Well, after complaining to my D.O at my annual checkup about problems with depth perception and glare problems, she shared the results of her tests....my cataracts (both eyes) have nearly doubled in discoloration and opacity since July of last year!!! It was a shock, but also a relief, as the Type II Diabetes hasn't created the amber-yellowing of the lens, and both retinas are good.
The reason I share this most-un-pattern and not very newsworthy info is the discussion about COLOR rendition that we had about the effects of the cataracts. Many of you who remember me from pattern wars of past decades remember I am a strong proponent of the very best sunglasses (prescription, if needed) that one can afford, and found my personal favorite to be Serengeti Aviators in the "brown" photochromic. Wore 'em for decades, and loved how they sharpen contrast and depth perception.
Until the cataracts. I misjudged three different landings recently, all of them totalling the airframes as a result of loss of depth perception and color-shift. My D.O. explained it perfectly - "Your cataracts are yellowish-amber- to honey colored. That makes them permanent filters and the opacity makes things darker. Put dark amber Serengeti lenses in front and add that to a change in distance acuity....You now have double filtering on a good chunk of the spectrum."
So....the long and the short....the prescription change will help with depth perception and focus sharpness, but the REAL help will be to go to neutral gray or G-15 lenses.....they are now on order, in the new prescription, so hopefully no more planes get wasted by my lack of attention to color filtering and lens opacity. If any of you are in the cataract decade, be mindful of the color shift that comes with them. So gradual, and if you're using amber or brown/yellow gradient sunglasses, you can really be giving up a LOT of color sharpness and definition.
Pattern planes are so beautiful, we need to be sure we do what we can to be able to see them like we're supposed to. I'm only 60, and these changes have JUMPED on me in the last two years. So guys, keep and eye on the Eyes.....and when something looks like it has changed - PLEASE- go get it checked. You may save YOUR airplane....