Eye Update

For those who I haven't talked to in a while about my eyes, I thought I would do a little update.

Brief Recap:

I have a scar on my left eye (in my central vision/retina). I have been seeing doctors, monitoring the scar. Several months ago, my vision got worse so I went back into the doctor. He told me that a blood vessel had burst, spewing fluid and blood into my eye (farther damaging my vision). He then referred me to NIH (the national institute of health) and their prestigious eye institute. Best part about this referral was that all of my time spent there is free, as your wonderful tax dollars pay for it. Thank you, thank you!

I had several appointments at NIH. Evaluations and the like, and finally got a shot of this drug called Avastin into my eye. It was a lovely procedure. Two needles spending a nice amount of time in my eye. The first to numb, the second to insert the actual drug. But, I had Nate holding my hand, and the act itself was painless (although uncomfortable!)

Today:

Just two days ago I went back to NIH for a check-up. They checked my vision, did all of those wonderful "evaluating" type tests again. Two of the tests involve injecting dye into my veins and then taking pictures of my eye over and over again. The nurse likened it to "looking directly into the sun!". Lots of fun!

But, after the test were complete, the doctors told me that my vision had indeed improved from the shot. My left eye went from 20/250 vision (basically nothing) to 20/160. I can't really tell the difference, but apparently the blood and fluid have gone down, and the vessel itself actually shrank.

What's Next:

The doctors at NIH recommended that I have eye surgery to remove the blood vessel from my eye. This surgery is very rare, and my insurance company would have to agree to pay for it. We'll see if that happens! Probably they won't, and we'll be on our own, but it seems like the best option to actually get some improvement in my vision. Plus, the drug Avastin usually only lasts for 3-4 months, so I would have to go in to get new shots constantly. Not my idea of a good time.

The surgery would involve me having to lay on my stomach for a week, but I guess the actual procedure itself is pretty short and painless.

What do I have:

The doctors don't know what to call my problem. They say it's kinda like macular degeneration in old people, but not really. Who knows! The original scar they say might have happened because of some disease brought on by chickens. I always have hated chickens. Pecking and cockadoodledooing. : )

Anyhow, life is good. I can't wait to go to Portland (for Christmas). I will forget about these problems for a week or so, and then try to contact the eye surgeon to see if he can operate on my eye.

Until then, ciao baby!