Just Learned Something Interesting About Cataracts

I realize that many of you already know this, but I’ve found that when I’ve told friends, there are lots out there who don’t know it, so here goes.

I’m scheduled, mid-September, for a trip to the Ophthalmologist for a consult and arrangements for cataract surgery. I was supposed to go in October but they opened a closer office and were able to get me an earlier appointment. I’ve known for over six years that I had slow-growing cataracts. I’ve been having the most well-known effects for a while.

I have not driven at night for the past two years because of the glare from oncoming headlights and halos around lights. I have also had more and more difficulty seeing things across the room. Not large objects. Just smaller things like the hands on the clock on the wall, subtitles on the TV screen, things like that. Part of that is also due to the fact that I’m six-years overdue for my normal change in glasses, as well.

But something has been bothering me for about six months. It is my color perception. I crochet and do crafts - a lot. Lately, I’ve had trouble deciding whether yarn or ribbon or thread is pink or peach, white or yellow, blue or green. I have tried many types of light bulbs - daylight, brights, and everything in between. But I still make mistakes and only find out if I look at the items outside in broad daylight, at the right angle.

Yesterday something made me wonder about it. I’ve been blaming the lighting in the house. I did a search on “do cataracts affect color perception?” Wow - they sure do.

Short story - they said that with cataracts past a certain stage, you could walk out of the house thinking you were wearing black shoes only to find out they are purple. Or, you could have trouble discerning the difference between blues and greens.

This probably goes back even longer than six months, come to think of it. I remember an order from a dear friend for half a dozen light blue plastic canvas ribbon crosses, about a year or so ago. After she got them, she thanked me but said they were mint green but that she was all right with that. I was embarrassed, and made some more, in the right color. To be sure it was right, I took the ribbon outside on the porch and looked at it out there.

 
So, just in case any of you are having this type of problem, and you are also aware that you either have cataracts or are at risk for them, maybe these facts will help.