A100-YEAR-OLD great-gran is seeing the world in a new light after a life-changing operation to restore her fading eyesight.
After years of painstaking work as a tailor, Edna Kettleton had been struck down by cataracts.
Her vision had become so blurred she could barely make out faces or colours.
When she could no longer see the pond next to her daughter’s home, the family decided to take action.
Now after double cataract surgery at Birch Hill Hospital, Rochdale, she is living life to the full again.
Edna, of Whitworth, said: “It’s made a wonderful difference. My eyes had got that bad that I couldn’t see anything clearly – it was like there was a cloud in front of them.
“Now I can see people’s faces on TV and make out different colours which all used to look the same. It’s been lovely to see the frost in the garden.
“You can have aches and pains all over the body but your eyes are the most important thing.
“They are improving day by day and to have them restored means everything.”
Edna underwent two successful operations in less than two months.
Her daughter, Margaret Jones, said: “Her sight had been deteriorating over many years and it got to the stage where she just had to have it done.
“Within a week of both operations she’d noticed a huge difference. The only problem now is that she can see a bit too well – she’s noticed marks on her carpet and is blaming me for them!”
Each year, about 3,000 patients have day-case surgery at the Birch Hill ophthalmology service, with about 80 per cent undergoing cataract procedures.
Suresh Kafle, the consultant surgeon who operated on Edna, said: “At 100, Edna is the oldest lady I have ever operated upon and she has been a fabulous patient.
“It was rather confusing for her during the first operation because of poor vision.
“But when she came in for her second surgery her vision had improved dramatically and she jokingly warned me that I had better make sure that her other eye was made equally good!”
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