A "Fun" Little Story About My Eyesight...

I've been debating whether or not to write a blog about this because in all sincerity I didn't want anyone to worry about me. Both Kevin and I tend to be pretty quiet about health concerns; we'd rather tell everyone about a problem after something has been resolved. So, to clear the air, I am indeed okay, but this is what led up to the surgery I had on Monday...

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My eyes are horrible. I mean, the worst of the worst. Without corrective contacts or glasses I can't see 6 inches in front of my face. No, thats not over-exaggerated. Many people who are reading this right now might even be saying, "You wear contacts???" Alas, I've been wearing contacts since I was 11 years old, so it wouldn't be surprising if nearly everyone I've met over the years had no idea that I'm blind as a bat. 

...ah, the exact reason why I love contacts...

However, from the time I was in kindergarten, my eyes were getting progressively (some might even say aggressively) worse over the years. Luckily, in my late teens my eyes began to slow down. By that I mean that my prescription was at a standstill. It wasn't getting any worse...and for me that was wonderful news!

A few years ago I saw an amazing optometrist in Vermont that had all of the latest, up-to-date technology! As a new patient, he did countless tests on me; took pictures of my optic nerves, my retinas, the blood vessels I had been having issues with for years, etc. Almost immediately after he reviewed the photos, he said in a very concerned and serious voice:

"Okay Amelia...I have some not so good news. But the bright side is, our technology these days is very progressive, so don't worry too much." 

...I think my whole body went cold. 

"Because of your severe nearsightedness, you're at risk for retinal detachment at some point." 

I felt like I had just been given an eye death sentence. That was it...I was going blind...kiss my vision goodbye. 

All I kept thinking was, what does this mean doc? Shoot it to me straight! 

He told me at the time (this was 3 years ago), that because my eyesight was so bad it was only a 'matter of time' before I would experience a retinal detachment. He advised me to keep an eye out for it (no pun intended) and to be aware that this is something that can and will happen. I had no signs of it at the time, but 3 years later I suppose my eyes had reached their limit...

The way it was explained to me, is that when an individual has severe nearsightedness (myopia) their eye is oval shaped which causes stress on the retina by stretching it too far. And with anything that is stretched, what happens? At some point it breaks. Once the retina is compromised, fluid from within the eye will begin to lift the retina and cause "blank spots." Anyone queasy yet?

...and a blank spot I certainly had! I had this overwhelming instinct that told me the retinal detachment was happening. Even though the appointment I had with my previous doctor was nearly 3 years ago, I had this immediate flash back of him telling me: "Its only a matter of time..." 

On Friday, I couldn't ignore my instinct any longer after a few days of having a portion of my vision blank. I visited a specialist and he scheduled me for emergency surgery on Monday, and the rest is history. 

I was put under general anesthesia for the surgery; in the words of my surgeon "Trust me, you don't want to be awake for it." The surgery itself has caused some discomfort, but I should be back in my contacts within 2-3 weeks. I call my eye a "zombie eye" because of the grotesque look of it...but I'll save you the real picture of what that looks like! I'm sure that conjures enough images on its own. 

I believe it is a universal law that when something goes wrong, it must go wrong at the most inconvenient time possible. Kevin should be finishing flight school this week, and base housing in Texas is expecting our moving truck in the next few weeks. However, with 5 weeks of recovery ahead of me, I am so thankful for my talented retinal surgeon, thankful for only 2 weeks left of my psychology degree, and thankful for my doting Kevin. I'll probably be moving to Texas with a bandaged "pirate" eye, but at this point I would do anything (and look like anything) to keep my eyesight. I remain in good spirits, and each day my eye is starting to look better and better. 

My eye now has a Scleral Buckle on it:

(Don't google the actual pictures of this...and if you do because you can't help yourself, don't say I didn't warn you! Ha ha!) 

Thats right, I have a silicone band stitched into my eye. But the best part of it all is that once I'm healed I won't be able to feel it, and the chances of a retinal detachment happening again is significantly lower. If anything, it makes my retina stronger and more reinforced than a normal and healthy eye. I've called myself many things since the beginning of the news..."pirate," "zombie," or a "zombie pirate" (my favorite, thanks Kevin), but its all in good humor. Yeah, I may have horrible eyes, but I am so incredibly thankful that I live in a time when this kind of technology exists!