It's a blurry world out there

The local weather guessers told us, last night, to expect fog out there today. In general, our fog hits us in the wee hours of the morning and the sun dissipates it by 10:00am. Today was different.

At 10:00am, today, I was in an eye surgeon's office - expecting Dr Leitner to give me one, final exam of the site in my left eye where a hemorrhage had occurred next to the optic nerve at sometime (probably) in early 2020. I had seen Dr Lightner last July, and again in September. In July, Dr L was reluctant to perform surgery because of proximity to the optic nerve. In September, she found that the hemorrhage was healing itself, nicely. Today, she said that the hemorrhage had resolved itself - that she wanted to check on it, again, in six months. By 10:45am, we were on our way home, we being Hunky Husband and me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The facility in which I saw Dr Leitner was an office (in Wichita - about 11 miles from our house). Because they would be dilating my eyes, I had asked HH to take me. On our way home, I was amazed that my eyes seemed to still be fully dilated - everything looked foggy. Recalling the forecast of fog from last night, and seeing that the McConnell AFB beacon (on the water tower of the above photos) was flashing, I asked HH to affirm that it had become foggy while we were in Wichita. It had.

Arriving at home, I made an early lunch and took a nap - activities for which I didn't need to see well. Amazingly, when I awoke from my nap, nearly five hours since the dilating drops had been introduced into my eyes, my eyes were still nearly fully dilated. Checking with Dr L's team (I didn't want to be left in a lurch, with tomorrow's being Saturday - surely an "off" day for Dr L), I was told that a long-lasting agent had been used. My eyes may be dilated for as long as 24 hours! Thanks for the "heads up", team. That would have been a nice piece of information for me to have had. When I took a selfie (below) to show the dilation, the flash forced the pupils to contract. Great thinking - lol. Next time I'll do the flash bit sooner.

Comments

[Ole Phat Stu]

Is that a DME transmitter atop the tower?

[bogie]

I either make my appointments later in the day, or arrange to take the day off because my eyes stay dilated forever (or it seems like). They must be using those special drops on me too - which is entirely possible since they are looking for/at so many things from all the conditions and pre-condition I have.

[Cop Car]

Stu--I don't know. I do not believe those antennae are part of the TACAN system; but it is possible. The old water tower, that I used as a navigation aid to let down through a suddenly-occurring fog bank in a no-radio Cessna, did not have a similar installation that I recall. The old water tower did accommodate the old beacon.

Bogie--Next time, I intend to ask that long-lasting drops not be used on me. Recall that I had to ask Dr Winn not to use as much/as potent an anesthetic when she did your dad's second cataract surgery. I think that, as we get older, we are more sensitive to such medications. Since you are 24 years younger than am I, I can't explain your experience. (Just a sensitive little flower?)

[Joared]

I've never had such long-lasting eye dilation. They certainly should have told you what to expect. I wonder what determines why that med would be chosen over the usual shorter term med?

[Liz Hinds]

Yes, they could have warned you of that effect! Still, good to hear that you've healed so well.

[Cop Car]

Joared--See? You still have something to look forward to! (Yes, I know. Grammar would not approve.)

Liz--I didn't even recall that they had told me that my eyes would be dilated; but, when I took my appointment card off of my bulletin board the next day, I saw a hand-written "will dilate" on the back. Thank you, on the healing.

[Joared]

My mother became legally blind from the time she was in her late forties. I think she must have had a hemorrhage but in those days there seemed to be nothing they could do and I’m not sure they even recognized what had occurred. Years later, when it was much too late to help her, i always took her to specialists first in Phoenix then here in L.A., hoping there might be something. The doctors were always fascinated examining her eye, but she was beyond being helped, assuming there even might have been something now. Other problems developed. I marvelled at how she adapted and coped those years with worsening vision as the other eye had other issues.

I’ve always been extremely sensitive to ever having eye issues so was shocked when suddenly cataracts developed only a year after my annual checkup when my ophthalmologist had told me at my age then, I could expect continued good vision, or some such words suggesting I likely wouldn't have any problems. They were just starting to do lens implants then so I was very hesitant about what i was risking. Fortunately, this process has been a godsend because I know how life could be affected otherwise.

[Cop Car]

Joared--Ouch! Having that poor vision must have been hard for your mother, and it presented worries (and time in dealing with specialists) for you. Let's hope that modern ocular care keeps you from ever going there.

I've noticed that those who, for all of their young and middle-aged years, had great eyesight are much more troubled by what might now be termed minor issues. Hunky Husband thought the world had ended when he noticed his first floater a few years ago. OTOH, many like Bogie cope with eye issues that would really bowl over many of us were we to have them.

My own cataract surgeries 11 years ago were life changing. I had gotten to the point where I was ready to stop driving at night. HH's surgeries, 18 months ago, surely improved his vision; but, his hesitance in driving at night (that triggered my encouraging him to have the surgeries) I now believe, was brought on by his cognitive state rather than his visual state - or maybe it was a combination. Fortunately, HH is happy that he had the surgeries, even though he thinks of them as having occurred much more recently. (May we blame the pandemic for that?)