A Saskatoon man is seeing things with clarity for the first time in his life after undergoing high risk eye surgery in Ontario.
Darren Larson, 51, was born with a severe cataract and glaucoma in his right eye, causing him to see things with a brown tinge. He’s completely blind in his left eye.
“Colours were just not what you would see or a normal person would see,” Larson said.
“We needed to do something about it. I wasn’t able to work anymore, and there were safety issues even out and about catching a bus.”
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The operation was performed by Dr. Ike Ahmed in Mississauga, Ont. Ahmed is originally from Prince Albert, and is a pioneer in micro-invasive glaucoma surgery.
It was considered high risk, because of a one in 500 chance the surgery would go badly, causing permanent blindness.
For Larson it was worth it.
“I couldn’t be happier. My wife said I’m like Scrooge on Christmas morning; everything is just so new, everything is so exciting,” Larson said.
Larson’s vision was diagnosed at 20 over 400, meaning he could see at twenty feet what someone with perfect vision could see at four hundred feet away. His new vision has improved to 20 over 80. Perfect eyesight is 20/20.
His wife said she feels like her husband has a new life.
“It just seems like the weight is lifted off his back, like he can be free to be the person he’s supposed to be.”