Blue-Footed Musings

A few months ago I noticed that I was having some trouble reading small print. The problem was with my right eye. I figured that it was a cataract, because cataracts are common in my family, even among non-elderly folks such as myself. But, I knew that there were all sorts of things that can go wrong with eyes, and I didn’t want to make a foolish assumption. I was overdue for an eye exam anyway, so I decided to visit the eye doctor.

I had my appointment yesterday. Yes, I may indeed have a cataract forming in my right eye, but that’s not what’s causing my vision loss. The problem is something called degenerative macular retinoschisis. My retina is splitting apart, right in the middle of my field of vision. Actually, I have retinoschisis in both eyes, but it’s less pronounced in the left eye and located away from the macula. The doctor showed me the pictures that he had taken of the insides of my eyes. The macula is supposed to look like a cool blue dot, as it does in my left eye. In my right eye, it’s a big red disk. Well, shit.

When I got home, I consulted Dr. Internet. There wasn’t too much information available, and some of it was difficult to understand, but here is the impression that I got–

• Retinoschisis is relatively common in people with myopia.
• Usually it’s not a big deal, because it’s located in a place where it doesn’t cause much trouble, as is the case in my left eye. It is less common for the macula to be affected.
• Unfortunately, the condition causes irreparable nerve damage, but it may be possible to prevent further vision loss with a surgical procedure.

Though this condition can progress rapidly, it doesn’t happen overnight. The eye doctor said it’s probably been going on for a while. I recall now the conversation that I had at my last eye exam. That doctor told me that there was a cataract in my left eye. I asked him if that was what caused the shadow I sometimes saw while reading, and he said that it probably was. Now I wonder.

Obviously this condition sucks but, on the bright side, it’s is only affecting my vision in one eye, and I still see well overall (20/20 with my glasses on, says the new eye doctor). So there’s no cause for immediate alarm. I have an appointment to see a specialist next month, and I guess I’ll learn more then.

• It just keeps snowing, snowing, snowing. There was a travel ban in effect in RI until 8 p.m., and I think it may have been extended until midnight. I don’t mind. I have nowhere to go.
• I talked to my mom and my mother-in-law today. All is well in Momland. Life is a little tougher in Dadville, thanks to snow removal, but the Dads are said to being doing OK, too.
• I have brought into being an imp who sits in my brain and warns me whenever he thinks I’m jumping to conclusions or being judgmental. He’s a very busy little demon.
• I feel like I’ve done nothing today, but it’s important to note that I cleaned all the mail off my desk, attempted to pay a bill online (not my fault it didn’t work), did some laundry, sharpened FIVE whole pencils (yes, five!), and threw some stuff into the recycling. I am practically the Queen of Accomplishment, yes?

• Both of my puzzle ideas from last year have been approved. The smaller one will get used first. It was created as a replacement for something else, so there is already a space waiting for it to fill, and my boss wants to make the replacement ASAP. The puzzle that it’s replacing will go to puzzle Hell, where it belongs, and there will be great rejoicing!
• I used to have a ton of binder clips. I’m not sure what happened to them all, but last week I realized that I was down to one. One measly binder clip. I went online to buy more, and I was shocked at the cost. Such high prices for such cheap bits of metal! It took me a while to find a reasonably priced combination, but I finally did, and most of the clips arrived today. Now my cup of binder clips runneth over once more.
• Covid numbers are finally down in Rhode Island and in the country as a whole. The country peaked at just over 800,000 cases per day, and now it’s down to about 650,000 cases per day, which is still a big-ass, scary number, but clearly an improvement. The Covid map at The New York Times is no longer the single dark purple of a fresh bruise. It’s starting to turn splotchy, suggesting that maybe the bruise is starting to heal. I am not over the stress of it, though. I haven’t kept my worry over the Omicron surge at the top of my thoughts, but it lurks, always there, every day. It’s like an endless spin of the roulette wheel. Every minor physical complaint from the kids feels like a token of doom. I am so worn out from it.