George dreams of getting behind the wheel

Cataract patient George Awhitu, 60, of Mangere Bridge, plans to sit his driver's license when his treatment is complete. Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

George Awhitu is making plans to buy a new car when his eyes are fixed.

He's halfway there, having had surgery on one eye last week, he expects the other to be done within months.

The 60-year-old sickness beneficiary had to give up driving five years ago because cataracts were stealing away his sight. Then three years ago he had to pull out of his university studies in Maori and psychology because reading had become difficult.

"When people passed by I couldn't see who they were," Mr Awhitu, of Mangere Bridge in Auckland, said yesterday after the Government announced plans to increase the number of state-paid cataract operations.

"When I watched TV I had to sit right up in front of it. I loved reading but I couldn't read unless it was big letters."

But after having the internal lens replaced in one eye last week, his vision is dramatically better and he can read the small print of the Herald.

The operation was done at the private Auckland Eye clinic and financed by the Counties Manukau District Health Board.

After his second eye operation, Mr Awhitu, who also has diabetes and is on home kidney dialysis, plans to get a new driver's licence and buy a car. He would like to return to university as well, but said he was now too old and could not afford it.

Patricia Kelly, 77, of Papakura, also had to give up driving because of deteriorating vision. She has had cataracts for at least four years, plus a problem with the retina.

She has to rely on her husband, Jim, or other family members to ferry her around.

"I can't go where I want to when I want to. I put off going unless it's important."

Mrs Kelly expects to have a cataract operation on one eye within weeks, although the likely outcome is uncertain.