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A few people were confused by my numbering scheme above, so I'll put the day in the title as well.
So day #2 of 5 started like this: 9:30 AM, I received training on care of the lenses and more training (which had been started the night before) on insertion/removal.
To insert the lenses, you hold the eyelids very wide open (this seems to be the key to success) and then look straight down into the lens, which has been filled with saline (Unisol). The lens is being held by a tiny plunger, which suctions it in place. (Incidentally, the staff here tell me that this plunger has exactly ONE other use: the insertion and removal of prosthetic devices, i.e., "glass eyes." Reminder that someone always has it much worse than me.)
While looking down at the saline-filled lens, you push the lens up toward the eye, and push it firmly against the eye. If this sounds uncomfortable to you, that's because it is uncomfortable, though I suspect this gets better with time and practice. You then close the lids around the lens/plunger combo, squeeze the plunger, which releases the suction, and then, in theory, you have your lens inserted. I did it successfully last night after about 4-5 tries, and today, I got it right the first time, every time (so I am trainable, it appears). The lens is then checked for air bubbles, and if all is well, we're ready to roll.
They wanted me to get the left lens in today, and then see how it felt and looked 3 hrs later. Turned out there were a number of us who had 3 hours to kill, so I volunteered (I'm the only one with a car) to take us on a trip to Fenway. 5 of us crammed ourselves into my rental PT Cruiser, made a lot of "blind people driving" jokes (though for the concerned among you, I still correct to 20/20 with my Panoptyx), and we headed up Centre, then Boyleston street, to Brookline, and Fenway Park. I won't bore you with the details, but fun was had by all and we scored some tix to Thursday night's Sox game.
Back to BFS, where we piled out of the car, and I was quickly whisked back to have a look at my eye with the lens in. The eye showed some compression from the lens in one area, which means that it is too tight there, so another lens was made while I fooled around for an hour, then I put that one in, more exams (all of the exams were by Dr. Rosenthal, by the way), and then a third set of lenses, which is what I am wearing now.
So far, the lenses feel pretty good, though I can definitely sense that they are there, and there is still some of he mild "tickling" that I felt before, around the edges.
A couple of points to make here: I have commented early and often about the high level of service I have received here at the Boston Foundation for Sight. I think this is very important, and contributes to the likelihood of success, as it has helped to put me into the proper frame of mind for this new and sometimes uncomfortable experience. However, the bottom line for me is not whether my week in Boston was nice; what really matters is whether I get symptom relief from my new scleral lenses. Even if I don't, I'll feel happy that I tried, at least (but then, I did not have to pay out of pocket), but so much happier if I can get these lenses to inch me a bit (or a lot) nearer to the "normal" that I left behind three years ago.
So day #2 of 5 started like this: 9:30 AM, I received training on care of the lenses and more training (which had been started the night before) on insertion/removal.
To insert the lenses, you hold the eyelids very wide open (this seems to be the key to success) and then look straight down into the lens, which has been filled with saline (Unisol). The lens is being held by a tiny plunger, which suctions it in place. (Incidentally, the staff here tell me that this plunger has exactly ONE other use: the insertion and removal of prosthetic devices, i.e., "glass eyes." Reminder that someone always has it much worse than me.)
While looking down at the saline-filled lens, you push the lens up toward the eye, and push it firmly against the eye. If this sounds uncomfortable to you, that's because it is uncomfortable, though I suspect this gets better with time and practice. You then close the lids around the lens/plunger combo, squeeze the plunger, which releases the suction, and then, in theory, you have your lens inserted. I did it successfully last night after about 4-5 tries, and today, I got it right the first time, every time (so I am trainable, it appears). The lens is then checked for air bubbles, and if all is well, we're ready to roll.
They wanted me to get the left lens in today, and then see how it felt and looked 3 hrs later. Turned out there were a number of us who had 3 hours to kill, so I volunteered (I'm the only one with a car) to take us on a trip to Fenway. 5 of us crammed ourselves into my rental PT Cruiser, made a lot of "blind people driving" jokes (though for the concerned among you, I still correct to 20/20 with my Panoptyx), and we headed up Centre, then Boyleston street, to Brookline, and Fenway Park. I won't bore you with the details, but fun was had by all and we scored some tix to Thursday night's Sox game.
Back to BFS, where we piled out of the car, and I was quickly whisked back to have a look at my eye with the lens in. The eye showed some compression from the lens in one area, which means that it is too tight there, so another lens was made while I fooled around for an hour, then I put that one in, more exams (all of the exams were by Dr. Rosenthal, by the way), and then a third set of lenses, which is what I am wearing now.
So far, the lenses feel pretty good, though I can definitely sense that they are there, and there is still some of he mild "tickling" that I felt before, around the edges.
A couple of points to make here: I have commented early and often about the high level of service I have received here at the Boston Foundation for Sight. I think this is very important, and contributes to the likelihood of success, as it has helped to put me into the proper frame of mind for this new and sometimes uncomfortable experience. However, the bottom line for me is not whether my week in Boston was nice; what really matters is whether I get symptom relief from my new scleral lenses. Even if I don't, I'll feel happy that I tried, at least (but then, I did not have to pay out of pocket), but so much happier if I can get these lenses to inch me a bit (or a lot) nearer to the "normal" that I left behind three years ago.
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