Carole Gariepy of Phillipston: Now I can drive at night - the wonders of cataract surgery

Driving at night was difficult. The glare from headlights, reflectors, and even from signs was blinding. I had heard others say how they didn't like to drive at night. I figured it was just a part of growing old, I had joined the daytime-only driving folks.

Phyllis Diller said, "As your beauty fades, so will your eyesight."

That was my situation until last year.

Annual medical appointments are so important. Gerry's prostate cancer was found in an early stage and cured. Then last year when I had my annual eye check-up, I was referred to Dr. Aaron Fay who told me that my vision would be better if I had my cataracts removed and replaced with new lenses.

I had it done and my outlook on life was greatly improved. Colors were more vivid, white was bright white (no longer off-white), and best of all, I could drive at night. In fact, I was so impressed with the results that I asked Dr. Fay if I could observe when Gerry recently had the same procedure so I could write about it. He agreed.

Preparation for surgery

Gerry's surgery day started with no breakfast; you can't eat for eight hours before the surgery. Then we drove to the eye surgery center in Gardner. A pleasant woman in the admitting office welcomed us and filled out a form – first question to answer always is "date of birth," then others such as checking to be sure he hadn't eaten for eight hours, hadn't been exposed to COVID, etc. Then we went into the prep room where Gerry laid on a bed and was covered with a nice warm blanket.

The prep started with eye drops to prevent inflammation, drops to numb the eye, and drops to dilate the pupil so the doctor could see the lens that became cloudy and caused visual problems. Then the nurse hooked him up to all the necessary monitors to be sure he stayed stable throughout the procedure: one that measured oxygen level, others for pulse, respiration and blood pressure. Then the last attachment was an IV for administering anesthesia, a low dose that Gerry recovered from shortly after the operation ended.

He was wheeled into the operating room on the prep bed where two nurses, the anesthesiologist, and Dr. Fay were ready to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a new one. It was impressive to see the sophisticated machinery, Dr. Fay told me how advanced technology has made it easier to accomplish excellent surgical results.

The cataract surgery itself

He looked through an operating microscope as he did his work. He made a small incision, about 1/16 inch at the side of the eye and did all the work through it. (There are no blood vessels at the side so there is no bleeding.)

Using small tools and an ultrasound machine to pulverize the cataract, he moved the broken particles to the side where they were evacuated. When it was all cleared away, the scrub nurse passed him a new acrylic lens which he inserted in place, and the very delicate operation was over!

It was a delicate procedure that required good dexterity and concentration. It amazed me how he could accomplish so much through such a small opening. There certainly was very little disturbance to the eye.

Fifteen minutes and it was all over! Gerry never felt a thing, and after relaxing a few minutes while a nurse removed the monitoring devices, he got off the bed and we went home. He had no pain and didn't even feel tired, just had to keep on sunglasses because his eye was still dilated. I asked, "How did it go?" He said, "A piece of cake!"

After care

He was cautioned though not to do any heavy work, not to bend over further than his waist, not to rub his eye for a week, wear a plastic patch for a week when sleeping for protection, and to continue using eye drops for a month to avoid inflammation. Gerry felt so good, it would have been easy not to take the cautions seriously, but he had to remember he did have an operation. (Two weeks later, he had a successful operation on his other eye.)

I arranged to meet with Dr. Fay to discuss the process of becoming a cataract specialist. A person's history is always interesting and his medical journey turned out to be quite an amazing one.

His father was an ophthalmologist, so he observed the joy and satisfaction that went with the profession from a young age, and decided to follow in his footsteps and study the eye.

He went to medical school at Columbia University and also did his residency in ophthalmology there. After graduation, he was accepted into the Fellows Program at Harvard University, which I checked out on Google. The program is for "exceptional scholars who have recently completed their doctoral work."

He studied plastic surgery at Harvard and combined that specialty with his eye education to become a specialist in reconstructive surgery, mainly for children with severe birth defects involving the eyes. He was full-time on the Harvard faculty for 20 years doing research, writing, and giving lectures at medical conferences all over the world.

When his father retired in 2016, he returned to this area and does surgery, mostly for cataracts, at Longwood Eye and Lasik in Gardner where we went. He also operates in Fitchburg and Springfield, and continues to have offices in New York and Berlin, Germany, where he is on call for consultation and surgery when needed for critical reconstructive surgery.

When I learned about his medical history, I realized Gerry and I had been in the good hands of a very distinguished surgeon. His dedication and love of his work is obvious. He said, "It's a privilege to care for patients."

It's wonderful and has to be very satisfying to have a job that makes a difference in people's lives. We are blessed when we have skilled medical people who can make a difference when problems arise. The cataract surgery sure made a difference for us.

Carole Gariepy is a Phillipston resident and author of “Dragging Gerry around the World” and “Why Go There?”

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Carole Gariepy of Phillipston on how cataract surgery is life changing