Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Oh say, can I see?
The rheumatologist I saw last week may have been a jerk, but he was right to refer me to an optometrist to get my visual field checked. Because I have to take Plaquenil for the Sjogren's, there is always a small chance it can permanently affect my vision, so I have to be monitored regularly for any changes. I had my appointment with the optometrist today.
While I was there, I also did the usual annual checkup. Luckily, my distance vision is approximately the same as it was a year ago, about 20/40 I think. And my reading ability continues to be excellent.
We talked about how my eyes are doing in terms of the Sjogren's. On the plus side, now that I'm in a more humid climate, I no longer get stray eyelashes and the like stuck to my eyeballs. On the downside, I have more itching and foreign body sensation in my eyes than I did when I lived in Denver.
I was surprised to find out that optometrists can write prescriptions. I thought only opthalmologists could do that. So I was relieved when the doc agreed to refill my Restasis and that I won't have to see a separate doc for that.
The visual field test is rather surreal. While one eye is covered, you look at a yellow beam of light which is completely surrounded by a white background, and you hold a clicker sort of like a computer mouse in your hand. Every time a white dot blinks in your peripheral vision, you press the clicker, and a computer records the result.
Only problem with the test is that the white lights get fainter and flash quicker, and after a certain point, you are no longer certain that you saw them or were just imagining them. This is normal, but it is also very annoying, and when you finish the test, you can swear you still see little blinking spots in the room around you. Luckily, I did just fine on the test and don't need to be checked again for another year.
The doc also examined the retinas and noted that they are thin from when I was extremely near-sighted before my LASIK surgery. I have a small tear in the retina on the right eye. It is unlikely that I will develop any major problems from this, but the doc told me about the symptoms of retinal detachment so that if I experience them, I will know to call her right away.
Other than the little retina thing, my eyes are in excellent shape. My next appointment will be in six months for a standard exam and to make sure the Restasis is still working for me. Glad to have that out of the way.
Driving home was no picnic, though, because my eyes had been dilated for the exam, and they don't usually go back to normal for several hours afterward. Even with sunglasses and the visor down in the car, I thought I was gonna go blind! And my neck is sore from holding my head in place on various machine for a total of an hour and a half or so.
But if I wanted to, I could easily see the dawn's early light. Yay.
While I was there, I also did the usual annual checkup. Luckily, my distance vision is approximately the same as it was a year ago, about 20/40 I think. And my reading ability continues to be excellent.
We talked about how my eyes are doing in terms of the Sjogren's. On the plus side, now that I'm in a more humid climate, I no longer get stray eyelashes and the like stuck to my eyeballs. On the downside, I have more itching and foreign body sensation in my eyes than I did when I lived in Denver.
I was surprised to find out that optometrists can write prescriptions. I thought only opthalmologists could do that. So I was relieved when the doc agreed to refill my Restasis and that I won't have to see a separate doc for that.
The visual field test is rather surreal. While one eye is covered, you look at a yellow beam of light which is completely surrounded by a white background, and you hold a clicker sort of like a computer mouse in your hand. Every time a white dot blinks in your peripheral vision, you press the clicker, and a computer records the result.
Only problem with the test is that the white lights get fainter and flash quicker, and after a certain point, you are no longer certain that you saw them or were just imagining them. This is normal, but it is also very annoying, and when you finish the test, you can swear you still see little blinking spots in the room around you. Luckily, I did just fine on the test and don't need to be checked again for another year.
The doc also examined the retinas and noted that they are thin from when I was extremely near-sighted before my LASIK surgery. I have a small tear in the retina on the right eye. It is unlikely that I will develop any major problems from this, but the doc told me about the symptoms of retinal detachment so that if I experience them, I will know to call her right away.
Other than the little retina thing, my eyes are in excellent shape. My next appointment will be in six months for a standard exam and to make sure the Restasis is still working for me. Glad to have that out of the way.
Driving home was no picnic, though, because my eyes had been dilated for the exam, and they don't usually go back to normal for several hours afterward. Even with sunglasses and the visor down in the car, I thought I was gonna go blind! And my neck is sore from holding my head in place on various machine for a total of an hour and a half or so.
But if I wanted to, I could easily see the dawn's early light. Yay.
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