Picture Yourself In A Boat On A River

Almost two years ago, at age 37, I was told I have a cataract in each of my eyes and that I would be requiring cataract surgery to restore my vision sometime in the future.  During the period since, I have been unemployed or under-employed, and have remained uninsured. 

On July 15, 2010, I visited my optometrist, Dr. Gregory Payne, because my glasses didn't seem to be helping.  He explained that the vision in my right eye had improved to about 20/30.  I was amazed because I had required corrective lenses from the time I was 12-years-old.  I have since learned that this is a phenomenon called "second sight", which is a temporary improvement in vision caused by the cataract.  He fitted me for a contact in my left eye, which still required a corrective lens, and sent me on my way.

On the afternoon of October 31, 2010, just over three months later, I noticed that I was experiencing a loss of vision in my right eye.  I returned to Alpharetta Eye Care to see Dr. Timothy Spence on Tuesday, November 2, 2010.  While there, I learned that my the cataract in my right eye had grown dense and was almost completely eclipsing my iris.  The vision in my right eye had become 20/200.  (That means that what a person with normal eyesight can see from 200 feet, I have to be 20 feet from to see what they see.)

Additionally, Dr. Spence explained that I likely only had months before my left eye followed suit.

So there I was, an under-employed accountant completely dependent on my eyesight to work, broke, uninsured, and going blind. 

That's when I started to see miracles happen...

Jog Falls, Cataract of the Sharavati River, India

Continued...