Oh M-EYE!

Rockin' the Shizzle outta my eye patch last Easter! Aargggg!

Alrighty, so I’ve been promising certain people that I would post about my eye issue and pending eye surgery.  First of all, let me tell you about my eyes.  They are very blue (thanks Dad!) and therefore very light sensitive.  I am ALWAYS wearing my sunglasses.   I have the lightest eyes in my family.  I’ve often been asked if I’m wearing contacts.  I even had an employer corner me once, get right in my face and ask “are your eyes real??”  My friend Francis recently argued with me about the color of my eyes stating they aren’t blue, they’re “turquoise” (which I don’t think they are – they’re “ice blue”).  It’s always nice/weird/awkward when a stranger stops me on the street to comment about my eyes.

Me (down in front) and my sugary-sweet cousin, Victoria (being lazy on the couch)

Blonde & Blue-eyed (and with a little more "beef" in my cheeks) many years ago

So here’s what happened:  One Friday last March I noticed that my depth perception was a little off.  I was making my way down the stairs at my office and couldn’t tell exactly where my feet were in relation to the stairs.  I also had some vertigo.  It was a little strange but I didn’t think much of it.  The next night I had company and was constantly rubbing my eyes.  My left eye was blurry and I figured they were just dry and I needed drops, but the drops didn’t seem to help.  The blurriness stayed and Monday morning I called my eye doctor who told me to come in right away.   During the eye exam the doctor freaked me out a little bit.  She kept saying “I don’t know what this is.  I’ve never seen this before.”  So she made a call and sent me right over to the specialist, Dr. S.

After more tests and exams the specialist, Dr. S. said “I don’t know what this is.  I’ve never seen this before” and told me he was sending an urgent referral to the eye care clinic in the City.  The big question on my mind: “Is it cancer?”  His response: “No.  Well, I don’t want to say that and get your hopes up that it’s not.  I don’t know.”

When my 3.5 year old nephew saw my eyes dilated he whispered "Spooky"

So, a few days later I was in the City at the clinic getting more tests done and finally seeing another specialist.  Not cancer.  Whew!  What she said was that the protective membrane deep inside my eye detached and shifted.  The membrane was putting pressure on other things and causing fluid buildup…blah blah blah.  She wanted me to go right over to the surgeon, Dr. D. but of course, he’d already left for the day.  BUT a week later I was back in the City to see that surgeon.  And I’ve been down to see him several times since – the most recent just two weeks ago.

After an eye appointment here last month one eye "un-dilated" quicker than the other. My friends said I look like a serial killer in the picture.

My vision in my good eye (the right eye) is better than 20/20, but my vision in my left eye is now down to 20/40 and getting worse.  And now we’re ready for surgery.  But, of course, it’s just not that easy.  There is such a big risk involved….25% chance of making it worse – of impairing my vision even more.  What to do?  What to do?  Fortunately, I got a call today for a “second opinion” appointment with another surgeon in the City (Dr. O.) in a few months.  This guy is supposed to be the absolute best around and since my appointment with Dr. D two weeks ago ended with him being super-pissed at me (actually, he’s pissed at what I’d repeated from Dr. S. – Dramarama {They have two VERY different opinions – complete opposite ends of the spectrum}) and I don’t think I would want him digging around inside my eye now anyway.

A little dilation

So now I will be waiting and hoping that my vision doesn’t get any worse between now and then.  Fingers crossed, y’all.

Cheers!

February 20, 2012 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Blue eyes, dilated, eye patch, Eyes, surgery | 2 Comments