Dear Joepie and Devon, I am so very glad you brought this subject to everyone's attention. I have worn glasses since I was 9. My minus is about 6.5, for those who know, or, my 20/20 without glasses is about 7 inches from my eyes. This is an advantage for lacemaking, as when my bifocals don't work, I can take off my glasses, bend down, and see my lace. But my father's family has cataracts, so I've been worried. This solution is a great relief! I will be paying attention to any future messages. Lyn from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, currently in Key Largo, Florida since January, where the weather is sultry, but the sun has shined every day except about 3 since January, and I've been in shorts and sandals since we got here. "My email sends out an automatic message. Arachne members, please ignore it. I read your emails."
J-D Hammet wrote: I had cataracts removed in both eyes about 2.5 years ago. I opted to get the best lenses I could which were expensive but amazing. They cover the distances from middle-near to distant. I have myopia like Devon and had worn either glasses or contact lenses from the age of eight. One eye was done on the Thursday of the first week and the second 8 days later. It was wonderful as for the first time since I was 8 Icould see without glasses or contact lenses. I found I could do most laces, except for the very finest. Therefore, I had some lenses made for an frame I already had, by the optician just for that fine work. So far it has served me well, though I must say that I am thinking of having some glasses made for the really far distance (for wild life observation). I would say go for the best and most up to date multi-focal lenses you can afford, especially ones that correct the astygmatism as well as I did. If you wish to retain the advantage of myopia (which would certainly help with lace making) opt for the mid- to far distance lenses. Hope that your operations go as well as mine did! I have not looked back since then. Devon Thein wrote: I have been told that I should have cataract surgery. There are many options in cataract surgery and I don�t know that I understand them all. According to the doctor, I can have the inexpensive and largely insurance subsidized surgery in which I will have �basic� lenses implanted in my eye. (These are eerily called IOLs) The basic should return my eye to where it was pre-cataract. The alternative costs more, but would involve implanting a highly specialized lens in my eye that would address my astigmatism and it might even be possible to go glasses free afterward as I have not done since age 7. I now think the problem was the cataracts. If my vision were returned to what it was before (basic lenses) I would be happy to have my same close vision that I am used to. My lifestyle wouldn�t change. I would still wear startling red glasses as part of my style identity. I mentioned this to the doctor and he said that in the more expensive, multi-focus lenses he could put the focus anywhere I wanted, and I could have it rather close up and I would still wear glasses for long distance vision. Admittedly, I am somewhat intrigued by the idea of not feeling around for my glasses everyday. They don�t fit too well over a K95 mask. So, a lens that does well at all distances has a certain appeal. I don�t even know if I want him to put the focus in close quarters. After all, it is supposed to be good close-up. The more expensive surgery also is more likely to have issues since you have to seat the lens in exactly the correct position. However, the claim is that it doesn�t happen that often. In both cases the surgery takes 20 minutes. Has anyone had cataract surgery? How has it affected your lacemaking? What choices did you make and are you happy with them? It would really be devastating to impair my lacemaking at this stage of my life. It is a little too late to find a hobby that requires good distance vision. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
