I hope everyone is doing well. 

I suppose you’ve noticed I have not been posting blog updates as frequently as I have in the past.  Reason being, I have made the decision to compile and organize a small mountain of information and complete my life story before the end of the year.  I will be focusing all my writing energy on this effort and not on my journal writing and blog posting. 

A few weeks ago I had my annual eye exam.  Everything check out okay, I got a new prescription for each eye, and new glasses were ordered.  When the new glasses arrived last week I noticed the vision in my right eye was hazy.  I made an appointment with the optometrist, Doctor Ayers, to better understand what had happened.  Did the company that made my glasses not get the prescription right or did something else happen?

After an evaluation from Doctor Ayers, she determined the lens in my right eye, not the lens in my new glasses, was cloudy.  I had developed a cataract in the lens of my eye in a few short weeks.  Doctor Ayers asked me if I had ever used steroids or if I was currently on steroids.  I said, “Yes, I’ve been on prednisone for the last 18 months.”  Doctor Ayers said that was likely the cause.

Lisa and I were both dumfounded.  We had no idea that prednisone could possibly have that effect on the body.  Last night I spoke with my family doctor, Doctor Hogge, and mentioned what Doctor Ayers had said.  “Could the prednisone you prescribed, to fight my PMR, cause me to develop cataracts?”  Doctor Hogge said, “Yes, definitely.  And you are likely to develop the same problem in the left eye.”

The last couple of days has been an eye-opening experience (no pun intended).  So, what happens next?  I have two cataract surgeries scheduled, the first on February 18th, the next a week later on the 26th.  I will have lenses put in that correct my vision.  The assumption is I will only need to use reading glasses going forward.  

Wish me luck.