Question
Hi Jeannine
Recently I went to visit a specialist because of my eyes.
3 Years ago I had Chemotherapy and my eyesight has gone a lot worse. Much to my surprise, this doctor told me that I have an eysight of about 25%. I had not realised that it was that bad, even though I have not read a book for more than 3 years and I cannot do any sewing either.
I usually do not complain as I am happy to be alive after
all that I have been through, from being born with 4 kidneys, a stroke at 45, too many operations to talk about, 3 times breastcancer, skincancer,etc,etc,. Now I am being sceduled for 2 cataract operations and I am worried
sick as for the last year and a half things have been clearing up in my life and going blind would be really too much to handle for me. I hope God will realise that that would not be fair.

Answer
Dear Henriette,

Firstly let me tell you that from what I just read, I admire you greatly and think you are a very brave woman. I am so glad God brought you through all that, and has given you a good last year and a half.

I totally understand your fear. I had issues with a loose IOC lens (the replacement lens they place in the eye after cataract surgery called Inter Ocular Lens), this past October. Things had finally gotten back to normal in my life (after having 5 surgeries on my left eye, and two on my right, two years ago), and I was so frustrated when I found I had to have yet another surgery to correct this new issue. I ended up having 3 surgeries because the lens just would not stay put any longer. Ten surgeries, inside three years, and so much stress and fear about losing the little sight I have. So I can relate to your fears.

My bad experience with cataract surgery was due entirely to my eye problems. Most cataract surgeries are very easy, and go smoothly. My question to you is then, are you experiencing bad vision because of the cataracts...or because of another eye problem that caused the cataracts?

If your loss of vision is due to the cataracts, the surgeries should be fairly simple. If you have previous eye problems, you may want to get a second opinion to ensure you will receive the best treatment.

In your eye, you have a pouch. This pouch holds your natural lens. When they take the lens out, they then put the IOC in the pouch. The IOC is smaller than your natural lens, and the pouch may scrunch and wrap around the IOC. This causes the same symptoms of cataracts, but can be fixed with something called a Yag Laser (an out patient procedure that causes slight cornea pain). If the pouch is healthy and strong, the fore mentioned issue may be all you need to consider, and it's not a big deal.

If, however, you have unhealthy eyes, you need to find out from your doctor how strong the pouch is. Ask about the Zonules. These are tiny little legs that extend from the pouch, and hold it to the eye. Mine never fully formed, so my pouch was not strong enough to hold in the lens, and when I had to have the Yag laser, it made my IOC lens fall out of place (a total disaster to have a loose lens in your eye).

I did not have all this information when I had my surgeries. I was totally inexperienced, and did not think I had to worry about any of this. Had I known, I would have asked not to get the IOC and wear contacts and glasses, instead. You have that option, too. The glasses can be large, and take a bit of getting used to, but they are far better than more surgeries to sew in a lens. I am still waiting on my contact, because my doctor wants my eye to heal fully before I get it, but I am thrilled about the refraction I just had. You see, I don't think they can be totally sure what power IOC lens you will need. Sure they have tests for it, but they are not 100%. It turns out that I see a lot better with actual glasses than I did with the IOC. That's a miracle for someone like me with bad vision...every little bit counts. But again, my cataract doctor did not bother to warn me about any of this. I think they are so used to doing tons of these surgeries, they forget that not every one's eyes are the same.

So, again, I suggest you ask your doctor about the health and strength of your eye internally. It may be that you have nothing to worry about, but the more you know about what you are doing, the better off you will be. And you have options, too. You want to do what will give you the best vision!

I know that I am on here to give vision advice, but I am a Christian and I really feel like I want to ease your heart about God, too. I don't understand why He tests us, or allows us to go through this stuff. I don't know why He seems to heal some, while letting others suffer. What I do know is, that He knows what's best for each of us. While we can only see a tiny bit of our lives, at a time, He can see everything and is not restrained by time. I believe that I would rather be living in His will, where I know He will use all of my struggles for good, rather than living outside of His will where I need to face the world alone. I am praying for you...that no matter what you face in years to come, that you will feel His presence and His pace, and that you always remember that you never have to go through it alone.

God bless,
Jeannine