A few weeks ago, I ran out of contacts and in order to get a refill, I had to renew my eye prescription. I went to my normal eye check up and this time, the doctor told me that she saw a little hole in my right eye and to get it checked out asap by an eye specialist. Not thinking it was a huge urgency, the first appointment I could get in with a specialist was two weeks later. The doctor took pictures and then looked with a light deep into my eye and said “oh noooooo, there is something very bad going on in your eye.” He then told me to cancel anything I had going on. I asked if i could take my clients at the gym and he said "you will cancel any plans you have going on do you hear me???”. Then he explained that my retina is detaching from my eye and that I needed to have immediate surgery or I would go blind. Hearing those words, I couldn’t help but to cry in disbelief.
A retinal detachment is an emergency situation in which a thin layer of tissue (the retina) at the back of the eye pulls away from its normal position. Retinal detachment separates the retinal cells from the layer of blood vessels that provides oxygen and nourishment. The longer retinal detachment goes untreated, the greater risk permanent vision loss in the affected eye. If the retina had detached all the way through, I would have gone blind forever, it wasn't something that laser, contacts, or glasses could fix. The doctor said it had been at least 4-6 months of detachment. Which is crazy because I never knew anything was wrong!
The doctor kept saying over and over that If I care about my eye, I am to immediately go directly to Emory Hospital and get this taken care of. He then wrote me up a note and said that when they read it they WILL get me in. I was then directed to not to eat or drink anything so that I may have surgery today if they were able to schedule in. He said nothing else matters at this point, but your eye. After giving me the address to the hospital, he reassured me that I would be fine if I get this taken care of right now.
When I got to Emory Hospital, I gave them the note and the secretary went to the back office and then gave me paper work to fill out. Ten minutes later they called my name. About 4 doctors looked into my eye and all had the same gut-wrenching reaction. I was hoping that one might say it was a mistake. Everyone was so surprised I had this happen to me at my age..its usually something that happens to older people, but there is a small percentage that it can happen to near-sighted people as well (under 10 percent). I was just one of the unlucky few. The last doctor that looked at my eye explained that I was to undergo surgery tomorrow morning because there were no openings left for the day. The surgeons' assistant then came in and explained the type of surgery I was going to go through the very next morning. They were going to put me asleep and laser my left eye to prevent it from happening. The right eye with detachment used a procedure with a “Scleral Buckle” to reattach the retina.
The next morning, I went in for pre-op as they put in an IV and asked me all these questions and explained the surgery. The last thing I remember is getting wheeled into the cold, bright surgery room and then waking up with a patch over my right eye. I was so relieved it was over. Now it is time to recover. My eye may be be red and swollen for the next month or two, but I prevented my eye from going blind. All I can say is, THANK GOD!!!
I cannot imagine how much my life would change if I had gone blind in my right eye. I am beyond thankful that it was caught in time to save it. ALWAYS make sure you get your regular check ups for your eyes, or anything for that matter. You never know what problems you can correct or prevent from permanent damage.M-EYE Story
A few weeks ago, I ran out of contacts and in order to get a refill, I had to renew my eye prescription. I went to my normal eye check up and this time, the doctor told me that she saw a little hole in my right eye and to get it checked out asap by an eye specialist. Not thinking it was a huge urgency, the first appointment I could get in with a specialist was two weeks later. The doctor took pictures and then looked with a light deep into my eye and said “oh noooooo, there is something very bad going on in your eye.” He then told me to cancel anything I had going on. I asked if i could take my clients at the gym and he said "you will cancel any plans you have going on do you hear me???”. Then he explained that my retina is detaching from my eye and that I needed to have immediate surgery or I would go blind. Hearing those words, I couldn’t help but to cry in disbelief.
A retinal detachment is an emergency situation in which a thin layer of tissue (the retina) at the back of the eye pulls away from its normal position. Retinal detachment separates the retinal cells from the layer of blood vessels that provides oxygen and nourishment. The longer retinal detachment goes untreated, the greater risk permanent vision loss in the affected eye. If the retina had detached all the way through, I would have gone blind forever, it wasn't something that laser, contacts, or glasses could fix. The doctor said it had been at least 4-6 months of detachment. Which is crazy because I never knew anything was wrong!
The doctor kept saying over and over that If I care about my eye, I am to immediately go directly to Emory Hospital and get this taken care of. He then wrote me up a note and said that when they read it they WILL get me in. I was then directed to not to eat or drink anything so that I may have surgery today if they were able to schedule in. He said nothing else matters at this point, but your eye. After giving me the address to the hospital, he reassured me that I would be fine if I get this taken care of right now.
When I got to Emory Hospital, I gave them the note and the secretary went to the back office and then gave me paper work to fill out. Ten minutes later they called my name. About 4 doctors looked into my eye and all had the same gut-wrenching reaction. I was hoping that one might say it was a mistake. Everyone was so surprised I had this happen to me at my age..its usually something that happens to older people, but there is a small percentage that it can happen to near-sighted people as well (under 10 percent). I was just one of the unlucky few. The last doctor that looked at my eye explained that I was to undergo surgery tomorrow morning because there were no openings left for the day. The surgeons' assistant then came in and explained the type of surgery I was going to go through the very next morning. They were going to put me asleep and laser my left eye to prevent it from happening. The right eye with detachment used a procedure with a “Scleral Buckle” to reattach the retina.
The next morning, I went in for pre-op as they put in an IV and asked me all these questions and explained the surgery. The last thing I remember is getting wheeled into the cold, bright surgery room and then waking up with a patch over my right eye. I was so relieved it was over. Now it is time to recover. My eye may be be red and swollen for the next month or two, but I prevented my eye from going blind. All I can say is, THANK GOD!!!
I cannot imagine how much my life would change if I had gone blind in my right eye. I am beyond thankful that it was caught in time to save it. ALWAYS make sure you get your regular check ups for your eyes, or anything for that matter. You never know what problems you can correct or prevent from permanent damage.
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