Southern rocker Charlie Daniels is 75 and hasn’t been able to see without the help of contacts or glasses in 68 years. According to his website, the singer’s eyesight was damaged by a high fever when he was 7-years-old. The Grand Ole Opry member has cataracts, and as a result, has experienced failing eyesight for the bulk of his life. But this week, Daniels underwent an innovative new process called Smart Eye Surgery, which will restore his eyesight once again.

“I’m just looking forward to not having to reach up and pat around the table for glasses when I get up in the morning to see where I’m going,” he told WKRN-TV/Nashville. Daniels is one of the first people in Tennessee to have the surgery, which is so revolutionary it allows surgeons to remove a cataract and immediately customize the treatment to the patient all in one surgery. Dr. Ming Wang, a respected Nashville eye doctor, was the first cataract surgeon in Tennessee to perform the new procedure.

“We can actually do mid-flight adjustment on the operating table, before surgery is finished, to test drive to see how well, this particular patient’s body, in this case Mr. Charlie Daniels, is reacting to the lens implanted,” Dr. Wang explained. Because the surgery lets doctors make adjustments in the middle, the recovery time is shortened. Daniels got the operation on his left eye Tuesday (April 3) and then on his right eye Thursday (April 5).

The ‘Devil Went Down to Georgia’ singer seems to be doing well, as he took the opportunity to hit Twitter Wednesday between his two surgeries to say, “One down, one to go. Next surgery tomorrow morning.” He also Tweeted a photo of himself wearing dark glasses and holding two thumbs up. His tour will be taking him to Minnesota Friday, April 13, where he’ll play the Shooting Star Casino.

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