Why I Can Finally See Better at 65 Than I Could at 7

I had bilateral cataract surgery on January 16, 2026, and it was the single best decision I've made for myself in recent memory.

I had no idea how much my vision was declining because it happens so gradually. For about five years, I'd been convinced the light in my right eye just wasn't bright enough. I added lamps. I changed bulbs. I angled my workspace toward windows. I feared I was going blind.

Turns out, I was, but not from anything permanent. Just from cataracts growing in both eyes, slowly dimming the world without my conscious awareness.

We don't really think about losing our vision until we're in our 60s or beyond. Then the fear hits: what if I can't use my phone, my computer, drive, walk trails, see faces clearly? Vision is such a powerful advantage. Losing it feels like a full stop to life as we know it.

But here's what I didn't expect: restoration beyond what I ever had.

I've been nearsighted since I was seven years old. I don't remember what it was like to see clearly at a distance without glasses. My surgeon gave me the option to reverse my sight, to see far away naturally and only need reading glasses for close work. I can even see my computer screen without glasses now.

Colors are brighter. Vision is crisp. Not even my prescription lenses gave me this kind of clarity before surgery.

I'm seeing better at 65 than I did in childhood.

That's not decline. That's restoration. That's evolution. That's aging with power.

The Fear We Don't Talk About

Many people fear surgery of any kind, especially when it involves their eyes.

The idea of having both eyes done at once? Terrifying for most.

But here's the truth: while you're delaying surgery out of fear, you're actually slowly losing your vision anyway.

I thought I had some kind of film on my eyeball. I rubbed my eyes constantly. I had headaches from eye strain. I complained about losing light in my right eye for years.

All the while, cataracts were growing in both eyes, and I had no idea.

What I also didn't know: some optometrists will delay referring you for surgery because they want to keep prescribing you glasses. It’s how they make their money. So, don’t just assume the optometrist is doing you a favor when you complain about not being able to see clearly even with your glasses.

In my own case, every year I did what I was supposed to do and got a new prescription. Still, every year the glasses didn't work.

You see, you can't see through a cloudy lens that’s inside your eye, no matter how powerful the prescription for your glasses. You can’t simply wipe the internal lens of the eyeball clean like you can the lens of your prescription glasses. They will never be clean enough for you to see clearly when you have a cataract.

Meanwhile, I kept asking the optometrists for a referral and kept being told the cataracts weren't "mature enough" for surgery forced to buy new glasses every year.

My question was simple: How bad does my vision have to get?

It seemed like they literally wanted me to be blind before referring me to an ophthalmologist for a real evaluation.

The sad part? My insurance covered this surgery 100%. And still, the optometrist prescribed glasses and told me to wait another year.

Remember, vision care and glasses are not equally the same.

The Turning Point

When I turned 65 this year, I changed my insurance to Kaiser Permanente Senior Advantage, mainly because my mother, grandmother, and aunt had all had successful cataract surgery through Kaiser.

The difference in vision health care was immediate and enlightening.

I wasn't met with resistance. I wasn't told to wait.

By this point I couldn't even read the letters in the middle of the eye chart, only the ones on the ends of the line.

The Kaiser optometrist took one look and said she didn't want to write a prescription yet because it would not help and she didn't want me to waste my glasses benefit on glasses that won't work. She explained that the cataract was center mass, obstructing my vision and that no matter the prescription a new pair of glasses wouldn't make my vision better because I was seeing through the internal lens of my eye which was obstructed making everything still seem blurry even with glasses.

Finally, a doctor that agreed with me… that's exactly the experience I had been having.

She confirmed I had cataracts and set me up for the cataract class the following week. That was late November 2025.

I saw the ophthalmologist in early January. She scheduled me for surgery.

No more waiting for the cataract to be "mature enough." No more prescriptions for glasses that didn't work. No more delaying while my vision failed and caused issues driving at night or reading at all.

My doctor gave me the option for bilateral surgery, both eyes at the same time. That’s when I realized one eye at a time was not only a choice, it to has to do with insurance and how they bill for the actual surgical expenses. Sadly, it comes down to that too. You have two eyes which means they can bill for two surgeries separately… My doctor simply gave me a choice on what I wanted to do. I felt like finally a doctor that puts me and my health first.

I can't imagine doing one eye at a time now that the surgery is done. I would still be half-blind, or at least have impaired vision in one eye.

I have immediate 20/20 vision after the surgery. And I shortened the recovery period so I didn't have to have two different surgeries and a longer recuperation period for both eyes done one after the other.

My mother, aunt, and grandmother all had one eye done at a time. They said that was standard.

But my doctor said no, most people just want one eye at a time because they're afraid to do both.

Personally, I think it depends on the surgeon, too. My doctor offered me this option, and no one in my family even knew it was possible.

So make sure you inquire with your surgeon about what you want.

I'm glad I did both eyes at once. One surgery. Both eyes done. One recuperation period. And I could see immediately after surgery, with no pain.

Three Days Later

I'm writing this three days post-surgery, sitting back in a chair, able to see the monitor clearly without eye strain, headaches, or mountains of coffee and Tylenol just to feel functional.

I didn't want to abort my workout schedule, I'm just now getting results. So a 3-to-4-week recovery was much better than a 60-day recovery period.

My doctor told me I could resume light cardio with no inclines as long as I avoided strength training.

I couldn't believe I could actually see the faces of people on the other side of the gym. I did my full workout time even though it meant walking on the treadmill for an hour and a half.

All is good.

If you need this surgery, I highly recommend you get a great surgeon and talk to them about all your options.

My surgeon, Dr. Bobbie Linda Jahan-Parwar at Kaiser Permanente Irwindale, California, was amazing.

The Surgery Itself

The surgery itself was quick. Both eyes the same day. I even had my post-op appointment the same afternoon. I could see immediately and couldn’t believe how much I couldn't see until I really had improved vision.

It's like driving with a dirty windshield for years and finally getting it cleaned. You don't know how much grime you've been looking through until it's gone.

How many of us are navigating life with a compromised view, not because we're broken, but because we've been adjusting to a gradual decline we didn't even notice? We compensate. We adapt. We make do. We tell ourselves it's fine. Until one day, we realize: it's not fine.

Then we learn that there's an option to restore what was dimmed.

The Real Conversation About Health After 50

Putting yourself first means putting your health first. This is true self-care, and most of all self-love.

It is Not as a luxury or vanity and it is non-negotiable.

If you're not taking care of your total health, vision, heart, brain, kidneys, skin, mobility, you will be in decline. Not because of age. Because of neglect.

And that's not an option.

I'm not talking about quick fixes, and note, even surgery isn't a quick fix because there's a recovery period, follow-up care, adjustment time. But restoring my vision and going through a period of healing seems like a very small price to pay to see better than I have my entire life.

Imagine restoring yourself to be better than you were in your youth.

It's possible.

And it doesn't require plastic surgery, Botox, or drastic cosmetic measures. It requires conscious choices: eating to nourish your body, moving to keep it strong, protecting your brain, honoring your heart, caring for your eyes, hydrating your skin.

You'll feel good inside. You'll look good outside.

But more importantly, you'll function the way you're designed to.

I didn't "fix" my eyes. I upgraded them.

I didn't accept decline. I exercised an option that previous generations didn't have.

And now I can see the world in a way I never could before.

The Gift of Sight

I am so grateful for Dr. Jahan-Parwar. For the technology. For the access. For the timing.

But mostly, I'm grateful for my own willingness to say yes.

Yes to care. Yes to restoration. Yes to investing in myself. Yes to acknowledging that I deserve to see clearly for the decades I have ahead.

This is what aging with power looks like.

Not pretending you don't need support. Not pushing through when restoration is available. Not accepting gradual decline as inevitable.

Taking care of yourself. Putting your health first. Exercising the options that exist now.

With today's technology and a great surgeon, you can expect amazing results, even with both eyes done at once.

Don't be afraid to step into new spaces. Don't wait until you can't see at all to address what's dimming your vision, literally or metaphorically.

The rewards are everlasting.

And they benefit you.

This is how we rise.

— Dr. Diva

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About the Author

Dr. Diva Verdun, the Architect of Ageless Power™ and Fierce Factor Expert, is the founder of FENOM University and the Age with Power™ movement, where she empowers ambitious women to crush it after 50 and rewrite the rules of aging. Through her signature Core 4 Principles of F.I.R.E.™ — Purpose, Passion, Prosperity, and Power — she guides women to ignite their inner brilliance, embody their authentic power, and expand into a life of bold, liberated expression. On the campus of FENOM University, Dr. Diva leads evolutionary experiences, legacy brand training, and deep identity shifts designed to help women rise into their next chapter with unstoppable fire.

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