|
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Previous topic
|
Next topic
|
|
 Saturday, June 2, 2007
started 6/2/2007; 9:50:21 AM - last post 11/3/2007; 1:08:32 PM
|
|
Doc Searls - Saturday, June 2, 2007 
6/2/2007; 1:50:21 PM (reads: 7671, responses: 6)
|
|
Here's blurring at you, kid 
| | So here's what I wrote to my friend the opthamologist yesterday afternoon: |
| | I'm sitting here in the Ames Courtroom at Harvard Law School, staring at this white screen, and noticing that the vision in my left eye is impaired by the presence of what appears to be dusty debris inside my eye. As I move my eye around, I can see the usual bubbles next to the retina (like ones one occasionally sees, though much more numerous), but also lots of what appear to be dust, like you would see in a snow globe turned upside down. Each particle seems to be a different distance from the retina, like snowflakes at different distances from the surface of the globe. They move with my eye as it moves, with a little continued motion after my eye stops. Some of the dust seems to be in bunches, and look like what I see on a digital photograph when there is dust on the sensor: a bit blotchy, like a smudge. At about 18 inches from this computer screen, I'd say the dust particles are about the size of a degree symbol (°), and only a little less packed than the letters in this paragraph. (Which I'm viewing in 10-point mono-space Courier type.) |
| | When I move my eye rapidly, I also see, very briefly, in a flash, a crescent shape curved around the periphery of my vision, from about the 6 o'clock position to about the 10 o'clock position: a section of a circle. Sometimes it appears to be blue, or white. But the sensation is similar to the one I get when an upper-lid eyelash is turned around and hanging into the edge of my vision. (Or, at my age, a long eyebrow hair.) It also sometimes seems to twitch. This is far less noticable than the "dust" issue, but it's there, and I noticed it first, yesterday morning. |
| | So I'm wondering... should I be concerned? I'm here in Boston with the family, and wanting to see Paul Revere's place and stuff like that. Not a doctor. But... this came on over the last two days and seems worse. It also occurs to me that the inside surface of my eye is made up largely of retina. Is this retinal debris? Scary thought. |
| | I just checked my peripheral vision by looking at a small black speaker on a large white wall, turning my eye in all directions gradually as far as I could to the edge of my vision. I didn't lose sight of the speaker. (Although I can make the thing disappear into my blind spot, which has always been a cheap thrill for me.) |
| | Anyway, lemme know if you think I should call or go see somebody. |
| | When I walked outside at the end of the day, a light rain was falling. When I looked up at the sky, it was still as if I had turned a snow globe upside down — only worse. A field of tiny bubbles and dots floated in the vision of my left eye. Some were very clear while others were less distinct, much as when looking through falling snow some flakes will be in focus while others will not. The sharp ones, which looked like tiny bubbles or black dots, must have been right on the surface of the retina. These were much like (what I later learned are called) "floaters" that we all sometimes get in our vision, but far more numerous even than they appeared inside the classroom. |
| | The bright flashes around the corner of my vision, when I moved my eyes, were also still there, though more obvious now that I was outside. |
| | I called my opthamologist buddy's office, but learned he was out of town for a week, and his backup doctor was also out. So I called my sister and had her do some research, which suggested that these were symptoms that might betray the onset of retinal detachment. When I went to the Harvard after-hours urgent care facility, the doctor there agreed and sent me to the Massachusetts General Eye Care Center, where, at great length and with much waiting around, the opthamologist there told me I had three conditions: posterior vitreous detachment or PVD, pseudoexfoliation syndrome and cataracts. Other than all that, I'm fine. The PVD will remain an annoyance for weeks or months. The cataracts aren't bad yet, but will get that way and require surgery eventually. And I'm at greater ris of glaucoma, too. |
| | All this stuff tends to show up with people over 65. I'm not even 60 yet, but here we are. |
| | Aging sure does suck. But, as they say, it beats the alternative. |
discuss
|
|
Bruce Fryer - Run, don't walk to the doctor
6/2/2007; 7:47:08 PM (reads: 1880, responses: 0)
|
|
|
Doc,
My mom had a detached retina and it's a one way street you don't want to be on. Take a couple hours out and find someone.
...Bruce...
discuss
|
|
Steven Tulsky - Re: Friday, June 1, 2007
6/2/2007; 8:21:12 PM (reads: 1930, responses: 1)
|
|
|
Dude,
You did the right thing. PVD is common and relatively benign in and of itself, especially among severe myopes like ourselves, but the risk is that while the vitreous is detaching it might tear a piece of retina in the process. The flashes of light are indications that your retina is being tweaked, but we'll trust that the MGH people are correct in their determination that no harm has been done (yet).
I hope that they advised you to stay closely on top of this, and to have frequent retinal exams until the vitreal detachment process has completed. Also, any change in the flashing phenomenon, or showers of dust or light, should send you back to the eye doc.
The good news is that even if you do experience a retinal injury, they can fix it easily (and painlessly, I'm told)with a laser as long as you get to them quickly. So stay on top of this, but don't let it worry you. I've had a couple of PVD's, but no retinal injury or any other change in my already poor eyesight.
Later.
discuss
|
|
Doc Searls - Re: Friday, June 1, 2007
6/3/2007; 4:32:22 AM (reads: 2454, responses: 0)
|
|
|
Thanks, Steve.
The opthamologist at MGH did tell me to stay on top of the situation, to watch for symptoms as well. And to follow up with a local opthamologist when I get back to SB.
Meanwhile, the flashing has stopped, which may mean that the vitreous has finished detaching. The vision in my left eye, however, is a field of floating dust, with a few long fibrous pieces there as well. Bad in bright light, bad for driving and bad for writing, since the left eye is the one on which I rely most for working on the computer. The right eye is the distance one. The difference in actual sight (aside from the floater problem is not great: -1.0 diopter correction for left eye and -.75 for the right, I believe. 20/30 on the left and 20/25 on the right. But the more nearsighted one (left) is best suited for writing. It's really hard to do that right now. I should just go get some weak reading glasses -- ones that work for my right eye, which doesn't focus much anyway. Cataracts, I guess.
Hope the right eye doesn't do the PVD thing soon. I don't want to be looking at floaters with both eyes. Having relatively clear vision with my right eye makes me appreciate how important that is, and how lucky I am to still have it.
discuss
|
|
Ed Cone - Re: Saturday, June 2, 2007
6/3/2007; 8:08:13 PM (reads: 1847, responses: 0)
|
|
|
Don't know if good thoughts help this specific condition, but they are emanating from Greensboro nonetheless.
discuss
|
|
JTH - Re: Saturday, June 2, 2007
6/4/2007; 3:32:45 AM (reads: 1900, responses: 0)
|
|
|
Hey Doc
Wishing you the best on this condition
Headed to get my eyes checked in the AM, but cause is losing my glasses
A week ago, took them off in the woods (was cutting firewood and using safety glasses). Warned myself not to loose them, but managed to do just that.
Managed to spend a couple hours moving about a ton of rock yesterday - trying to combine exercise and getting something done. A bit sore today, but that's all.
Will have family with me soon for birthday, a bit ahead of yours, but still thinking "young"
Again - best of luck on your condition
Ciao
Chip
discuss
|
|
Tom - PVD, PXF, and cataracts ... oh my
11/3/2007; 5:08:32 PM (reads: 2820, responses: 0)
|
|
|
Sounds like you've a lot going on. Now, to break these down:
1. PVD: a posterior vitreous detachment is very common. All that means is that the clear jello in your eye has liquified (happens to everyone with time) and turned watery. The floaters you are seeing is debris in this jello/water that is casting a shadow on the retina in the back of your eye. Don't be too concerned about floaters, but you SHOULD see your ophthalmologist (don't go to an optometrist for this) for a good dilated exam to examine your retina for tears or breaks.
2. Pseudoexfoliation syndrome: a benign finding primarily found in scandinavians. To see what this looks like under the microscope you may want to watch the short video here:
http://www.rootatlas.com/wordpress/video/652/severe-pseudoexfoliation-syndrome-video/
3. Cataracts: everyone gets them. They can be taken out if needed. Your pseudoexfoliation, however, will make surgery much more risky than ordinary, so I wouldn't mess with them unless your vision and glare are trully affecting with quality of life.
Cheers!
discuss
|
|
|
Copyright 2009 The Doc Searls Weblog
|
