Wanda Merritt Anthony

Wanda Merritt Anthony

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Glaucoma

I noticed the sight in my left eye was getting worse.  This was about 2008.  I was both scared and reassured; after all I was already legally blind; Heavenly Father wouldn't let anything else happen to me--would he?  First I chalked it up to aging, people in their 40's needed glasses all the time, my eyes were simply changing due to aging.  But still I worried.  I made an appointment with the low vision clinic in Little Rock, Arkansas.  They ran a few tests an ruled out detaching retina.  But didn't want to make a definite diagnosis.  Though my pressures were high, I was told people with micro cornea usually have high inter ocular pressures.  I was also told I had some sort of cataract over part of my left eye.  It has a German name but I don't remember what it is.

I went on with life hoping for the best but afraid of the worst.  It got to the point I couldn't use my right eye to read.  By then I had moved to Atlanta and saw a doctor at Emory Eye Clinic.  He prescribed some glasses but my left eye continued to get worse.

I became concerned enough to find another low vision ophthalmologist.  Dr. David Sweeney at Insight Vision  did lots of tests and was very concerned about my pressures.  By this time I couldn't even count fingers using my left eye.  Luckily I could still detect hand movements with it.  Dr. Sweeney prescribed Travatan Z drops for me.   I had to ask, "Do I have glaucoma?"  He said I did.  My pressures were 45 in one eye and 46 in the other.  Pressures are supposed to be in the low to mid teens.

I went home and spent the rest of the day watching TV.  I didn't even answer the phone.  I did post a message about my diagnosis on Facebook. 

Yes, I'm going to get started about Facebook.  I posted something important and earth shattering for me.  And you know the response I got; almost zilch.  Two people responded on the day of the post.  The next day I posted something about "In case you weren't on Facebook yesterday.......".  I got eleven more responses after that.  I just don't get it.  If someone posts something funny or stupid they get responses out the wazoo.  People will take the time to write, "Lol," but not take the time to say something simple like, "I'm sorry to hear that."  I don't get on Facebook as much anymore, partly because of what happened, or should I say didn't happen.  But now if someone posts something like, "My child made the honor roll," "My son broke his leg," "My mom is in the hospital,", "My grandfather passed away," I will acknowledge it even if I only click the like button or say, "I'm sorry to hear that."  

The drops have helped tremendously.  My pressures went down to the mid twenties.  My eyes seem to work together better than they have in a long time.  Dr. Sweeney says my eye sight should stay the same if I take my drops.  I've heard from people with glaucoma that they eventually lost their sight or it got worse.  Time will tell.

I plan to shoot and upload as many images as possible for as long as I can.  These images will provide me with extra money now and in the future.

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