Earlier this week, I was informed that I have cataracts in both eyes, and that it would be 3 to 4 months before surgery would be scheduled. I knew it was coming, but I had been told more than a year ago that I might have a cataract. It took 13 months to get an appointment with the eye specialist; the medical staff in our little province is worn out from Covid-related cases, and staff is retiring in massive numbers, without enough replacements wanting to come to our lovely but admittedly quiet little backwater.
I think we have only about 800,000 people in our province; Toronto alone has more than three million! Many are elderly, as our young people tend to migrate to the "bigger cities" for their careers. All three of my children live further away from me, in our own country, than the distance to here from Europe....
The downside of the wait is that my glasses are not very useful any more, and there seems little point in getting a new prescription when, in 3-4 months, I will need a completely new one again. My sight is getting blurry, which is not so great for the detail work of miniatures....
I am doing small things for short periods, in the hope of stretching out the eye use - and as I am a person who needs something in her hands, it is a learning curve! I also read a great deal, and that is becoming a little more difficult all the time; I may have to check out large print for a while. Winter is also on the way, and I really don't like being cold, which means that I usually spend much of my winter indoors, doing things with my hands and eyes! I do, however, love to sit by my window looking out at the snowy world from the comfort of my living room, as the sun usually shines in vivid blue skies here during our coldest months.
Perhaps it is time to tackle some of the polymer clay projects waiting for my attention, or some larger miniature pieces, like furniture. We'll see!
