My Bag is Packed

Aging Gracelessly

This story must start four years ago. After wearing glasses since the thrid grade and contacts since the age of 16, I began to have more serious vision problems. The fourth professional I consulted determined that I had premature cataracts. It appears that particular occular problems runs in my family (mother and sister both had them by age of 55, but I beat them both and had mine by age of 50!). So, had the murkly lens removed and new lovely plastic lens implanted. I love them! Immediately, I could see objects at distances that the contact lens only hinted at. The only drawback was that close up vision is lost (plastic lens must have a permanent fixed focus and most people choose distance) but you can look like every other aging baby boomer and wear reading glasses (which can be purchased at any "Everything in the Store is $1). After a year of the reading glasses my optometrist agreed that I could try one contact lens for close work and keep one eye for the distanct vision. I think they call this monovision when fitting contacts but I really understang why when actually I have two difference visions. (I really want to blog sometime about words I don't like such as monovision but I will save that for another day). So for two years I have had one disposable contact lens that I wear in one eye. I only sleep in it occasionally because I tend to build up lots of protein or something called floaters in my eyes. So, most mornings I put on a single contact lens.

Well, last night I had been helping a student with a major research paper, kind of a pre-thesis, and my eyes were tired. I took out my contact and put it in the proper container. This morning I stumbled out of bed and after a morning Diet Coke and few minutes of staring into space, I tried to put my contact in. It left really bad and so I took it out, cleaned it, and put it back in....but it still felt bad. I decided it might have a small tear on it but since I need a contact in order to see up close, I can't see any tears. I decided to just try a brand new out of the box contact. I opened it and put it in my eye. Next I dried my wet hair, and started putting on some makeup, but it seemed weird somehow. I could see really well for things about 6 inches from my face and see ok at the distances but 18 inches to 2 feet from my face was all a blur. Then I stared walking and was a little off balance.

I beleive that in order to stay home from school hosipitalization must be involved, so I drove off to class. I told my very small summer school class that I was having some vision troubles and had to hold my notes and books very close to my face. By this time I had decided that my eye tissue had reached the point that many face after cataract surgery that the opthmalogist has to make a small laser incision in a membrane that holds the lens. So I stared the DVD I had planned for the second half of class and headed to call the doctor. I decided that I was tired of fighting that contact and I would rather just use the spare reading glasses that I keep with me so I took the offending contact out. It was a very surreal experience. I could SEE! I could see both up close and all the way across my office. But there was a contact in my hand....evidently, I had been wearing TWO contacts for the first three hours of my day.

How did that happen? Am I so sliding down the slippery slope of reality that I put in two contacts this morning. I then decided to examine the contact that I had removed and it was greenish to clear colored. I wear blue contacts! I think that the manufacturer messed up and put two contacts in the same little contact holder! The really sad thing is that I walked around for three hours this morning feeling slightly dizzy and not being able to see.

And no, Reagan, I do not need a three pronged cane!!!!

posted by BW @ 5:18 PM