Do you take care of your eyes

Do you ensure you attend each checkup

Do you wear your contacts past the recommended limit

Do you think of eye checks as necessary or optional

Do you take your sight

for granted

As I write this it was 4 weeks ago today, Jan 2nd 2009 that I returned from visiting a lovely Minti friend, that I lost all sight in my eye
To say it scared me is a complete understatement

On Boxing Day, I was travelling home with my boys after spending the day at my parents home, it was late evening, out of the corner of my eye I could see a red laser type light flickering up and down, I asked my son to see where the light was coming from........he didn't know what I was talking about........I could still see the lights and eventually in frustration that my boys did not see the lights too, I pulled over to show them where the lights were. As I turned my head, the lights moved too...........immediately I believed myself to be starting a migraine so drove home as quickly as I could and took some painkillers just before I started being sick, so diagnosis confirmed, flashing lights, heachache, nausea......definitely a migraine.

I had good reason to think it was a migraine too as on Christmas Eve I received a letter from the District Council, which had been held up in the Christmas post, notifying me of a new permanent home. It was a two bedroom flat in the roughest area of this city. I was scared as the letter stated if I didn't reply by the date of two days before I even received the letter, they had no obligation to house me at all and I would lose the temporary home I currently live in. Stressed does not even cover the emotions I had then.

My youngest with the ADHD has a history of self harming with the rages and mood swings he gets, what has really helped him was the safety of his own space in his own room. Since living here I still have the rages and self anger, but the drastic self harming, including wrapping rope around his throat had all disappeared.  For him to lose his room and be forced to share with his brother who is amazingly tolerant with him until its his own things that get broken in a rage.........chilled me to the bone. I was in total fear for both my sons..........so a migraine seemed inevitable.

Over the next 8 days, I was on constant pain killers and my vision in my left eye would alter from being blurry to looking as if through dirty contacts, or even walking through a heavy snow storm. On the journey home that Friday 2nd January, I was getting like a black lace curtain effect form over my eye, it was very scary. By the time I got home that night and it was just completely black. Again I took painkillers and went to bed knowing I would need to see a doctor in the morning.

That Saturday, I woke to the same blackness and rang the Optician as soon as they were open, when I told them my symptoms they quickly informed me I needed to get to hospital to see an Opthalmologist, it sounded like a detached retina.

A few phone calls later, I had my Dad on his way to pick me up and take me to hospital and the boys were being dropped at my brothers as we passed, I was quite optimistic, assuming I would perhaps be given some special eye drops and told to rest my eye............... Hmmmmm

The Opthalmologist gave me hints that it wasn't good, by the constant deep sighs as I had a very thorough check up. He then said you need an operation now as soon as possible, hopefully today.............."What???????"

I remember looking at Dad and he must have seen my fear as it was thankfully him that started asking the questions, I was in shock. We were told to go to the waiting room as he sorted out the surgery, I can remember nothing but being terrified. He later returned to say he had organised the operation for 8am the Sunday morning.

I was absolutely petrified and totally dazed too from that point right up until being wheeled into theatre the next morning, in fact I was shaking so much in the theatre they kept giving me extra blankets thinking I was cold, my teeth were chattering with fear. My daughter had taken me to the hospital and was staying with me until I was allowed home, she came in with me to see the surgeon before the operation and we were both stunned as the surgeon told me I had two choices, have the operation now or be permanently blind as quickly as tomorrow. No choice at all really............... As I was being prepped the theatre staff all assured me I had the best surgeon available who generally didn't even work on Sundays, he was only in that day to do my operation and then was going home again.

I was awake for the surgery as they do the operation under a local anaesthetic. But to my relief I could see nothing, as I had a sheet over me which was taped around the eye they were operating on, I had an oxygen tube so I could breathe easy and the sheet was tented so I could see under the sheet.

The surgeon in his wisdom talked me through the whole procedure, I won't go into too much detail but the phrase "Just peeling back the surface of your eye" was not what I wanted to hear. He explained the suction as they got rid of the vitreous gel that had come through the three tears to my retina, used a glue to re attach my retina to the back of my eye and then put a gas bubble in my eye which is designed to hold the retina in place as the glue holds. I was told the gas bubble slowly absorbs and shrinks but this may take up to six weeks, I would not be able to see anything at all even if the surgery was successful until the bubble had started to shrink, it would then take anything up to six months for the vision to slowly come back, however I was warned that as the retina was in such bad shape and the macula (central part of the retina) had been detached there was no guarantee I would get full sight back. The surgeon continued to happily tell me  he was now just stitching up the three incisions he had made in my eye!!!!

After the surgery I was taken back to the room where my daughter was waiting for me, my eye was completely covered in a large padding. I was given a cup of tea and instructed that it was absolutely essential that for the next 2 hours I sat in a position where my head was bent towards my knees looking down on the floor, this is so that the gas bubble could do its job in pushing the retina against the glue ensuring a good re attachment.

Sitting in this position for 2 hours a day was also part of my recovery over the next two weeks, I was also only allowed to sleep on my side with my right cheek against the pillow. All of which I stuck to rigidly.

For me, as far as the Surgeons are concerned the operation was a complete success, at my follow up I was informed that the retina was now firmly in place and the eye is healing nicely. I was disappointed to hear that there was still no guarantee with my sight but as I am still seeing daily improvements, I am feeling very positive at the moment.
The bad news for me is that on checking my right eye thoroughly they have now found weaknesses in that eye too so I will be having laser treatment fairly immenently on that eye too. I am also increasingly likely to have cataract problems in the future too.

I just want to stress to everyone the importance of regular eye care
You don't appreciate the true gift of sight unless you lose it.
I use daily contacts, there were days I would sleep in them and not change them in the morning, although I must point out this did not contribute to my detatched and torn retina, messing around with eyesight is just plain stupid!!!!!!
Have regular checkups !!!!!
If I had been going to the Opticians when I should have, it is highly likely that my problems would have been spotted in advance
You can't bring on a detached retina unless of blunt trauma, it is simply a by product of short sightedness in most cases
But regular eye care will always ensure that any problems are detected a long time before it becomes serious