Peek-A-Boo
Fri., December 16, 10:53 AM
Maybe you’ve seen Golfwidow and Bardsbitch write about how much they love books and reading. I completely understand and connect to what they’re saying, not just because I’ve known them for so long, but because I’m that kind of reader too. Or at least, I was. More recently, reading has become a chore.
So I finally went to see my old eye doctor – the one I was seeing before my interim insurance sent me to a new one. Not that the newer one was incompetent, but somehow he just wasn’t listening to what I was saying. I decided I needed a second opinion.
I made the appointment for a time when U.D. could drive me. It’s always a toss-up between trying to go early enough that I wouldn’t have to return in the dark, or else waiting until she has finished work. I’ve driven there by myself often enough – it’s right next door to my primary doctor – but I’m grateful I had U.D. along.
The bottom line is, these are old eyes. I have no focusing power left. That means use magnifiers, enlarge what’s on the computer, and lean in to the screen. I actually see quite well – about 20-30, which is better than it was twenty years ago. Unfortunately, the two eyes don’t work together. The doctor suggested that eyedrops might give some temporary relief to the astigmatism, and there is logic in that. If I were younger, contact lenses might be appropriate, because they would hold the fluid in place.
So anyway, I have a new prescription that might or might not help, eyedrops ditto, and the suggestion that, if I’m going to use generic readers, I should get stronger ones. That’s first on my list. No one cares if I read with my right eye and watch television with my left.
Cataracts? I know cataract symptoms when I experience them, not that there’s anything that can be done. Don’t drive at night, use vitamin supplements. Cataracts are classified on a scale of one to four; mine are about one, and insurance won’t pay before three or four. Why should they? I’m not blind.
Now, Ms. Empress, what did you say your interests were? Reading. Writing. Knitting and sewing. Crossword puzzles. Hmmm.
Ah, yes, why was I so grateful for U.D. that day? If you’ve ever had your eyes tested, you know that drops are used to relax the muscles, after which the doctor can shine light inside the eye. The flashbulb effect usually wears off fairly quickly, and then it’s a couple of hours before you can really use your eyes. The flashbulb effect – which left me seeing more fog than anything else – lasted for several hours. Thankfully, I didn’t have to drive home; I never would have made it.
You might be asking, How about watching television? I’m doing a lot of that these days. In an afternoon when I might have spent reading a couple hundred pages, I now watch two hours of “Deep Space Nine,” two of “The Next Generation,” and two or three of the Game Show Network. I’m disgusted with myself!
It gave me a new survey opportunity, however. If I’m watching more than thirty hours of TV a week, I can earn points for opinions about TV. Do you watch this show? No. Have you ever watched this show? No. Why don’t you watch this show? Because I am absolutely not interested. Would you watch if we changed the time it’s on? No. What could we do to get you to watch this show? You are talking to the wrong person. I am never going to watch this show. Credit for ranting – you take what you can get. Ha!
