So, I had this cataract in my left eye. It’s gone now. The vision is still a bit fuzzy, but the main impediment is gone. That’s good. Getting there…eh, let’s just say I’d rather not have to do it again. I’m sure I will; I have one in my right eye. But it’s not bad enough yet. With regard to what follows, I have no criticism of the doctor. He did a great job. Much of my discomfort was from my own imagination.

It seems that when you have a cataract removed the first step is to numb your eye. If you’ve been to the ophthalmologist before you know that before they stick that 500,000 candlepower light in your eye, they put numbing drops in. They do that for cataract surgery too, but that’s not the anesthesia. No, they start an IV and they give you Propofol. That’s right, the Michael Jackson Sleep Forever drug. One minute you’re regaling the doctor about the case you had with Propofol in it, and the next minute you’re wondering why your left eye doesn’t work anymore. That’s because they knock you completely out to put a needle the size of the Seattle Space Needle into your cheek, down about 14 inches, and inject you with the liquid napalm that ensures your eye won’t feel anything, or move. But you feel kind of goofy, so you’re cool when the doctor sits down and says “we’re going to fix the cataract now.”