shadowtalk

Saw the doctor about the shadow in my periphery vision this afternoon, and it looks like it's going to be permanent. He says it's probably the result of my subclinical detached retina, which I was surprised to discover is still present...just sealed around the edges with a laser to keep it from spreading. He's not sure why I didn't see the shadow before.

As long as the blind spot doesn't spread, I'm sure I'll eventually tune it out; it's barely noticeable under most conditions. I asked the doctor about any special post-operative care, or anything I can do in the future to minimize the chances of making things worse. He told me not to get hit in the head. :-)

He also told me I was pretty lucky to have had this condition caught and treated so early. I agreed.

I also felt lucky about having the advantage of today's technology. From Scott Snyder's posting in Blatherchat: "Many years ago (20?) my Mother had detached retinas in both eyes. It was a much more difficult operation then... while they still used a laser, it took longer than an hour, and they still had to use some traditional surgery methods along with the laser part. Technology has come a LONG way. My mom recently went in to have her retinas patched up - apparently after 20 years you need a tune up - and said she was amazed at how simple the procedure had become."

August 2004 comments: Read Blatherchat | Post in Blatherchat | Livejournal comments