-winter, as soon as the details were confirmed, I thought I’d better let the surgeon’s office know. What did I find out, in August? The referral, sent in May, had not arrived. Even now, with the referral in the proper hands, I’m told I will be waiting a year.
Most things about cataracts, at least in my experience, show up gradually, so gradually you hardly notice. But my eye doctor’s surprise in May has helped me understand that it’s not the fault of the light bulbs that things are not as bright around my house. Still I’ve been doing okay, except that my usual acuity for small print and threading needles has drifted off into the past. But this morning’s fog scared me. I will eventually get this fixed, and I expect my vision then to be better than it has been for most of my life. It’s just that adjustments will be needed between now and then, and I tend to be impatient.
Around the world, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness, and despite programs such as the World Health Organizations’s VISION 2020 Right to Sight, lower-to-middle income countries still carry the burden. People (and more often women) go blind and stay blind when cost is prohibitive, and surgeons are few.
I am grateful for the privilege of living where I do, for the ability to advocate for myself, and the foresight that led to the discovery of the missing referral. I am also grateful for trust that my inner vision will remain clear, regardless of foggy eyes.
(The photo is of my backyard, but not as it looked this morning. I’ve adjusted the Black Point, to simulate the weird fogginess I was experiencing.)
Dream Bringer’s Studio 