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.
Hope the vision clears, I can always tell when my blood sugar is high because the 75 inch TV gets blurry. The ups and downs of an insulin diabetic. Need the Audible version now. Feel better soon!
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 💚
+100
All of the above!
Also +100!
Love all the good news, Ilona!
100%
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.
I had the surgery over a decade ago. I was told to ignore the light catching on the lenses and it would go away. (A friend of mine says it makes my eyes reflect like a cat’s do. 😆) Over time, it has dropped from a nearly non-stop problem to an every once in a while amusement.
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!
I just had an eye exam last week – apparently my eyes HAVE gotten worse since my last prescription. I’m now at -11/-10 (extreme nearsighted)… to the point where they don’t make contacts in the style I prefer that work for both my nearsightedness AND fix astigmatism. Looking forward to hopefully seeing better, if not perfectly.
Rachel,
My Mom had eyes with similar corrections (though I’m not sure about the astigmatism).
She was so excited when she was a candidate for LASIK. And her surgery went very well.
She had the one eye reading and one eye distance adjustment, and adapted beautifully. But every eye Dr tells us that is not typical.
I hope your search for correction is successful.
Hi Rachel, I feel you! I’m at -8 & severe astigmatism. For years my vision would get too bad for contacts, then they’d catch up. I hope they can for you! Glasses get so heavy. Also, do you live in MN? I have a friend by the same name!
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.
+1
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.
Knowledge of classic films and awesome Kurt Russell character shows appreciation for our culture and filmmaking history. Always cool 😎
Could not possibly indicate movie-loving geezers 😉😉😉
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 😁
I tried that and it did not work. I spoke to the specialist when I went back for my check and he told me that with a toric lens it does not work because it is a different procedure and the eye cannot reconcile the toric lens in one eye with the glasses in the other eye.
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 …
The blues and greens are so vibrant after cataract surgery!! 💙💚
Remember all the eye drops, get really good sunglasses – the ones with side panels are great – I got mine at the opthalmologist office dispensary, take it easy for a few days.
Sorry about all the crazies in the audio book production world – attribute it to whichever planet is in retrograde!!
I had cataract surgery and then lens implants a good few years ago now. When the second eye was being done , the surgeon suddenly said, “Oops ! There was nothing really wrong , just the lens had folded in half !
Glad you’re back!
I hope the recovery goes easily.
I really love the colors for TKWNKM. Every time I see it!
Elizabeth Wheatley just had a book release and was saying on Instagram how some people read it in a few hours, like it was a surprise. Lol I plan to savor this one!! A nice slow devour. Maybe.
Amazing how colorful the world is. Don’t forget to use your drops. I know it is a pain but it is very important.
It’s a pity Tuna is orange instead of mostly white. Otherwise, you could sit stroking Tuna on your lap, wearing your eyepatch and an evil smirk, and making evil pronouncements in your best Ernst Blofeld tones…
More seriously, when my Dad had his cataract surgery, his first comment afterwards was that he wished he had done it years earlier because it had literally brightened his whole world. We had always enjoyed watching movies together and he was surprised to find that many films he thought were in sepia-toned black and white were actually full of vibrant color!
It is amazing. I wore glasses for more years than I want to admit to! I only wear glasses when driving or doing a great deal of close work for a long period of time. It is so life changing!
So glad you’re recovering well after your surgery. Don’t be too alarmed if you get some serious floaters. Vitreous detachment. It happens sometimes after eye surgery and it resolves about the time you get used to it.
Looking forward to The Inheritance audio!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying delicious, glorious colors. Blues are my favorite so that makes my heart extra happy! My mother had cataract surgery last year and loves it. I’m now willing to get lasik just bc she’s done so well.
I’m glad to hear your recovery went well! I felt the same way after my first eye was done and couldn’t wait for the 2 weeks to go by for my other eye to be done. I have to use readers as I was very near sighted but still couldn’t be happier with the surgery results. I hope you will feel the same!🤗
I’m so glad the surgery went well! I hope you recover quickly!
Go admire your “new” yarn stash!
👍
Congrats on the surgery! Glad to hear it’s gone well
And yea! Inheritance audio soon! Thank you! Such great news all around.
Hooray, you got thru it!
Now remember you are recovering which does not mean full steam ahead – let you eye heal!
Hugs!
Wishing you a perfect recovery!
I am so glad that you didn’t require restraints to not run screaming and that they were not even figuratively required. Both for your sake and for mine, a couple-few years down the road.
To vision!
Glad to hear that all went well! Eyes r scary, even if the surgery is straightforward. I’m wondering if your yarn stash looks different to you now? Rest up and don’t let the pets convince you it’s ok to put their needs before strictly following your doctor’s post-surgical instructions.
After his cataract surgery, my husband declared that he was Odin.
He has the photo to prove it
It’s great to read your eye surgery was successful; I hope the sepia filter can be removed as successfully. Vision problems suck.
I am SO glad you got color vision back! That’s wonderful. Can’t wait for The Inheritance audio.
It is interesting how we take our vision for granted, then we fix it and what a new opens up to us. I am so happy you have the eye repaired to see what you were missing. I am excited to hear about The Inheritance coming on audio. You need to remember to take care of your health first and we the fans second.
Congratulations on the successful eye surgery, happy to hear that you survived the first one and hopefully will no longer fear the second one! 🙂
Glad you are doing well.
love that you are already reaping the rewards of your bravery. Wishing you a speedy and event-free recovery❤️
I’m excited for you! I love my “post cataract surgery special eyes” just remember, this Texas sun is brutal! Sunglasses ALWAYS! And those individual eye drops are essential!
It is truly amazing how much brighter everything is after cataract surgery. You don’t realize how much you’ve missed. Then not having to wear glasses! It’s a brand new world.
Yay Ilona!
My Mom had just one eye done, and reported many of the same experiences.
Her brain did adjust to one bright eye and one dingier eye, but it took a couple weeks before her color vision blended (she probably has several years before the other eye needs surgery).
Re: sunglasses, UV exposure can speed up cataract development. And with an artificial lens, you have NO natural UV protection for your retina. So all cataract surgery patients really need good sunglasses to protect those precious eyes!
My other half refused to wear sunglasses … until the eye Dr mentioned how rapidly cataract surgery is approaching. Guess who finally embraced sunglasses? (My recommendations fell on deaf ears! 🙄)
yay for 20/20 vision! continued best wishes to you on the next eye
Congratulations on a successful surgery and recovery! I hope the other eye will be fixed soon.
glad to hear your surgery went well
Some years ago my mum had cataracts in both eyes. to the point she could not safely work(NHS nurse and could not read writing on pill bottles bad combination) an operation was scheduled but she is the sort to get bored so dad conspired to get her to visit me to “help” me furnish my new flat.
We went shopping for that elusive thing a sofa bed that is both comfortable to sleep and sit on. After many shops we found one it only came in 2 colours navy blue and scarlet. Me, dad and my sister navy, mum scarlet. The argument went on for a while until we finally won through dint of the scarlet one being out of stock.
Mum visited again after the operation looked at the then installed sofa bed and said something along the lines of oh it looks better now. Turns out she had not been able to see the navy one clearly. Perhaps they should issue medical advice along the lines do not shop by colour while waiting for cataracts operation.
Bit of positive news that was over 20 years ago and the cataracts have nor reoccurred. Hope you have the same success
ouch got by autocorrect it should read years not hrs in last paragraph
fixed 🙂
So happy for you! Glad all is better than before.
OMG! i remember the first time I looked out the window at the Dr’s office after my surgery and saw the ‘blueness’ of the sky. Magical! It really drove home how compromised my vision had been. I’m so happy for you!
Happy to hear it turned out well. 🙂
What a wonder it is to be able to see and I am so happy that you are now able to enjoy that wonder again!!
Doing my best to be p*tient for the Inheritance audio. Thank you for the update. (I mean, I’m still going to check Audible for it 3 times a week, but I won’t be a pest in the comments on the blog. 😜)
Sounds a lot like my experience after my cataract surgery. A suggestion: don’t believe the docs if they say that you’ll never need (or need to change the lenses of) your glasses ever again. They lie.
Eye drops. Eye drops. Eye drops. Preservative-free. At my one-week followup on eye #2, the doc said my eyes were dry. So, in addition to the medicated drops morning and night, I have lubricating drops. Every trip to the bathroom, I add drops.
I am so glad that you are enjoying life!
Vision is an amazing thing.
Good you are able to see and experience a good difference.
I know exactly how you feel. I had cataract surgery a couple of years ago. I am left-eye dominant and had that one done first. Amazing. The light, the color, the detail. My vision is now better than ever. I started wearing glasses when I was eleven. Now — only cheaters to read.
Hahaha! So glad for your vibrant new sight! My father in law is undergoing surgery right now as well, just had his second eye done this week. Cheering for all the clear vision!
You’re so adorable. All the best and wishes for a speedy recovery! 🙂
Best wishes on recovery 🥰
OMG, the holidays are going to be INTENSE for you!
So glad things went well.
Does your yarn stash look different now?
Got to love cataract surgery, right? Recently a group of us compared our experiences with it and how the world turned blue afterwards. For most of us, however, our vision vastly improved. My husband is now 20/20 in one eye and 20/10 in the other.
Yes and believe me, you are going to get frustrated and tired of waiting until you can get the other eye done.
An old friend had cataract surgery and afterwards she said to me in shock, I thought this outfit was Brown, did you know it is Purple???? Purple???? how can I not have known that? which reminds me of the old Star Trek novel where Dr McCoy discovers that Klingons see from amber into the ultraviolet range, so all the Security uniforms look All black to them, and all doors look all black to them, which created some problems when a guest walked into a restricted area. Kirk just thinks about it for a minute and asks Scotty to make the titles on doors visible to people who see in the UV range. wait i”m wandering off the path here. Really just wanted to say hope you feel great soonest! Have fun storming the castle! ZenHugs
This is the perfect time to enact all of your pirate fantasies. You just need a fancy hat, a sword, maybe a parrot (stuffed of course) and say “ARRRRRRGGGH!” a lot.
🙂
i did the lasik thing on both eyes back when it was new. it switched my dominant eye and i had headaches for months getting used to it. glad you’re doing better. get the anesthesia first so you won’t feel the need to run.
I thought I had a wedgewood blue and very light cream colored interior of my house. After my cataract surgery, I’ve discovered my house is a light medium blue and white. 🥴
When my sister got hers done her first comment was something along the lines of “I can see the cobwebs in my home. How long have they been there.”
Congratulations on a successful surgery. I’m facing the same in the next year or two and this makes me feel better about it (one eye only at this point; you were far more along with your cataracts).
Yeah for pretty vision surgery!! Glad it went well 20/20!! And hope the other one goes as well too!!
Well done with the cataract surgery. It will be even better after the 2nd eye is done. Just take dark glasses when going outside gor at least 6 weeks- this eye is going to be light sensitive for a while. The brain will adjust to the lens & will filter out the edge of the lens after a while. Patience is required.
Enjoy the clear vision.
Surgical nurse here.. I lobe people’s reactions to the improved vision. Many years ago a woman in my community was well known for her colorful makeup palate and exuberantly bright wardrobe. She came in for her first cataract procedure and did very well. When she returned for her post operative visit, I noticed a significant difference in her lipstick and eye shadow. When I asked if her vision had changed, she laughed and said “Well, I can tell you one thing That lipstick sure wasn’t the color I thought it was!”
Happily, she kept the colorful clothes, but the makeup did get toned down a bit..
Nick Fury, so funny. I had no idea that you underwent eye surgery. So glad it turned out the way you wanted. Doesn’t always happen. Glad you are happy enough to get back to your routine. Thx for letting us know. Hope you two are coming along great.
Same thing happened to me after my cataract surgery. It calms down. I think it’s just that the cells that react to that part of the spectrum are just hypersensitive…but…
I also have noticed that sunlight on very white clothing gives it a look like a black light (UV) on white, that purplish shine, since my surgery. No clue why.
I too had the “dominant eye switch”…but I had done that several times in my life due to my progressive myopia and glasses changes I didn’t get because it was so gradual, I didn’t really notice.
It took awhile for my brain to switch patterns, but it will happen. Be patient.
That’s so it: the wonderful blue and the bright colors that returned after the surgery. Misery was gone ! I was just as amazed as you are now, after I got my cataract surgery for both eyes at once.
Yes!! And there’s that moment of absolute shock “wait. This is what people see? Really?! How come nobody told me?” Only it happens frequently in the beginning and then at random times afterwards.
Are you going to do the other eye?
I was very short sighted, in fact I had trouble focusing on my glasses. When I was paid off when Galmoy mine closed down I got my eye lenses replaced with artificial try-focal ones. Every thing was so bright and clear.
Nickie Fury, Agent of H.O.R.D.E.
When my cataracts were replaced with new, clear lenses I found that I had been seeing through a yellowish haze. I loved the color my house was painted, a dark blue-ish green. I realized that my house is actually a dark Prussian Blue. Still a great color, but I live in a blue house, not a green one. My (adult) offspring were highly amused. I live to entertain. And it’s really nice to see clearly, and to have good distance vision, which I have not had before, ever. You will be really happy you have done this.