Obtaining Clear Vision

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. ¹² Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.  All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. (1Corinthians 13:11-12, New Living Translation)

In verse 11, the apostle Paul compares his spiritual growth to growing up. Just as a child’s understanding of the world is limited compared to an adult’s, our current spiritual insight is immature but developing. In verse 12, Paul uses the analogy that right now we see God only dimly, as if looking into a dark mirror, but when everything is perfect, we will know him perfectly.

In the ancient city of Corinth, mirrors were not made of clear glass. They were made of highly polished bronze or copper. Because of this, the reflection was dark, distorted, and blurry.

The mirror represents our limited, earthly perspective. While we can grasp basic spiritual truths, we don’t see the full picture of God’s plans. But when Jesus returns and we see Him face to face, our understanding will become absolute, clear, and complete.

This Scripture passage reminds me of a common medical condition that causes a person’s vision to become blurry as they age – cataracts.

A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural, normally clear lens. It is often described as looking through a frosty or foggy window. As proteins in the lens break down and clump together with age, they block light from reaching the retina, resulting in blurred, dull, or yellowed vision.

Most cataracts are linked to the natural aging process, with over half of Americans over age 80 experiencing them. Other factors include eye injuries, previous eye surgeries, smoking, diabetes, or long-term steroid use.

Common symptoms include blurry or hazy vision, high sensitivity to glare, inability to differentiate between similar colors, difficulties with night driving, halos around lights, and frequently needing to change eyeglass prescriptions.

A cataract normally grows slowly. Your optometrist can tell you when the size of the cataract requires treatment. The only effective treatment is safe, outpatient surgery, where the cloudy lens is replaced with a clear artificial lens. This procedure is illustrated and described below using a sideview of the eye.

Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops are prescribed for the first few weeks after surgery to prevent infection and reduce swelling. Patients are also given an eye shield to wear during sleeping for the first week.

Two years ago, my eyesight was corrected by cataract surgery.  I was amazed at the clarity at which I could see the different colors and distinguish one color from another! And as a bonus, my eyesight was restored to 20/20 vision.  I now only need to wear reading glasses to help my eyes focus on small print, as on a prescription bottle or music in the church hymnal.

20/20 vision is not guaranteed after cataract surgery; however, 61% of patients achieve 20/20 vision or better.  Over 90% of patients achieve 20/40 vision, sufficient for driving.  The outcome depends on the type of lens chosen, overall eye health, and pre-existing conditions.

As followers of Jesus Christ, our promotion to glory, where we will see Jesus face to face, is not conditional like the outcomes of cataract surgery. In John 17 verse 24, Jesus spoke to His Father about His disciples:

²⁴ Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! (John 17:24, New Living Translation)

Just as Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, Jesus wants the same thing to be true for all people who believe in Him. When this world as we know it ends, Jesus will return to us and our eyes will be opened to the ultimate glory of God.

Horatio G. Spafford penned these words of ineffable hope and expectation in his great hymn, “When Peace Like a River”:

“And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend;
Even so— it is well with my soul.”

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Cataracts