Oh, I Am Cock-eyed Now.

 

So, OK, this is one glass from my spectacles (eye glasses).

I took it out, as I did not need it anymore. I am cock-eyed now. 

The truth of the matter is that my right-eye-vision had been heavily hampered through a cataract, and today Bea and I (and Dixie) had gone to the big port city of St.John to get this fixed once and for all. In order to meet the appointment at 9am, we sleep-walked down from the bedroom at 5am, got some coffee going and a buttered toast, and then we were off.

Cataract operations are nothing of what they used to be just 10-15yrs ago, not to speak of when my mom got hers fixed some 35yrs. ago. 10 minutes is all it takes from the time the doc is starting until he's finished.  Of course, there is the time they need to "get you ready" for the procedure. "Pls. take a seat in the "eye-chair", was the first order I received. Well, that chair was soon converted into a hospital bed when they wiggled the back into a horizontal position. They also "dressed me" with a hospital gown (how I hate these things) a plastic cover over my shoes and my bald head. My blood pressure was taken twice and they covered me up with a warming blanket. SOO NICE! I felt like a turkey being ready for the oven! No kidding here. Oh, and by the way, I had neighbours. They too were treated like a turkey at thanksgiving. 

Then I heard a ringing signal, and that meant the departure of my next-bed neighbour. Out the door he went. Would I see the fellow again? Meanwhile I was studying my surroundings. There was lots of people coming and going. And then I finally got it, this was not the operation room, but a waiting area. Thank God, my neighbour came back after only 20 minutes, and then, shortly after, the bell was calling for me. Oh geez... 

A male nurse was piloting my bed through any number of hallways around sharp bends with meeting traffic and then a sudden halt along a wall. There I was parked for another 10 minutes until a female nurse came, asking me the same questions I had been asked numerous times previously, before she shoved me off into the holy grail - the theater (operation room), where I was placed under some lamp fixture. Now it was time to get lots of more eyedrops (I had already watery eyes to begin with) and.....yes, then a heavy-duty blue plastic cover was placed on my face. It had only one hole - for my eye, and that was where I now could see a very sharp bright light. My eye went shut immediately, but that was not what the doctor, who had appeared by my side, wanted, so she placed a clamp over my eye keeping it open. I have no clue what and how they did it, but suddenly my eye drowned in a cascade of fluid and light, while some apparatus emitted some really strange sounds. At first my eye must have been somewhat unruly, cause I heard the doc mumbling something about having a "moving target". The next thing she said was that I now would receive the new lense. Now, that I can get a kick out of. Like here was a place a guy could get a spare part put in, making for new vision. How great is THAT?

And suddenly quiet resumed, and I was done. Heck, that was nothing to get afraid of, stupid me!

I then went on the reverse journey through the hallways and was allowed to get rid of the hospital gown. Some good thinking helper had already placed my clothing in the washroom. One more thing to go through, was to be lectured about what to do and what NOT to do over the next coming days. Then they placed me in a wheelchair(?) and rolled me into the elevator and out the door to the curb, where Bea had anxiously been waiting for me. 

So now you know why I am cock-eyed for the next week until we can enjoy the same procedure again for the other eye. I removed that eye glass as I cannot see through it anymore. But for a change I can now see a sparrow high up in a tree, dropping a poop 50yrds. away! 

It's all worth it.