Snapper helps others see the light
Lenswoman’s sight restored after images show cataract surgeons the world through her eyes
When her deteriorating eyesight began to affect the things she loved to do, Susan Pittman knew she had to take action.
Over the course of 10 years her vision had worsened and it was affecting her ability to maintain her passions, like photography, woodwork and birdwatching.
When cataracts were confirmed, she decided to use her skills as a photographer to visually explain what she was experiencing on a daily basis.
The 68-year-old from Ullapool said: “It was always difficult to describe the problems with my sight. No one seemed to understand what I was trying to say, so I made images which showed just how deteriorated my vision was. “My eye surgeon, Dr Andrew Tatham, said he hadn’t seen such a good illustration of how cataracts affect vision before and that with cataract surgery he would be able to restore my sight.” Susan has had surgery on both eyes this year to remove the cataracts and is now enjoying life again, a marked improvement on the way she was living before the operations.
“For as long as 10 years I was seeing significant deterioration in my vision,” she continued. “It was becoming harder and harder to manage daily tasks and at my worst I wasn’t even able to drive, sew or read. I felt like I was losing my independence and it really was frustrating. Not only that, it was becoming incredibly debilitating and tiring having to strain to see things.”
At first Susan experienced dry eye, which seemed to improve with eye drops. But in time her symptoms returned and worsened, and her optician confirmed cataracts were developing.
A clouding of the eye’s natural lens, cataracts normally develop slowly and cause problems like blurring, difficulty reading and driving at night, and the need to frequently change glasses.
Susan was put on the eye unit’s waiting list at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness last November, but it was April before she had an assessment. When she was told it would be another four-to-six-month wait for an operation, she decided to go private.
“I really didn’t want to wait that long as I’m a very busy and active person with lots of hobbies that require attention to detail and precision,” she said.
“My vision got so bad I wasn’t able to continue with these. Waiting another six months wasn’t an option for me.”
With the help of her optician, Susan chose The Edinburgh Clinic and was booked in for her first procedure in May.
The treatment of cataracts involves a 20-minute painless operation during which the cloudy cataract is removed and replaced with a new artificial lens.
Just as when choosing new glasses, there is a choice of lenses which can restore vision. Modern cataract surgery can also reduce the need for glasses, even in people who have always needed to wear them.
Susan is delighted to be able to enjoy life to the fullest again – especially indulging her love of photography. “Being able to enjoy my hobbies again gave me a real boost,” Susan added.
“Photography is a real passion of mine. From landscape to wildlife, right down to micro imagery of horsefly mouthparts, having good vision is crucial to make sure I capture the best quality images.
“This was becoming impossible before I got my surgery and now I can see so clearly.
“If I could give people who are having similar symptoms some advice, it would be to get their eyes checked as quickly as possible.
“Daily life just gets harder and harder the worse your vision becomes, so if you are noticing a difference go to your optician.”