by Bruce Harrell
I am 49 years old, I have RP, and from about my 20th birthday until last spring all I had was light perception in one eye. Since then, thanks to surgery, for the first time in 29 years I can now see shapes, colors, and motion. How is this possible? Read on.
It appears that the lenses of my eyes filmed over with more than just cataracts, obscuring what little sight I have left. It also appears there are a lot of folks with RP or macular degeneration who have the same problem. If you are one of those folks, then you, like me, have been thinking that what light perception you have left is all you’ll ever be able to see. That may be true, and it may not. This is what happened to me.
Last spring I had a regular check-up at my doctor’s, at which he told me I have developed type 2 diabetes, and that, consequently, I’d better start seeing an eye doctor on a regular basis. So I did, but when I did, the eye doctor told me that there were cataracts and a film in the lenses of my eyes, and that if he removed my lenses and put in new ones, at the very least I would have more light. The old lenses were blocking the light. The new lenses would be clear, and, here’s the best part, by putting in new lenses, I might even get a little sight back.
Two or three microseconds later (I’m not exactly sure how long it took me to think about it), I said, “Let’s do it.” So we did. It's a simple surgery, and they put me under for it. Oh, there’s a week or two of discomfort afterwards and a zillion eye drops to take, but a month later I was feeling pretty much back to normal, only I could — and still can — see! It’s even useful sight, too. As I like to put it, the grabbing index is way up, and the groping index is still steadily falling.
Better yet, your medical insurance might cover the cost for this surgery. Mine did. Shop for the right eye doctor, though. My own eye doctor just happened to be the rare kind that thinks giving somebody more light or even a little sight is well worth it. My doctor also believes that there are a lot of eye doctors out there who figure we’re blind, the operation won’t do us any good, or hardly any good, so why bother? That’s why I suggest you shop around. If you still have at least a little light perception, and if your lens has cataracts and/or is filmed over, the worst that can happen to you from having your old lens taken out and a new lens put in is that you’ll have to live with seeing more light. The best that can happen? Well, how about seeing the faces of the people you love?