Thursday, August 13, 2009

Blepharospasm Buster

It started two and a half years ago ... a fast-progressive deterioration of my eyes' tolerance of light. What began as wearing prescription sunglasses in the house with the lights off, over time graduated itself into clip-on shades over them, overglasses with three sticky layers inside them, and RolLenses inside of those. Talk about uncomfortable; the human face was not meant to carry up to eight layers of shades!
My general ophthalmologist sent me to every eye-related-ologist in Phoenix trying to fix this mess, and the only things they agreed on were that the problem is neurologic in nature, likely related to my strokes, and irreparable as far as they knew. I pleaded with them for light-restrictive contact lenses, and it was nothing anyone would even consider.
A month or so ago, after taking my mom grocery shopping, she returned home to a call that her eyeglasses were ready to be picked up. She told them she'd have to wait till next Tuesday to come in because that was the only time she could get transportation over to the eye center. Well, that was almost a week away and there was no reason Mike and I couldn't take her right then. Otherwise, there was no reason I'd have ever gone near that optical center. I was going to just wait in the car while Mike took her in, but it was summer in Phoenix so I ended up going inside with them. While Mom picked up her glasses, I looked around at frames that might be a little more light-blocking than the ones I was wearing. I just happened to mention that to the receptionist, who then just happened to mention it to the optometrist's wife. She did some research for me and talked to her husband, and encouraged me to come in to consult with him.

This O.D. did an exam and took a history and immediately ordered up some light-restrictive contact lenses! It didn't make sense to him why everyone else dismissed the idea and said they wouldn't help.
I picked them up yesterday and, let me tell you, THEY HELP!! I can't believe the comfort, and my tolerance of medium-strength light in the house. I can't describe the joy of losing something in the dining room and being able to turn on a light to find it! The only drawback ... my eyes aren't blue anymore, but they'll still be hidden behind prescription sunglasses so that's no big deal at all.
The difference is like night and day having them in vs. taking them out. I'm safer now that there's a little bit of tolerable light on the subject. Mike won't have to break any more toes tripping on vacuum cleaners he can't see. He and Sophie aren't destined to live in the dark for the rest of their lives! And I'm making happy dances all over the house! \o/ And the name of this eye clinic: HOPE Optical Center. Was this a God thing or what?

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