My Aging Eyes!

or … My Eyes Age … Yours?

Sorry about the bad puns

You may be aware that my Instagram account name is Adventures In Aging, which was what this blog was supposed to be all about. My goal is to be fully aware, and fully alive to every moment I have left is this beautiful, crazy world. And with that, here’s my latest adventure.

I’ve been blessed with super-sharp vision and awareness my whole life, getting down to the 20/15 line on the eye exam charts. Having said that, I’ve worn glasses for decades, but primarily because I was selling glasses, and that made me more relatable to those who needed to buy them. And, like everyone else in the world, when I hit my mid-40’s I needed them to be able to read and work on the computer, and a wee bit of correction for distance, which still enabled me to see 20/15. 

Then about three weeks ago as I was getting ready for bed, I noticed some bright flashes of light in the outer periphery of my right eye. I knew right away what it was – a Posterior Vitreous Detachment. My wife had just had one a couple of weeks before, and I was aware of them from my years working for optometrists. Generally not an alarming situation, but disconcerting, as well as being unhappy with the new, large, circular and very visible floater in my eye. 

So, to be on the safe side, I went in, got my eye dilated and checked out by the doctor. Nothing to be concerned about, but if you notice anything “off”, come back in; sometimes the vitreous will continue to pull away from the retina, and need to be “welded” back on with laser surgery. Bill, you got almost all the letters on the 20/25 line, not bad for a guy your age with developing cataracts. 20/25? Really? That’s a HUGE change from the 20/15 last year!

So, it’s about time for my annual eye exam; I called and the first available appointment is a whole month away! So now I’m in limbo – is my vision loss in both eyes, or just the one with the PVD? Is the loss due to the PVD, cataracts, or some combination? I can definitely tell my vision is NOT what i’m used to, and it sucks, and I have no idea if it will improve with time, new glasses and/or (when it’s time) with cataract surgery.

So, up, up and away on a new Adventure in Aging! Stay tuned …