Mangifying Glass in Hand
2006 January 12 Thursday.
Magnifying glass in hand, I'm navigating my way through the world, using the magnifying glass to interpret, in particular, pull-down menus on computer screens.
It is a world which is designed, in many cases, with a totally witless disregard for the needs of anyone who might not be a sharp-sighted young person with perfect vision.
I ended up in this condition because I had cataract surgery on both eyes back in November last year, 2005, and some weeks had to pass for my eyes to settle down after surgery before I could go to an optometrist to get the spectacles that I will need for efficient reading and computer work.
Early this week the day came for me to go to the optometrist, and I should receive my new spectacles on or about the 20th January.
My parents know an elderly woman who has recently had cataract surgery on both eyes and is experiencing extreme problems from the enormous glare which the world inflicts upon her, a glare so intolerable that she cannot watch television. In my own case, I wear sunglasses when outside, but, other than that, the glare is not unreasonable.
Cataract surgery does tend to be successful, but the results are sometimes disappointing and there is some recovery time involved.
In my case, the gap between surgery and the date when I could go to the optometrist was longer than it would have been for simple cataract surgery, because, in addition to having a cataract removed and an intraocular lens implanted, in the case of my right eye I also had, at the same time, a vitrectomy, that is to say, a jelly-removal operation.
However, by the time I leave New Zealand and head back to Japan, which should , all going well, be the 25th of January, I should have my spectacles and should be able to abandon the magnifying glass.
In the days before heading back to Japan, I hope to upload a collection of poems, ARC OF LIGHT, poems written between 1975 and 2005 - that is to say, the output of a little more than thirty years.
More on the ARC OF LIGHT collection later.
Magnifying glass in hand, I'm navigating my way through the world, using the magnifying glass to interpret, in particular, pull-down menus on computer screens.
It is a world which is designed, in many cases, with a totally witless disregard for the needs of anyone who might not be a sharp-sighted young person with perfect vision.
I ended up in this condition because I had cataract surgery on both eyes back in November last year, 2005, and some weeks had to pass for my eyes to settle down after surgery before I could go to an optometrist to get the spectacles that I will need for efficient reading and computer work.
Early this week the day came for me to go to the optometrist, and I should receive my new spectacles on or about the 20th January.
My parents know an elderly woman who has recently had cataract surgery on both eyes and is experiencing extreme problems from the enormous glare which the world inflicts upon her, a glare so intolerable that she cannot watch television. In my own case, I wear sunglasses when outside, but, other than that, the glare is not unreasonable.
Cataract surgery does tend to be successful, but the results are sometimes disappointing and there is some recovery time involved.
In my case, the gap between surgery and the date when I could go to the optometrist was longer than it would have been for simple cataract surgery, because, in addition to having a cataract removed and an intraocular lens implanted, in the case of my right eye I also had, at the same time, a vitrectomy, that is to say, a jelly-removal operation.
However, by the time I leave New Zealand and head back to Japan, which should , all going well, be the 25th of January, I should have my spectacles and should be able to abandon the magnifying glass.
In the days before heading back to Japan, I hope to upload a collection of poems, ARC OF LIGHT, poems written between 1975 and 2005 - that is to say, the output of a little more than thirty years.
More on the ARC OF LIGHT collection later.
posted by Hugh Cook at 10:18 AM
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