Just a vent

[OctoblocksAssemble]

Awful visit to opticians today, for various reasons, but one little gem was that she thought there is the start of a cataract on my left eye. I'm devastated, I've spent the last 2 years slogging through total misery to finally get my driving licence and retrain for a role that requires good sight and driving. It feels utterly pointless at the moment, like I've been killing myself for nothing. The thought of eye surgery gives me the absolute screaming terrors, I literally don't think I could go through with it. I've never even considered contact lenses because even that is too much for me.
I've only had 4 hours sleep, which doesn't help, and there is no point to this post at all. Just venting before I dry my tears, stick a fake smile on and go wrestle the kids to bed whilst secretly dying a little more inside.

My Dad (who was very squeamish and couldn’t have had contact lenses) had two cataracts removed in his early 60s and given new eye lens (is that the right word!) in both eyes that meant he didn’t need to wear glasses any more. He didn’t find the op a big deal at all. I presume he had a general anaesthetic, I can’t remember. I think he’s couldn’t drive for a short while post op but he was soon back driving.

AngryFierceClouds - very similar to my DM. I couldn't see her having the procedure, but she did, at the age of 75. I was well impressed😄It wasn't done under general anaesthetic.

Really consider having it done, OP. I don't think you'll regret it.

I was told 3 years ago that I had the start of a cataract too but it was extremely early and I could out live needing any treatment, by the time it progresses. I have my appointments yearly and the 2 different Opticians I have since seen dismissed it and said its too early to tell and they wouldnt have bothered mentioning it to me! As the technology these days can pick up extremely early cases. Many people get cataracts as part of the aging process and may never be impacted as the progression happens later in life. I'm 49.
Did they say how bad it was or how long untill you would need surgery? You could ask for a second opinion maybe? It is shocking news, hoping it turns out to be ok like mine was.

Thank you for the replies. I've managed to sleep off the worst of the anxiety, although i'm still pretty unhappy about it all.
I'm only 40, so it was a bit crushing, not least because I had gd with both pregnancies, and in theory I'm supposed to be tested every year but my GP is pretty useless and it's been a few years. So in my dominoes of panic the eye problems were also indicative of diabetes. I'll try to sort a blood test i guess, although where that time will come from I don't know.
@Unicornetto she said it was just starting to form, and that was it. I had my eldest with me as she was off school with a fever, so I couldn't really ask in detail. I didn't want to get upset in front of her.
Three years would be alright. Kids ages would be better, and hopefully the nightmarish diploma would be a thing of the past.

My understanding is that we would all end up with cataracts eventually if we lived long enough but they can appear earlier in some people. I’m sure if you called the opticians and asked them to talk you through what it meant they will happily speak to you over the phone or invite you in to discuss.

If you know you need testing for diabetes every year then I would recommend you take responsibility for making that happen. I need blood tests every 3 months - I usually get invited to them but I have a reminder set up on my phone to make sure I book them if it doesn’t happen automatically. A computer or human error could easily mean it gets missed. I’m a 5 minute job in their day but it’s my health and my life so I see it as my responsibility to make it happen. GP practices are stretched beyond capacity. Capacity impacts capability. Saying they’re a bit useless and still leaving the responsibility with them is doing nothing but risking your own life.

Yes alright, useless should be substituted with over capacity. For the record they have never offered me a blood test, and I'm posting on mental health because I find medical things extremely hard to engage with. Last time I paid for a private postal blood test, because I couldn't face trying to get help through all the gatekeeping.

Sorry if I sounded blunt and unsympathetic. I do also struggle with any sort of interaction with a health professional and have been known to angst all night if I need to speak to them. Can you sort what you need through filling in the online forms practices offer now? I find that much easier.