Unastigmatized

Today was the second cataract removal from my eyes. The removal was followed by implant of a new artificial left lens. About five hours before this photo was taken, the surgery was completed. The procedure took about 15 minutes and was performed on an outpatient basis and it was painless (thanks to magic of an anesthesiologist). You will notice that the left eye is still dilated. Dilation will be gone by morning and vision will be less blurry.

The new lenses have a special and an interesting characteristic. They are Toric, which corrects for astigmatism, a lifelong affliction which has caused me to wear glasses.
Based on my experience (one week) vision with the right eye Toric implant, blurring is gone. This result is most noticeable when looking at my digital clock in the middle of the night. Since the right lens implant, that eye sees the numbers clearly and sharply. At the same time the unoperated (until now) left eye saw the numbers as blurry. When healing is completed, that should change, however, I might still have to use glasses for reading and near vision.

For you blippers overseas, it may be interesting to note that in the US, Medicare pays for the basic removal of cataracts and implant of a new lens. Medicare will also pay for new corrective glasses, if necessary. That especially covers the elderly whose eyes often have become white in appearance because of cataracts. The benefit does not cover the special Toric lenses for which there is an additional charge which I was happy to pay.

This photo is interesting because it is difficult to photograph eyes. Catch lights are a major problem. I shot many experimental pictures where the eyes reflected the photographer and maybe the house behind the camera. Ultimately I used a homemade Ring Flash made of an aluminum roasting pan, aluminum foil, waxed paper, and scotch tape (Total cost $1.50), a fun project. It is a variation of the setup in the October 2010 issue of Popular Photography. Since I don?t have a Ring Flash at $500, I tried to manage and minimize cost. In no way is my photo as spectacular as in the article, but then I have a daily blipping deadline to meet.