A follow-up post to "Secondary Cataract":
The YAG laser procedure yesterday went as expected and lasted less than five minutes.
My vision this morning is well defined now that the dilation drops have worn off, and I see better than I have in several months. Post-procedure care involves prednisolone eye drops four times a day for a week and, the following week, another visit with the ophthalmologist.
The only nasty surprise was the cost. Upon admission to the surgery center, I had to write a check for $803 as a deposit; my health-insurance policy is one of catastrophic coverage. Whatever the cost, it is small when one's vision is at stake!
Back to work today and to grading the papers that have piled up during my period of severely impaired vision the past few weeks.
Great news AOW, good to hear you are on the mend.
ReplyDeleteI can see clearly now....liberals are dumb____. SIng it to that old sung that starts the same way
ReplyDeleteHi AOW.
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear everything went great, yes i can imagine you're happy to have a better eyesight again, we need our eyes so much.
hope the headache aint to bad?
Will.
Will,
ReplyDeleteThe headache and foreign-body sensation resolved last night.
Medically, one can go back to work immediately following the procedure. But such a release is not practical.
Driving home on a sunny was dicey with one eye fully dilated.
I didn't get on the computer yesterday afternoon.
Great news! (other than the 800 bucks... Ouch!)
ReplyDeleteSilverfiddle,
ReplyDeleteThe $800 may be only the beginning. My policy has a $2500 deductible. The procedure won't cost that much because I used a provider facility.
I am happy to hear this good news, and that you are back "up and running".
ReplyDeleteI am glad the procedure went well!
ReplyDeleteGolly gee whillikers, maybe you will get your $800 refunded by ObamaCare. Oh...wait...never mind...you didn't get an abortion. You're on yer own.
ReplyDeleteThe Left may hate capitalism, but all I can say is that a few grand for "vision" is very cheap indeed.
ReplyDeleteGlad everything went well, AOW.
ReplyDeleteHint: I used to have the same type of insurance. My agent told me not to turn in my bills until they went over the deductible. If the company sees a bunch of bills, even if they don't reach your deductible, they may decide to raise your rates. He told me to keep them in a file until they reached the deductible amount and then turn them in. Of course, not knowing who your insurance is with you want to check with your agent. Things may have changed.
Your sight was restored to health on Reagan's Birthday.
ReplyDeleteIt's a "Reagan Miracle!"
And the lefties make fun of us for admiring "St. Ronnie!"
That's great news! Now get back to work.
ReplyDeleteNot surprised but very glad to get this news, AOW.
ReplyDeleteI had the first corneal transplant eight years ago just before I was eligible for Medicare. It cost $4,500.00. Not to be cavalier about it, but I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't turn out to be $24,500.00.
As FJ said, these costs are minimal if they stave off blindness.
Years ago when I was statistically poor, the doctors and hospitals always let me pay "on time"without charging any interest. Bless their hearts!
God knows what hellish Draconian billing procedures have been put into effect since then. The country has become such a stony, cold-hearted place.
But God's Love is still there for all to claim, and that should be enough to see us through any man made crisis.
Please take it a little easy for a few days. The papers can wait a little longer.
~ FreeThinke
Preserving vision is indeed worth thousands of dollars.
ReplyDeleteI'm not rushing to grade papers. I find that my right eye is tired.
The YAG laser isn't an invasive procedure and nowhere nearly as traumatic as cataract incision. But, still, my eye has had "an insult."
My past experience with the YAG laser indicates that full recovery requires about 4 days.
Sounds like you're doing everything right, AOW. That doesn't surprise me in the least. Forgive me if I sometimes sound "mother-hennish." Despite being decidedly male, I've always had a nurturing streak.
ReplyDeleteOnward and upward!
~ FT
OFF TOPIC, but apropos for any Literary Person:
ReplyDeleteToday happens to be the two-hundredth birthday of Charles Dickens. I wouldn't have known if a friend hadn't informed earlier.
Impossible to let the occasion pass unnoticed and unnoted -- however inadequately:
Dickens at Age 200
His body had begun to molder
Long before we all got older.
In fact he was consumed by worms
Before we started our school terms.
And in a century or two
Worms will eat our bodies too,
But Dickens' stories will live on
For aeons after we've all gone.
~ FreeThinke
She's in a better mood now, now that she is seeing better.
ReplyDeleteHer eye troubles were a lot more trouble than she ever let on. Until her eyesight got so bad that she couldn't ignore it.
AOW, I was unaware that you were having vision problems. Sorry to hear about the trouble and the cost. It seems cataracts are common, but they can surgically remove them.
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling better and seeing well!
Glad that you're on the mend!
ReplyDeleteFT,
ReplyDeleteI made mention of yesterday's Dickens anniversary in British Literature class. In a few months, the class will be reading A Tale of Two Cities, the least Dickensian of his works in that it's more of an adventure novel than his other works.
Smithsonian.com has some interesting information posted this month.
Celebrations are going on yearlong -- beginning with a wreath-laying ceremony at London’s Westminster Abbey.
I'm not a fan of all of Dickens's work. However, one of my best friends when I was growing up was DEVOTED to reading Dickens. Not surprisingly, she became a librarian.
I find that the work of Dickens is better appreciated when read aloud.
My favorite Dickens novel is Hard Times. Doesn't that figure? I'm a teacher, and, to a great extent, the book is about education. I also find Dickens's views of unions in that novel to be quite realistic.
Stogie,
ReplyDeleteMy first cataract surgery was in 1984 -- when I was in my 30s. The doctors had no explanation as to why I developed a hypermature cataract at such a young age.
Cataract surgery back then wasn't easy. I had 6 months of restrictions on activity -- and some of those restrictions continue to this day (limit on weight lifting and certain other activities that put strain on the eye).
Cataract surgery in 1984 was a seven-stitch surgery. Now, it's one stitch or no stitch -- and with very few restrictions post-op.
Patients undergoing cataract surgery today rarely recognize how the procedure has been one that has benefited so much from advances in medicine.
Eye problems can be insidious. Often, we don't recognize that vision is dropping until the drop in vision is quite severe. That's what happened to me this past year with my right eye. I should have known what was going on when I was having trouble seeing last October -- but I didn't. I just went along until the day came that I finally realized that I needed the YAG laser procedure.
Glad to hear you are doing well!
ReplyDeleteEdge of the Sandbox
I'm glad the procedure went at planned. Not sure you should have been driving home alone, sort of scary.
ReplyDeleteOur insurance doesn't cover anything connected to the eyes, no eye, no dental, just medical and we have a very high deductible in order to keep the premiums down.
Take care and do as the doc says.
Debbie
Right Truth
http://www.righttruth.typepad.com
Glad to hear all went well.
ReplyDelete