Friday, May 22, 2009

The Eyes Have It



Don't you just love going to the Eye Doctor and having your pupils dilated. It was my turn today. Oh joy! And of course, the sun was just bright enough to make seeing just a little bit more unbearable when I was done. Actually, I've had to go regularly for almost 14 years. Some years ago, an old friend accidentally scratched the pupil on my left eye with their finger nail. When I went to the local Hospital's Emergency Department, a specialist just so happened to be on duty. After my eye was taken care of, I was to go for a follow up at his office some time later. The treatment worked and my eye healed with no telltale signs hampering my eyesight.



However, on subsequent visits, he decided to measure the pressure on my eyes. Then he asked if our family had a history of Glaucoma. I vaguely remembered and Aunt or somebody in the family who was diagnosed with it. I really didn't know what Glaucoma was so he explained it to me in laymen,s terms. At first, he just wanted to monitor the pressure in my eyes just as a precaution and so I only saw him once a year. After awhile he prescribed eye drops which I have to put in my eyes before bed every night. That has been going on for Lord knows how long. Today, he wasn't happy with the pressures in my eyes. Specifically my left eye. The reading was around 39. Which is high I guess. So another prescription on top of the already existing drops.

Seeing is important to me. There are too many important things I would miss should I lose my sight. So of course I am going to follow Doctor's orders in the hopes that this will stabilize. In all other ways, I've been lucky with my eyesight. I didn't need glasses up until a few years ago when I found out I had astigmatism. Which annoys the hell out of me by the way. At first I had bi-focals so that I can see the computer and normal range things and the lower half of the lens was for reading things when I looked down. This became necessary because my arm was no longer long enough. Originally I just bought a pair of readers which were great for the computer. I still use those and for a very good reason. Now I have tri-focals! Part of the lens is for normal viewing, another part for computer distance and the bottom for the astigmatism.

When I first got the glasses, seeing was a bit of a trick. I couldn't just move my eyes I had to move my whole freaking head with them. I work on a computer every day. It's part of my job. Anybody not knowing about my glasses and watching from a distances would think my head was on a roller ball as I tried to figure out what part of the lens to look through. They now rest comfortably in the nice little glass case they came in until I need them. I've gone back to the readers and they work just fine, thank you very much.

Anyways, there is a bit of a point to all of this. Glaucoma is one of those diseases of the eye that you are generally not aware of until it is too late. If anybody in your family has it, have your eyes checked as a precaution as soon as you can. If caught early, the treatment may help prevent the onset or worsening of this disease for years to come. Do some research for your own sakes. Memory's of things seen is nice but remember, seeing is believing.

10 comments:

Rosaria Williams said...

This post should be read by everyone.

Natalie said...

Good community service, Bogey. Lucky you remembered about your aunty having glaucoma. Sight is something I could not live without, I am extremely visual.xx♥

ms toast burner said...

Good post, Bogey! And thank you.

Both my parents have/had glaucoma, so I've had to become aware. I have had one test for it so far - all a-ok and excellent vision too. So, I'm happy about that and knock on wood... but I am due for another and I should get my butt in gear and get it done.

Can I add a plug for people protecting their hearing as well? I am someone who did not and hearing loss sucks. Protect your ears too, people!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjdVP9hIaa4&feature=related

Good luck with the eye drops Bogey... and thanks for the reminder!

SG said...

Good post... visiting from Audre's blog, wanted to say hi!

Unknown said...

visiting from Michelles blog........Lisa xx

Ice said...

You didn't need to wear glasses until recently? Wow, I'm jealous. I needed glasses when I was (I think) 20 or 21. Almost everyone in the family need glasses. Most of my friends started at 11 or 12. I blame my genes! haha!

James said...

Thanks for the reminder. I it's been a while since i've been to the eye doctor.

Bogey said...

Just trying to take your lead Lakeviewer!

I kind of got used to mine to Natalie. It would suck without it.

No worries Ms Toast Burner plug away. And don't forget to make an appointment!

Hellllooo Phoenix, welcome aboard!

And a big Hello to you too Lisa! Take your shoes off...sit a spell! And next time you see Michelle give her a big hug for me will ya! Thanks!

Ah yes, blame it on the old genes Ai Shiang...they can take it!

And so James, what are you waiting for....did you make the appointment? Don't say I didn't warn you!

Midlife, menopause, mistakes and random stuff... said...

What a wonderful reminder.......I love the eye close-up only are you sure that's from having the eye's dialated by the "doctor" Bogey?????
Lol, you know what I mean dude and of course I'm only kidding (kind of, wink, wink)........

Steady On
Reggie Girl

Michael Edson, MS, L.Ac. said...

Diet and specific nutrient supplementation can both help prevent the onset of glaucoma as well as help preserve vision for those with glaucoma.

There are number of peer review studies that show the importance of supplementing with a specific nutrients can help protect the optic nerve from damage including the following: alpha lipoid acid, bilberry, pine bark, gingko biloba, taurine, magnesium, vitamin B12,

Other studies have shown that a healthy diet which included, for example, at least 1 serving of green leafy vegetables such as kale and collard greens, decreased the risk of getting glaucoma for women by 69 percent (Coleman AL, Stone KL, Kodjebacheva G, Yu F, Pedula KL, Ensrud KE, Cauley JA, Hochberg MC, Topouzis F, Badala F, Mangione C ; Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group)

Daily eye exercises also help maintain healthy vision. For a demo of 3 great eye exercises by Dr. Grossman, one of the Country's leading behavioral optometrists, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W10j2fL0hy0

For more related research studies, see the "Research" section at Natural Eye Care for Glaucoma Prevention