I am baaaaack. Did you miss me?
The surgery was awesome. I remember some flashes of light, at some point I am pretty sure that I gripped the side of the bed and tried to escape, but I things are fuzzy, and my surgeon assured me that I was on my best behavior after sedation.
When I opened my eyes after being wheeled out, I saw a curtain. It was blue. Like blue. OMG.
The difference between the two eyes is ridiculous. My left eye is at 20/20 vision, officially certified by my doctor this morning. It also sees things in vibrant gorgeous color. The right eye is blurry and has a thick sepia filter over everything.
20/20. I am typing this without glasses. Also, did you know that the cover of This Kingdom is a beautiful blue, not a dull blue-green turquiose.
The world is so pretty.
My brain is very confused right now, because my right eye used to be dominant and I would keep closing my left eye unconsciously. Now the left eye is amazing. My poor brain is like, “You keep throwing curveballs. I am not sure how to handle this.” With both eyes open, I kind of get blended color vision.
I’m still in recovery and I’m getting some rainbow halos and I think when the eye dries out, I see the light slide off the lens, maybe. But it’s supposed to be temporary. I am going to type this out and get to work. I can now sit next to Gordon as we work without squinting and asking him to make the type bigger. I am excite.
While we are here, some things that piled up.
We have the narrator for the audio edition of This Kingdom. We know that some of you can see two editions on Audible.com. The audio edition that currently has a cover and release date of March 31st is the US edition.
The other one, with the red stand-in cover, released on the 2nd of April 2026 is from the UK. Amazon/Audible ecosystem crosspollinates in a weird way. So, if you are in the US: Amazon / Apple / Google Play. No foul play occurred.
We have a date for The Inheritance audio, and I am going to hedge my bets and not tell you until it goes live, but soon. It looks like we will be going up on ACX first, with the other retailers following a few days behind. This has to do with business distributor things, etc. We should have the audio for The Inheritance widely available before Christmas.
About the audio: there have been massive shifts in the marketplace in the last three months. Please cut us some slack. We are doing the best we can and everything is up in the air.
Also, I have sent a picture of myself with a plastic shield and tape over my eye to my best friend, who asked for proof of life after the surgery.
Her response, via text: Hello, Nick Fury.
I leave you with that.
first?
but also 32st? for that audio edition?
fat editing fingers, it’s been fixed 🙂
Wait, why couldn’t you get surgery on the right eye as well? Are you not allowed to do both eyes at once?
Usually there is a wait between eyes in cataract surgery. They do it in part to make sure there aren’t complications and the patient loses vision in both eyes.
My eyes were done one at a time. During the period when one eye was fixed and the other untouched I looked at a sheet of paper with printing on it. The repaired eye saw sharp black letters on a crisp white background, but the untouched eye saw (slightly) fuzzy grey letters on a yellowish background.
I think I would not have been able to drive for several days after the surgery if both eyes had been done together. As it was I could only drive for several days with a patch over one eye.
Wonderful news. Wishing you an excellent recovery!
So glad the surgery went well!
I believe I speak for us all when I say we are also excite!
Yay for audio news, yay for book progress! Yay for pretty, vibrant, blues!
Thanks for the updates 💚
Glas you’re doing well. have a speedy Recovery.
and a Nick Fury Costume would be amazong. or Odin 😉
Yes, the “I see the lens” does go away. But it’s trippy while it lasts.
Yes, sunglasses are an absolute must.
Bright lights are going to give you after images.
Your brain will have a field day adjusting to the new visual acuity. Prepare for some headaches.
🙂
What she said! Lol
Must emphasize, sunglasses are a must.
Welcome back! We are excite for you!
I had my left eye cataract removed about 5 years ago. I’m now 20/20 in it. Still haven’t had my right eye done. I enjoy having far sight in one eye and near in the other. No glasses needed for the first time since seventh grade! It took a little while to adjust but I enjoy it.
And my cataract surgery was awesome! I was completely aware for the whole time but they gave me the fun drugs and I enjoyed the heck out of it. I told them they could have cut my toes off and I wouldn’t have been bothered. I was their funniest patient of the day! 😜
Congratulations! Isn’t it a miracle?! Wait till both eyes are done! The rainbow thing, as my Dr explained it, is the brain adjusting and the light hitting the side of the lens. I had my surgeries done the first part of August. Had lots of rainbows and flashes, to the point I called in to make sure it was ok. All was well. My Dr cleared me for any activity, including night driving, a good while ago. I won’t see him for a year! Got some mild reading glasses since Medicare pays for one pair and I read constantly. Still can’t describe my gratitude for this surgery.
The world is your oyster!
I had surgery on my non dominant eye. It ended up ruining my vision because my brain couldn’t adapt to changing the dominant eye. Hope it goes better for you!
BLUE!
That’s great news! Speedy recovery!
Congrats on recovery from surgery! How exciting!
Thanks for all the updates!
I do theatrical lighting design and was recently talking to some dance students about how well the brain adjusts to constant light and color changes.
I’m so glad that you too get to enjoy how truly pretty and vibrant the cover is!
I am so glad you are recovering well! My Mom’s prescription improved to what she had about 7 years prior to surgery. She got the first eye done and didn’t stop fussing until she got the second one done lol
Yay pretty colors and 20/20 vision!
Partial sedation like that terrifies me. I am preemptively embarrassed for myself.
Me too! I am embarrassed before I even have the IV in!
So glad everything went well! When do you get to have the other eye fixed? I am really looking forward to the audio version of The Inheritance when it comes out.
I have the “beginnings “ of cataracts. You make me want to jump into the surgery. I am glad you are doing well. Nothing like science and medicine, to change life for the better!
Nick fury 🤣🤣🤣💀 glad you are recovering!
I’m glad that surgery went well and that you are enjoying all the blues around you. I hope recovery continues to go well.
So glad things went well and the results have exceeded your expectations! Now you can enjoy the Fall colors too! Best wishes!
Hurrah! x
Save the plastic eye cover! My grandkids thought it was a great pirate eye patch! 😂
Glad your surgery was a success and not too terribly traumatic. So good that you have your sight back!
So glad the surgery went well! Leave it to a best friend to be worried but loves you enough to make you laugh, sometimes at your own expense
After my Mom’s cataract surgery she said “Color has come back into my world”
Sleep with the pirate patch at least a week. Maybe more. More is better.
so happy for you. 🙂
So glad to hear the surgery went well!
My mom has slight cataract problems (her vision is still at 90%) but they don’t want to do the surgery until it is really bad because she only has one eye, so if anything goes wrong she would be blind. It is super scary. I’m going to share your excellent outcome with her so that when she does finally need the surgery she will feel better going into it.
While yes, of course, we missed you, ModR has done a lovely job keeping us occupied and — I think — mostly out of trouble.
Glad eye one is done! Best wishes for eye two! Enjoy your Nick Fury, pirate phase.
Will there be a GA version of the book? Or is this where they decide what books they want to record?
Graphic Audio always decide which books they want to purchase adaptations rights for and turn into dramatizations 🙂
A GA version of This Kingdom would be amazing, but I do not yet have any official news on that score.
Glad the surgery went well. Looking forward to Maggie 🙂
I called my husband Snake after his cataract surgery. Snake Plisken. yes, I AM dating myself. har.
Try looking at a really great sunset with just one eye, then the other. Yeah, the difference in color vision is amazing.
Glad you’re OK, as we knew you would be.
I’m sure they asked if you were seeing flashes or floaters. That’s something to stay aware of. If that happens, get yourself to an ophthalmologist as quickly as you can.
When my mom got her cataracts removed, the first thing she talked about was the difference in color. She had lost it so gradually over the years that she didn’t even realize she was looking at the world through a tea stained lens. She was super happy she did it, even though it was terrifying for her. I am hoping I do not have anything similar as it does sound like a really scary procedure (even if it turned out not to be).
There’s just something about eyes and being semi-conscious for a surgical procedure that sends a shiver right through me.
I’m glad that you’re able to behold the true glory of your new book cover! Enjoy the pretty blue 😍💙
Welcome back to the land of color! Congratulations on a successful eye surgery.
Mod R was great keeping the Horde from going too much off the rails. 😁
So happy to hear you are doing better. Wishing you all the best as you recover.
Glad that the surgery went well. Get your right eye done, too. Then full color will be your new normal–and you can see without glasses.
Wishing you a speedy recovery and lots of beautiful things to look at. Can’t wait for The Inheritance audio book!
Me being away from blog posts…they had surgery?? Reads blog – “oh cool they’re like Julie in Blood heir!”
Who’d you steal the the from 🤣🙈
Serious note so glad the surgery went well!
Glad you’re doing great 😊 .
So glad the surgery went smoothly and you are recovering well!
I was told to push out the lens in my glasses for the eye which had been operated on which evens up the vision. That may help with the vision balance 😁
Glad the procedure was successful and you are up and enjoying the change. hail Hydra.
I totally get seeing the world in colour after surgery. I marveled at everything, too. When my husband drove me home, I was a little less pleased – did I really choose that colour for the shutters on the house? And inside, I was happy, the walls didn’t look dingy! My surgeon said he says that he’s had couples say that it’s helped their marriage – because one person thought the house was always dirty!
Will you at some point get the other eye worked on?
I have a similar situation with my eyes (left is 20-20, right is … not, but is still dominant). I mostly look out of my left eye going about my day and use my right when reading. The only problem area is when something is a little under a foot away and my eyes fight over which is in charge. (Basically ping pong is always a wild ride bc the ball seems to disappear right before it connects to my paddle as my eyes switch). It’s also always a weird moment when I actually remember I have glasses (rare) and they switch back to the right being the lead. All that rambling (sorry I swear my adhd meds wore off as I wrote this) is to say: Congrats on getting colors back and welcome to the world of uneven vision!
But does your laser work? Mine is defective. Doc says it is fine but I can never get it to activate when the hubby is acting up 🙁
If you are confused, you are not alone. Took my doc a solid 10 minutes before he caught on! Your new lens is a polymar and has a different refractive index than your bio lens. If you catch the right light, your eye will glow …