There are days I feel like I'm talking to myself here, so anytime anyone wants to come here and discuss anything, I'm fine with that.
Thanks!
In that case, I'll elaborate a bit on the eyedrops and glasses:
Eyedrops: Yes, they're kind of a hassle. Three different kinds that have to be applied three times a day, one for three days before the surgery, one for two weeks after the surgery and two for three weeks after the surgery. And then the same thing on the other eye. I missed a few applications along the way, but with no apparent damage.
The doctor ordered the drops directly from the pharmacy. The pharmacy called for my insurance information and mentioned that the drops cost $1,300. What?!?? Oh, the pharmacy explained, you can get generic for $145. The difference with the expensive ones is you only have to use them once a day. In this case, of course, I could have gotten the expensive ones for free (again, they'd be over my deductible). But in the interest of holding down expenses for my fellow insurance-holders and to punish big Pharma for (probably) overpricing its product, I ordered the cheap(er) ones and put up with the hassle.
Glasses: I now no longer need glasses to drive or watch TV. I bought a pair of graduated reading glasses on Amazon for $35, and that's about right for computers and conversation. But for close-up or fine-print reading, I need stronger reading glasses. I'm not totally thrilled with this, because before this, even with the cataracts, I could read without glasses if necessary. I had to strain a bit but I could do it. Now I can't. And since I spend more time reading than I do watching TV or driving, this is something of a disappointment. I'm haunted by that episode of "Twilight Zone" where in a post-Apocalypse world this curmudgeonly guy finally has all the time he wants to read -- and then he drops and breaks his glasses.
Of course, if I'm ever in that situation I can find plenty of replacements at any drugstore.
The doctor gave me a glasses prescription that he said would be good for reading and even be a tiny bit better for distance vision (they try to match the lens to the shape of your eye, but they can't always be perfect, so even your distance vision might need a bit of correction). I haven't had it filled yet. I'm probably going to order glasses off the internet.
For years, my distance vision was so bad that when there was a full moon or super moon, I always saw at least double if not triple images, no matter what: covering one eye or the other, wearing glasses or not. Now I can see just one moon.
Colors are lighter and brighter. Cataracts turn everything slightly yellowish. The downside of this is that I thought I had a golden tan and it turn out I don't. (Just kidding, I never have a golden tan, but I'm even paler than I thought.)
On the bright side: Eyedrops aside, it was by far the easiest surgery I've ever had. No pain, no blood, no scar, immediate recovery. I was driving the next day.