Let’s start at the beginning.
The eyes have been failing me for quite some time now. I’ve always had nearsighted vision ever since fifth grade. Always needed a new (increased) prescription every few years.
After getting my last prescription, I noticed it didn’t help very much, and, during my last year at USPS, I noticed my eyesight was worsening, both while staring at the PC screen on my job, or while driving and not being able to read the street signs as well as I used to.
So, I’ve been ignoring this problem for quite awhile now, close to 2-1/2 years.
I thought I should now deal with it, since the new job starts in a week, and it would nice to start the job, without letting people know exactly how blind I am these days.
As soon as I learned of the job offer, I got on the phone and made an appointment for my “eye care specialist” (aka, eye doctor).
This morning was the appointment. I had hoped I would be able to order the new glasses and get them by this Saturday, before leaving for Appleton, WI, or, if that was too quick, I would have them when I got back from Appleton, a week later.
First, before everyone starts to worry: all is ok.
The good news is: I don’t need another new prescription.
The so-so news is, I’ve been referred to a true eye sub-specialist, a set of eye doctors who are very specialized and perform eye surgeries, etc.
Turns out, I may have one of two (totally treatable) eye “disorders” that occur when people get to be my age or older (50s, 60s).
I may have either “Fuchs’ dystrophy” or “Epithelial basement membrane dystrophy” (EBMD), and I suspect once I go to this sub-specialist, they will be able to better narrow it down to one or the other.
Both are very treatable and are not “rare” (so to speak).
Based on my preliminary research on Wikipedia, it seems both may be “progressive” (building up over many years/decades).
Basically, it’s a buildup of junk in my eye. That’s my layman’s synopsis (but don’t quote me)
EBMD can be “fixed” by a sort of laser eye surgery: “Phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) is a type of eye surgery that uses a laser to treat various ocular disorders by removing tissue from the cornea.”
The other disorder (“Fuchs”) can be treated via a “corneal transplant” (sounds worse than it is). “…when the entire cornea is replaced, it is known as penetrating keratoplasty and when only part of the cornea is replaced it is known as lamellar keratoplasty. Keratoplasty simply means surgery to the cornea.”
I’m guessing that this type of surgery (based on what I read), is similar to (but not the same as) LASIK, just taking a few minutes, and today’s eye doctor indicated my eyes would recover “enough” to get back to work in a week or so, but would take longer (a month?) to “fully recover”. He’s not a sub-specialist so he was talking in generalities.
All of this is very preliminary at this time. My eye doctor has sent a “letter” to the sub-specialist who should be calling me “in a few days”, probably to schedule a visit/exam with them. This will most likely occur once I get back from Appleton, and I guess I should know more in the next few weeks or so.
Obviously, I will need to work at the new employer for a few months before telling them I need to take a week off from work. I’m thinking that I could probably schedule this for the Friday before Thanksgiving, or the Monday before Thanksgiving, giving the eyes the entire Thanksgiving week to “recover”, and only miss three days of work.
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I’m just sharing this because I think it’s a bit interesting, and I’m glad to find out the true cause of my increasing blurred vision, and that its treatable.
I’m not apprehensive, nor scared, but mostly accepting of this news. It’s nowhere near the kind of other health stuff that scares the crap out of people.
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Life is still good. We live in an awesome country that has extremely smart doctors who do this kind of thing thousands of times during their career. I am not worried at all by this news.
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Oh., p.s., you know you’re getting old, when the eye doctor is your daughter’s age (or even younger?). This kid was very personable, very knowledgeable, and also knew how to discuss something as important as this, to a layperson.
