ldstephens

Eye trouble

Friday morning, May 2nd, I noticed eye floaters, something I'd never had before. Concerning! I figured I’d call my optometrist on Monday if they stuck around through the weekend.

By Friday evening, things got worse. I started seeing flashers and line-shaped shadows darting around in my left eye. That got my attention. Now I’m fucking scared. Since it was after hours and the start of the weekend, I had to go through the emergency contact to get hold of my optometrist.

My optometrist called me back, I explained what I what was happening, and he said it sounded like a possible retinal tear. He referred me to a retinal specialist and told me to call them right away, again, after hours. Dr. Patel, the on-call retinal doctor, agreed to see me Saturday morning.

Turns out, I have a Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD). That's when the vitreous, the gel-like substance in your eye, pulls away from the retina. It's common as you age and causes floaters and flashes.

The good news: no retinal tear at this point. The bad news: for about 30 days, I'm still at risk of one as things settle down. I'll be checking in with Dr. Patel several times over the next six months to be safe.

Just one more fun part of getting old.