Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

"Dry?" "Yes." "Oh, good."

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • "Dry?" "Yes." "Oh, good."

    Long story here, but I had a fabulous laugh after visiting the specialist eye doctor’s office on Monday.

    Background: I’m nearly ten years post-Lasik, with previously-existing dry eye problems, which are currently kept at bay most of the time with punctal plugs and regular use of drops,
    (dry eyes which nobody involved thought to mention to me as a possible counter-indication for Lasik – not that I’m not exactly bitter or anything ).

    I’m age 68 now, having had previous retinal problems called PVDs (Posterior Vitreous Detachments), potentially leading to sight-robbing retinal detachments; but they were caught in time and pro-actively treated effectively. Anyway, given my history, I now have to visit the “the retinal doc” at least once a year to be sure that other retinal (back-of-the-eye) problems are not getting worse. Specifically, ARMD = Age-Related-Macular-Degeneration, which comes in two forms: the slowly evolving “dry” form (not surprising at my age, and usually not all that serious), and the quickly vision-depriving “wet” form (which equals crisis, crisis, crisis). In the waiting room I met a fellow, more than ten years younger than myself, who has gotten over twenty injections INTO his eyeballs
    trying to stave off the problems relating to his "wet" Macular Degeneration.

    So my retinal doc brought in an observer-doc at Monday’s visit.
    After I had already been majorly dilated, I was subjected to the usual brief but painful exam:
    magnifying glass headpiece with mega-bright light, plus acrylic push-stick probing my eyeballs.

    My-doc looked up to his observer-doc and said, “Hmmm.”
    Observer-doc said “Dry?”
    My-doc said “Yes.”
    Observer-doc said “Oh, good.”

    Having spent so much time here and on other internet places where “dry” = bad, I chuckled all the way on the 30-minute drive home,
    appreciating that in this case I had a condition where “dry” equals good, good, good !

  • #2
    Thanks for this laugh. It's all about perspective!

    Comment


    • #3
      Hi Mary
      Are you taking lutein orally?
      Its supposed to arrest macular degeneration -- Its found in brocoli, blueberries and kiwis and other foods
      You get it in suppliments -- google it and it will tell you

      Comment


      • #4
        Hi, RobLIC -- all of us with eye problems, yes we do need perspective indeed!

        ============

        stella -- I appreciate the suggestion. For the previous ten years prior to this diagnosis I actually had been taking a vitamin marketed here (USA) as Ocuvite, which does contain lutein. Also, I'm fortunate in that I love green leafy vegetables such as broccoli. However, given my current diagnosis (tendency toward ARMD/ AMD, but no serious problem at this time) this doc has recommended a different vitamin from the same manufacturer. He required me to consult my own primary care physician because it involves mega-doses of vitamins A, C, and E (percentages being the typical daily recommended dosages) :

        http://www.bausch.com/en_US/consumer...n_softgel.aspx

        Bausch & Lomb PreserVision® Eye Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Soft Gels are based on the AREDS formula, the one and only antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplement proven clinically effective in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). AREDS was the 10-year, independent study conducted by the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
        Convenient to take, 2 per day Soft Gels.

        Ingredients
        Vitamin A (beta-carotene) 286%
        Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 377%
        Vitamin E (dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate) 677%
        zinc (zinc oxide) 232%
        Copper (cupric oxide) 40%

        Other Ingredients: Gelatin, Glycerin, Soybean Oil, Soy Lecithin, Yellow Beeswax, Silicon Dioxide, Titanium Dioxide, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1. Contains Soy.


        ============
        and here's a non-vitamin, non-intrusive suggestion for everybody: if you haven't already heard of the "Amsler Grid," my eye docs recommend that everybody over age fifty as well as those who have been given a tentative diagnosis of AMD should download a copy and look at it regularly. It's just a simple square diagram with horizontal and vertical lines, plus a small dot like a bulls-eye in the middle. If you don't see exactly square corners, or if portions of the diagram are wavy or missing, it's time to call your regular eye doc and/or a retinal specialist as soon as you can.

        Comment

        Working...
        X