Today I had an appointment with the Eye Institute to look at my cataracts. The optometrist told me in January that I would need to have them operated on in another year but I decided that since he said he would have recommended that I should have done that two years ago except my husband needed his done I decided I should get right on that and get it done. My appointment with the Eye Institute was for today. I was there in plenty of time; I took a taxi because that was just the easiest thing to do. My daughter had a lot to do and it was the simple method since I would not be able to see to drive home after drops in my eyes plus I do not drive on the highway by myself anymore. And it was actually really true that I could not have done that. I couldn't read anything in actual fact. The recommendation was to have the cataract surgery with a replacement lens. The ophthalmologist discussed several different types of lenses aside from the basic lens and I had no idea there were such choices. I have worn glasses since I was eighteen months of age. I have strabismus and astigmatism with one of my eyes particularly weak. I was actually being told that all this could go away and I would be glasses free (if after study my eyes fitted into that category). Aside from the fact that I really in my mind did not think that could happen I realized as I spent some time reading about all of these lens later that I actually enjoy wearing glasses and being an outdoor sports person I also like not having bugs in my eyes. I decided to phone and tell them that I really wanted the basic lens and forget about any bells and whistles - just basic. So we will go with that as I got through to them and was able to discuss with her assistant. The Ophthalmologist that I had as a child, wonderful man with such patience for a small child, always said that my eyes could not be operated on and not to do that so I have avoided any comment on laser surgery or anything like that through the years. He tried to correct my eyes with patching and that did not work when I was a child and said I would just always have to have glasses (I believed him although realize that the surgeries have come a long way through the years but did discover that some people have strabismus return and end up with glasses in the long run anyway). Dr. Dyson was one of the pioneers in child surgery for strabismus and he had been one of my Father's scouts (my father was actually Chief Scout in London sometime in the 30s (have the reference)) and very well liked by many people there. So I do realize that Dr Dyson, my ophthalmologist, did take special pains with my eyes because of that. I also realize that was a long time ago but he was my eye physician until we moved to Ottawa when I was 30 years of age. Dr. Sullivan, an equally good and knowledgeable ophthalmologist here looked after my eyes until he went into fulltime surgical so I decided we would just go to an optometrist and not have to book these appointments so far ahead. But in actuality it is just the fact that I really prefer wearing my glasses and I like the versatility of having the stronger lens to work away on my computer and I have confidence in that and I do not want to move to any of these new compound lens. That isn't to say that I do not see this as a very progressive movement for people and it is good if children do not have to have strabismus all their life but for me no bugs in the eyes is more than enough reason to stay with the basic lens.
It was fun though being back in the hospital campus (the General) that I worked at for four years (I was at the Civic Campus for six years, Riverside Campus for about two years). I went to the Cafeteria after I was finished and had a huge gingerbread cookie and a coke. Glad that appointment is over; surgery likely towards the end of the year since I have to work that into when my daughter is here. In the meantime I have started once again to work on the Siderfin Book. Hope to finish it before the end of the year so should work very well. Then take a while off of the heavy computer work (I shall try to improve my execise regimen at that time although it is quite excellent already) and then start on the Pencombe book and after that the Blake book. Who knows what will be next but I do have a few ideas (George DeKay wrote a book on our mutual Gray families along with several lines that fed into these lines (Routledge, Carling, etc. etc.)). A book that included more information on the work of Sir John Carling (my great grandmother's first cousin) would certainly be interesting to family members (I just create *.pdf documents and put them up on my server and then anyone can download them at will). I will give copies to Family Search as well if they want them.
I also want to continue working on the H11 haplogroup and would eventually like to publish a book on that particular subclade of H. The DNA of my father and brothers would also make an interesting study (I-PH151) as it goes extinct in our generation although there are still a number of male descendants of John Blake and Ann (Farmer) Blake as well as John's parents Thomas Blake and Sarah (Coleman) Blake of Upper Clatford. This is an interesting line because it goes back to Joseph Blake (and Joanna (King) Blake of Upper Clatford) of Andover who was the only descendant of Thomas Blake and Ann (Carter) Blake who survived to adulthood and this Thomas Blake was the only child of Thomas Blake and Mary (Spring) Blake who married 6 Nov 1708 at Andover St Mary. This limited number of descendants in the 1700s makes the family easy to trace back into the 1600s and earlier as it turns out. I would like to do more on the Buller family of my maternal grandmother. Now that I am in to these surname studies they are quite fascinating and as I withdraw eventually from my commitment to the Guild of one-name studies (Blake and Pincombe) I can see all sorts of interesting ways to spend my time. My father had great success all those years ago with his cataract removal. He could do his beloved cross word puzzles and spent hours working on them after he was semi-retired. Dr Dyson always said that I had exactly my father's eyes and I am younger than he was and he never wore sunglasses. I hate them but have worn them for years now. They block the real world.
The evening is fast disappearing and I am up late. Off to bed. Goodnight dear God and may peace become more than just a wish.
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