It’s subtle but daylight is sticking around much later than 4:30 p.m. Each day is staying longer by a minute; the cumulative effects add up. We love longer days and feeling the stillness of warm afternoons.
Here’s an abrupt subject change.
Since yesterday I deleted a few drafts of possible blog posts. Now I realize it’s me beating around the bush trying to ignore what the ophthalmologist told me last Monday: vitreous tear. Ack! Googling it is not helpful since you’re bombarded with worst case scenarios and general information that doesn’t specifically apply to me.
I’ve been careful not to lift heavy objects or to bend over where my head touches ankles. Kids have been more mindful to help me, even volunteering. It’s something new: Elliot helped me change the aquarium water and fold laundry; Ellis makes my iced coffee; Chris already does a lot for me (whenever I need or ask).
I’m meeting virtually with the ophthalmologist tomorrow morning. I have questions and need more information! Better to be informed and get perspective than assume the worst. This nervous assumption casts a gloomy shadow over me that’s not doing anyone a favor. It’s too much anxiety waiting four weeks before I meet with the doctor again. I want to clarify the current prognosis so I can organize my thoughts and emotions. How true Francis Bacon’s quote rings: “Knowledge is power.”
What a journey this is…vague and sobering. I’ll navigate this experience as I have done others; it’s opening my eyes (no pun intended) to another world I’m unfamiliar with and increasing my sensitivity to others with vision issues.
Categories: Faith journey Personal growth
singlikewildflowers
Welcome to my blog! My name is Esther and I'm so happy you are here. I'm an avid nature photographer and a daydreaming thinker. My posts revolve around photos of nature's beauty, homeschooling adventures with my 2 kids, sporadic reflections on my child's heart condition, Bible reading reflections, gardening feats, and other mish mash things. Hopefully you'll leave encouraged, pensive, or smiling at the simple things of life. Thank you for stopping by and hope you'll find some interesting posts to read!
sing like wildflowers 
I don’t know anything about vitreous tears, but I’ve had a couple of issues with vitreous detachment, and once I lost about a nickel-sized, circular bit of vision in the middle of my left eye. In all those instances, my eye doctor told me that they’d heal in time, and they did. It took only a couple of months for healing, and I hope your issues are as easily resolved. I certainly worried through those processes, but at this point, they’re well in the past. I’m surprised your next appointment’s in four weeks, but on the other hand, I can’t remember a thing about how my appointments were spaced. It may have been the same. Good luck!
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Thank you for telling me more about vitreous detachment. Any tear or detachment in the eyes is not good news. Now that I think about it…it’s vitreous traction.
Thank goodness your detachment healed. You didn’t mention any treatments, so maybe the body just did its amazing thing and healed itself. I think that’s what my doctor said but she mentioned laser and surgery down the road so I freaked. Good to hear it’s a thing of the past for you!! I appreciate you sharing your positive experience and the process. Thanks for your kind thoughts and wishes.
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That’s right — there weren’t any treatments necessary at all. We just monitored things, to be sure healing was taking place. I had lots of those little black “dots” called floaters for a while, but they slowly disappeared.
When I finally had my cataracts removed and new lenses implanted, it was done by laser. It was amazingly quick and simple. The cataract surgery took about fifteen minutes, and the lens implantation a little longer. I was awake through the procedure, and on my way back home a half hour after. Modern medicine is a marvel, to say the least.
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Oh yes, I have those floaters that appear and disappear at random times. Every time I see them I get annoyed and reminded that something is not right. But I shouldn’t complain; it’s my body alerting me to check on it.
I agree that modern medicine is a marvel. Grateful for the people researching, developing, supporting, advocating, and of course the medical staff. Last but not least God who is the creator of those minds!
I’m wary of wearing contacts. The thought of getting an eye procedure while awake is not for the faint hearted though it’s worth it for what you gain. Feeling reassured. Thank you!
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I had a Vitrectomy to deal with floaters. Different from a tear. Good luck with your problem. I’m sure it is fixable.
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I’m sorry to just be reading this now (behind in Reader as you know). The one blessing that you have is that you wear eyeglasses so that the glasses are protecting your eyes – imagine all the pollution, dirt (outside), debris, etc. that floats into your eyes on an everyday basis. When I wore contact lenses, I had the hard lenses, then the Rigid Gas Permeable type. So I wore sunglasses any time I was outside as one piece of debris in the eye, no matter how miniscule, your eyeball felt like needles were going into it – so you’ll preserve your eyes much better this way. I’m keeping you in my thoughts and prayers Esther.
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Thank you Linda! No worries, I know how easy it is to fall behind on the Reader.
I’m sure wearing glasses has prevented lots of mishaps, like things getting into my eyes or knocking into things. The damage first goes to my glasses; those I have plenty.
Anything that gets into the eye is painful and aggravating. I don’t know how you wore hard contacts; I resist wearing soft lens and reserve them for special occasions. But this is a weird thing: I feel so weird and puffy without my glasses and eyes have trouble adjusting. I don’t mind glasses, in fact, very grateful for them!
Thank you for your thoughtfulness and encouragement. Hopefully the holes will mend on their own. Will know in about 2 weeks if there’s any progress in that.
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I was caught up on Sunday night except for one day – I usually can get caught up on days I don’t post, but now behind three days again. I was told that since I had an astigmatism that the hard lenses would give me clearer vision and when I needed bifocals, we went to “monovision” – one contact lens for close-up and one contact lens for long-distance. I was thinking of the weatherman I follow (Dave Rexroth) – he had a firecracker misfire and lost his one eye about five or six years ago. He had good vision before, but now he protects his “good eye” by wearing glasses all the time. He is fine now, but every year he warns people of the dangers of handling the firecrackers correctly. I will keep you in my prayers that you have made some progress by this two-week appointment time.
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