Bad news from optician

[Goldfinch]

Hi, I am not sure if this would be better on the health anxiety forum, but I think it's just part of my normal anxiety - life seems to be throwing me one challenge after another at the moment. I got new glasses in February but noticed about a month ago that the distance vision in my left eye wasn't completely clear. I went back to get it checked and the optician said that I have the early stages of a cataract in that eye. As it was so early he hasn't suggested I have anything done about it, so I'm not due to go back for another sight test for two years. I now can't stop brooding about it. I know cataract is treatable, but I can't keep my mind off worst case scenarios - I'm self-employed (so no sick pay or benefits) and am committed to work till I'm 70 (another 12 years) to pay my mortgage. I'm a copy-editor so I really need good vision! I'm hoping that the NHS would agree to fund treatment as soon as my work began to be affected. On a more positive note, this has been a bit of a wake-up call for me and I'm going to concentrate on living as healthy a lifestyle as I can and eating all the right foods and taking the right vitamins. If at all possible I'd like to slow the progress of the cataract I've already got and avoid getting one in the other eye as well! Does anyone else have similar worries?

[aprilmoon]

Hi
I went to the optician about 18months ago and got some new glasses,I was told at the time that I had a cateract on my right eye,but that it was 'decades away' from needing any treatment.After a matter of weeks I remarked to my husband that the vision in that eye was not as good as it should be,and thought they had given me the wrong prescription.When I returned,he said the cateract had grown quickly, and that if I wanted to continue to drive I would need an op on it.
I had the op done on the NHS shortly after.
I have had some problems with it though, as the jelly substance that you have at the back of the eye can sometimes be disturbed and give you lots of 'floaters' which can take a long time to disperse.
Because of this,I haven't had my other one done as it was really just to balance me up,but as that eye is fine,I don't want to risk it.
I water a contact lens now in that eye.

[Goldfinch]

Thanks Aprilmoon. The thought of such quick progress is scary (though as mine seems to have appeared out of nowhere in three months, I wouldn't be surprised), but glad that it was resolved so quickly.