DYING LIGHT? NO, IT’S CATARACTS

“Rage against the dying light.”

That’s the advice dead-poet Dylan Thomas gives old people.

“Do not go gentle into that good night, rage, rage against the dying of the light,” means something different at thirty-three, when Thomas wrote it, than ninety three.

If the lights are dimming in your life, instead of raging and raging against the dying of the light, make an appointment with Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute.

Here’s why:

Having performed over 700,000 micro surgeries, PACIFIC CATARACT AND LASER INSTITUTE is one of North America’s most experienced eyecare facilities.

Dylan Thomas is no doctor. He’s also not good with advice for old people, as he died at thirty-nine.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

I was raging against the dying light in the middle of the day.

The wife and I were on an Arizona freeway headed for the airport rental car return. It’s tricky.

“Is this the exit?”

“No, it’s not the exit. Read the sign. Can you read the sign?”

“You’re the navigator.”

From there it was night driving.

“Is this the exit?”

“You need to get your eyes checked.”

One thing led to another, and what do you know? Cataracts. I thought of Jackson Browne’s ‘Doctor My Eyes.’

Dying Light Brightens Up

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Before you get used to dying light, get checked out.

Cataracts aren’t the worst thing I’ve endured. They are better than a sharp stick in the eye, which I said at the clinic.

“Funny you’d say that. I’ve actually treated a sharp stick in the eye,” one doctor said. “And it all turned out for the best. No lasting damage.”

That’s the reassuring part of PCLI.

WHAT IS A CATARACT? The eye’s lens is like a magnifying glass. Until about age 20, it’s usually crystal clear. But as years go by, the magnifying glass gradually becomes less clear. This clouding is known as a cataract.

Get that cloud lifted. After growing up in North Bend, Oregon a cloud lift is a celebration.

That’s me in this section’s pic joining the ranks of all the other old guys. We got examined, scheduled, and wore the uniform, which consists of a marker for the eye work and a custom snood.

I counted five in the waiting room.

From this point the next stop is the top image where the work is done. Looks sort of like a dentist chair. It’s the chair where I sat as still as a dead man.

What does Dylan Thomas say?

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Again, if you’re got vision changes, see your guy. This stuff doesn’t go away on it’s own. Go ahead and ignore cataracts and get used to living in dying light.

We go in shady and come out bright eyed and bushy tailed, and chin

Listen, the staff at PCLI are all consistently impressive. If you read my blog then you know how often I say that.

From check-in to check-out you feel like you’ve come to the land of gentle where time slows down enough for people to show how nice they can be.

I’m not saying a needle in the eye requires a nice person, but it helps. From reception and registration to the cool new shades, I felt a miracle vibe of the right people in the right place at the right time.

How often does that happen?

It was so calming, not like Dylan Thomas:

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

I don’t think so, pal. It might be cataracts, not blinding sight with blind eyes.

Old Jackson needs to make an appointment, too.

Doctor, my eyes have seen the years
And the slow parade of fears without crying
Now I want to understand

You’ve got dry-eye, Jackson. They have drops for that.

Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what is wrong
Was I unwise to leave them open for so long?

The short answer? You’ve got dry eyes. Figure it out.

Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what you see
I hear their cries
Just say if it’s too late for me

Show up on time and it’s not too late for cataract work.