8 and 9 January, 2015 - Pages 8 and 9 - Eye Issues

I have a retina tear in my left eye.  I went to the eye doctor yesterday because I noticed bright flashes of light in the corner of my left eye (that weren't really there) and suddenly lots of new floaters - some very large and some like a downpour of black snow.  I had a vitreous detachment in my right eye a few months ago with similar symptoms, so I was thinking it was probably not serious, but something I needed to get checked anyway.  It is a good thing I did.  The phone was ringing as I walked in the door at home from my eye appointment and it was the retina specialist's office saying they wanted to see me that afternoon.  I explained it would be an hour or so before I could get there (they are nearly 50 miles away) and they decided it would be ok for me to go to Pueblo today, and probably have a laser procedure which would fix the problem.  I went to that appointment (despite freezing rain overnight which left the roads covered with a thin layer of ice) and found out that the laser treatment won't work for my situation because of the location of the tear.  I also have a broken blood vessel behind the retina which explains the cascade of small floaters.  They are actually red blood cells and will eventually re-absorb and go away.  The bigger floaters will take a longer time.  I will go to Colorado Springs for a different procedure which will tack the retina in place.  Without the procedure I will have a 90% chance of a complete retina detachment.  Not a good prospect for a photographer.  So I will go and I will try to endure.  I really hate things near my eye.

Losing my eyesight is one of my greatest fears.    I really hope the doctor has steady hands and is able to fix this.