Cataract Surgery -Kevin S., a patient story

Cataract Surgery -Kevin S., a patient story

With an inquisitive mind, hunger for learning and a lively spirit, Kevin had always found great joy in the small things in life, especially after retiring at the age of 60. From reading up to four library books a week, learning how to grow exotic vegetables, investing in the stock market, teaching his grandchildren how to use oil pastels and hunting rabbits with his rifle, Kevin’s life is filled with a wide range of interests that he is deeply passionate about. Now at the age of 80, Kevin’s eyesight was starting to deteriorate due to cataracts, which was having a profound impact on his life and on the little things he used to take for granted.

“You know, you don’t really appreciate the clarity of your eyesight until it’s gone. When I started to develop cataracts, I kept thinking there was haze on my windscreen when I was driving. Eventually, when this haze didn’t go away, it suddenly clicked one day that there was a problem with my eyesight.  For me, it was like looking through a thin layer of grease all the time, which progressively made it harder for me to read and continue with my hobbies. The most frustrating things were those darn over-grown rats (rabbits) kept eating my vegetables and I couldn’t even see them properly to get the rifle out!”

In March, after 6 months of dealing with his poor vision, Kevin decided to go ahead with the cataract surgery at Auckland Eye and get his life back on track. Kevin booked in at Auckland Eye to have both eyes done on two separate occasions a few weeks apart to allow the first eye to recover and for the vision to stabilize before the surgery was performed on the other eye. After the initial consultation at Auckland Eye, Kevin was eager to go ahead with the surgery so he decided to go private to speed up the process;  “I could have gone in the public system and wait a few months, but instead I thought it was best to just to get it out of the way as soon as possible”.

Now just four weeks after the surgery of Kevin’s second eye, he is back to doing the things he loves, including tending to his veggie garden and reading the paper on the porch once again. When asked if he experienced any pain during the procedure, Kevin exclaimed “unlike the dentist, the only thing that hurt was the financial side! But, I think it was well worth it, in the end, to go private. Plus, I must admit if there was any pain, I wouldn’t have gone back to get my second eye done!”

When Kevin first discovered that he had cataracts,  his first reaction was fear; “I was worried that my body was falling apart! It was quite a scary thought for me to be losing my vision, and it was becoming very frustrating that I couldn’t do the things I loved doing any more”.

However, now that Kevin has had the surgery and is recovering well, he is amazed by his new vision;