I wrote an article that was published on my company's blog and thought I would share it with you as well. Enjoy!:)
It was a normal December day in Michigan. Houses and shops were twinkling with Christmas lights, people hustled and bustled to get to this place and that, snow lingered on the ground from a previous snow storm, and the air had a chill. I was on my way to my annual eye appointment expecting to get yet another, stronger prescription because I had started to notice the sight in my right eye changing. I didn't think anything of it. I expected a normal visit, but I quickly realized it was much more serious.
I was told I had a retinal tear and needed to go see a specialist right away because fluid was getting into my eye and ruining my sight. If I didn't get it treated immediately I could lose vision. I was not expecting to hear that and all I could think was “I. Could. Lose. My. Vision.”
An ultrasound of my eye just turned my normal December day into a day that could change my life forever. If I lost eyesight I could not perform my job. I could not drive. I could not see my husband’s face anymore. I could not see the house we were about to close on in three weeks. I could not see. Period.
I went to the specialist and discovered my diagnosis was actually worse. It was not a tear, but a retinal detachment in both eyes and I needed surgery to correct this quickly. I had never had surgery before. The thought of a doctor inserting a band into my eye to attach my retina disturbed me, especially since there is a 20% chance I could lose vision.
I am thankful it was caught in time. I am thankful for the incredible technology of this band that saved my vision. I am thankful for the extremely skilled doctors, nurses, and technological advances.
The surgery was a bit more intensive so recovery was slower than expected, but I improved. I was told because of my health and age I have a 95% chance of regaining vision in my right eye so that was excellent news.
It has been a year now and I have regained full vision in my right eye. I know I was fortunate to have access to good doctors and technological advances. I know I am fortunate to work in a remarkable industry that can provide this kind of care to others. It just makes coming to work for a company like ** that much more rewarding.
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7 comments:
That was awesome Lindsey. Praise God! I've been having some lightning bolt flashes in my vision and been scared b/c I have bad eyes too, so it is something to take very seriously!
Wow, I knew you'd had surgery but I didn't know the whole story. Thanks for sharing Lindsey! I'm so glad that you are doing better and that you caught your problem in time.
I remember this story when it happened, but did they say WHY you had retinal detachment in BOTH eyes? I mean, what are they odds? Are you severely near sighted? I just wondered what they thought caused it?
~Kathryn
I still can't believe you went through that, glad everything is ok now.
I thought I knew all that, but I don't think I realized how bad it was. So glad things turned out so well!!
so glad that everything turned out ok! eyes are such a precious gift & something we certainly shouldn't take for granted!
So glad everything is ok! Thanks for sharing your story!
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