A letter has come from Boots. I last went there for an eye test in July 2020. They told me to come for yearly check ups from now on.
I will see what is going on first with my eyes when I visit the hospital this week.
Then I will book an appointment afterwards. I’m reckoning Boots Opticians may think I will become a good customer ☺
I won’t be surprised if I need new reading glasses. I’ve touched on this subject in recent posts.
This may seem an inconsequential thing to blog about. But, I’m treating this blog like a diary of events to track my own progression throughout this condition.
Please remember. Everyone’s progression with this condition will be faster, slower, earlier or later. This has taken me 6 years to get to the point I’m currently at. Everyones life with this condition will be similar, but different.
As you can see from a photograph of my eye above. They look perfectly healthy.
You cannot tell by appearance. What’s going wrong in there is internal. At the back, inside the retina.
I am getting very conscious though. That while they look healthy, for the first time, they are starting to show signs of the trouble inside.
Not on the surface.
If I look at people too long, either listening to them speaking or my eyes are trying their best to focus. They dart from one of your eyes to the other. I can’t control this.
Some days I’m OK. But if I’m tired or my eyes are sore because of the light, they will do this.
My right eye is 20/80 at the moment. It’s also the eye that has the peripheral problem, which is why I’m waiting for a Glaucoma field test appointment.
This is the reason I’ve had the 3 tests. Along with the escalating eye sensitivity (Photophobia) I have.
These are the 3 tests that I’m waiting for…
ERG (Electroretinography)
Autofluorescence.
Vision Field test.
I’m still waiting to see the consultant to get these results at the moment.
My eyes CAN’T take having a peripheral problem. It already has a central vision problem. So yeah… Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
This eye squints. When I take my glasses off. Or try to take a photograph, close up.
I’m trying to not be self conscious about it and this condition will NOT take anymore of my self confidence away. I’m quite adamant about that. It will NOT cause me any added problems outside of my eyeballs. Mentally. Enough has and will be taken away from me because of this condition.
So. Whilst my eyes look healthy. There is alot going on inside them. Watch me long enough and you will begin to realise.
Now it’s getting sunnier outside (I know what you’re thinking, What sun? My fellow light-sensitive buddies will be nodding at this. ) and having no pain in my eyes for a while over the winter. I’m pondering ‘proper’ sunglasses.
Here comes the sun.
The other day I was in town and it was really quite overcast.
Usually I have my sunglasses on all the time, even when it’s dull outside, but, I took them off thinking, “it’ll be right”.
Cue the familiar pain surrounding my eyes after about half hour. This can last until the next day. So if it’s sunny again… You can see my dilemma.
I know I write alot about sunglasses. It’s because summer isn’t so easy for me knowing the pain I can get. So I’m a bit obsessed with that big shiny ball in the sky.
I’m going to have to up my game on the sunglasses front.
So, my question is. If you have photophobia and need very dark glasses to cope with the light. Which glasses do you have?
I’ve been looking at 7eye airshields as they have very dark lenses that only let 7% of light in. Are the any good?
Now. I’ve only been looking at these as they have tortoiseshell frames (obvs) and don’t look nearly as medical as some I’ve found.
Obviously they will have to have all the blue light filtering and 100% protection. The glasses I need are so hard to find and when you think you have found them… expensive.
It’s got to the stage where I have to go with what I need, rather than what I want. I’m going to be so embarrassed really wearing them but, I cannot struggle with ‘normal’ doody sunglasses anymore. The problem with me still is, I don’t want anyone to know there is something up. I’m still clinging on in there hiding it to an extent.
If I see the consultant at my appointment on the 27th May, I will ask them for advice.