Eyeballs. Still Sucking.

by wjw on February 19, 2013

Still blind.  Kinda.  Off and on.

This morning I went to my regular eye doc, and he opined that my problem was the result of cells being knocked off the “flaps” that were cut in the surface of my eyes in order to lase the corneas underneath.  My flaps are lacking cells, therefore there is discomfort, therefore my extreme photophobia.

My flaps are trying to grow new cells, but every time I blink, I knock the new cells off.

So my doc decided to protect my new cells by installing contact lenses.  The contacts will cover my corneas, he thinks, and promote healing thereon.

And y’know what?  My vision improved the instant the lenses went on.  I was able to read some of the smaller lines on the eye chart, and when I drove home, I looked at the mountains and the mountains looked sharper, clearer, and more impressive than I’d ever seen them, probably.

But since my corneas are still healing, and since the contacts themselves aren’t very comfortable under the circumstances, the photophobia hasn’t gone away.  Has got worse, if anything.  My eyeballs were in real pain— or, as medical professionals refer to it, “discomfort”—  at least until the sun went down.  And now that it’s dark, my eyes are only in occasional pain.  So hurrah for progress.

Having worn contacts for 30-odd years, I know that they’re most uncomfortable the first day they’re worn, because they pick up stuff from the environment that the eyeballs don’t like.  So with luck, that discomfort— or “pain,” as civilians call it— will fade away overnight.

Here’s hoping, anyway.

In the meantime, I’ll be keeping vampire hours.

 

John F. MacMichael February 19, 2013 at 6:40 am

Glad to hear you are making some progress. Get well soon!

Patricia Mathews February 19, 2013 at 3:14 pm

I hope your eyes get better soon, but your story inspires me to keep my glasses rather than go all high-tech and 21st Century on my eyes.

Matt February 20, 2013 at 4:31 am

I had LASIK almost 16 years ago. My immediate results were much better than yours, but it was still a week or so before I could really see. Now, after all these years, I’m getting nearsighted again. Still, I’m a long way from the 8 diopters correction I had before surgery.

Good luck.

Ralf The Dog. February 20, 2013 at 10:00 pm

Random thought,

Not too long ago, one of my friends. (Yes, I have friends.) left her contacts in, far too long. The Doctor of Eyeballs and Stuff told her, the problems she was having was due to her corneas not absorbing enough O2.

There is a company, I think it’s name is Oxygen Plus. They sell little bottles of Oxygen you can huff while you are working out. Ask your doctor of Eyeballology, if, spraying some of the O2 stuff in your eyes might help with the healing.

PS. You are a writer. When have you not lived by a vampire clock?

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