The Eyes Have It!

This morning I made a long overdue trip to see an eye doctor. Thinking about taking lots of pictures while in Alaska, and needing to actually SEE what I’m doing, was the kick in the seat of the pants that prompted this.

I wasn’t too thrilled with the last optometrist I visited, but this guy seemed most impressive. He had a great office staff, a good personality, and seemed to know his stuff. On top of all that, he has a Bachelor of Science degree from Auburn AND a degree from the University of Alabama.

You’d have to be from this area to appreciate that, but Auburn and the University of Alabama are old rivals and college football is practically a religion to some people around here. I teased the doctor he was prepared for whoever came in, with a foot in both camps. He could yell “War Eagle” or “Roll Tide”, depending on the visitor’s allegiance.

For myself, I was more intrigued with some of the scientific posters he had and got caught checking one out behind the door when the doc came in and addressed an empty chair. Sorry Doc! Just being curious as usual. (Remember that, I’m NOT nosy, I’m just CURIOUS!)

After the various examinations, we discussed the best option for new eyewear. He did a glaucoma screening, which was a-o-k. What was NOT okay was the cataract growing in my right eye. What!?? It seems I haven’t noticed it because it’s off to one side, out of my line of vision as it were.

These days they not only tell you about a problem, they SHOW it to you. He set up a little camera behind the equipment I was looking in, and up popped my eyeball on a tv screen. (Figuratively speaking of course.) Sure enough, I could see the cloudy, jagged looking section he was talking about.

The bad news is it’s there, and no doubt in a few years it will be big enough to occlude my vision and I’ll need surgery to have it removed. The doctor informed me the silver lining to this particular cloud in my vision is that when I have the surgery done, they can replace the lens with one that will correct the sight in that eye.

The other eye doesn’t show any sign of a cataract, but he said this sort of problem usually happens in pairs, and probably somewhere down the road one will appear in my other eye. Well, isn’t that just a real day brightener? At least it’s fixable when it becomes necessary.

I never dreamed I’d go to the eye doctor today and find out I have a cataract in one eye, and will most likely have one in the other eye some day.

The eyes have it all right -- but I wish they didn’t!