Beware the "Eye'ds" of April (bad pun)

It's April 15. Most people think of it as Tax Day. But for us, it will be remembered as Eye Surgery Day.

Dan had cataract surgery on his left eye this morning. The doctor told him the newly implanted lens looked "perfect," and Dan felt pretty good as we left the clinic and headed home. As the day progressed, however, and the anesthetic wore off, his eye began to feel uncomfortable. At first it was just an irritation. He called and talked to a nurse at the clinic, who said to try some moisturizing drops, which he did. But, as time passed, the irritation became more of a sharp pain, especially each time he blinked. Since pain following this type of surgery is not typical, we called the clinic again, and, even though it was closing time, they said to come in.

We headed back, right about rush hour. Luckily, we were going the opposite direction from most of the traffic, so we got there in good time. A technician named George, who works with Dan's doctor, was waiting there for us. He noticed our address on Dan's patient screen, and told us that we're neighbors; he and his family live a little over a block from our house. Even before looking at Dan's eye, he told us the symptoms were indicative of a corneal abrasion. Looking at the eye confirmed his theory.

George put some numbing drops into Dan's eye, which relieved the pain immediately. Then he put a soft, non-prescription, contact lens on the eye. This, he said, would act as a bandage, keeping his eyelid from irritating the abrasion whenever he blinked and allowing it to heal in, probably, a day or two.

Dan has a post-op appointment early in the morning. All indications are that the lens implant is fine, and that the abrasion on his cornea will heal up quickly. (But, if he has any problems in the middle of the night . . . we know where George lives!)

Many thanks to all who have told me you have been praying for Dan. It's very encouraging and comforting to us.