infiltration

The doctor said my vision was really healthy in back, it was up front that she worried about.

In particular, what she called an "infiltration" that she saw while she was performing the eye exam. You may recall that I broke my glasses back in March while cleaning them. I was just casually walking down the steps wiping off the lenses when they snapped in half, right at the bridge. I liked those glasses despite the scratches on the lenses. They were funky and fit my personality—plus they were paid for. Now I was going to have to go get an exam and pick out new frames and lenses. That added up in my head real quick to lots of $$$. Shit...so I put it off. I have contacts. They would do. And they did, until yesterday.

I went in to just look around at the frames and set-up an appointment for an eye exam. I was hopeful that I could just do a walk-in exam, but wasn't counting on it. I found five frames that I liked and instantly wished Josh or my Mom were there to help me narrow down my choices. Lucky for me, the optician was fabulous and helped me narrow it down to two frames from which I picked the winning pair. They are fantastic—a semi-rimless blue metal framework with rectangular-shaped lenses. Not as heavy looking as my previous pair but still a little funky. As an added bonus, the blue metal intensifies the blue in my eyes—which are dark like the ocean, not light like the sky. And, they were able to see me that morning if I wanted.

Best eye exam I've ever had. I will never go to Eyeglass World again. Optivue (where I was today) was so thorough. The doctor did things I've never had done during an exam before—weird litmus-type strips she wiped across my eyes to see if my contacts were infecting them, drops that dilated my pupils so huge that it looked like I licked an entire field of toads, some sort of trick where she folded my eyelid up over a long q-tip to look at...I don't know, my entire eyeball I guess. It's a good thing that she was so educated too, because it was during the exam that she noticed the "infiltration".

More specifically, a Corneal Neovascularization. Does that clear things up for you? No? Alright, well in english it's when a bunch of white blood cells pool in your eye and create the potential for an ulcer. According to info I found on one website, "Corneal neovascularization describes new growth of, undesired blood vessels into the normally clear cornea. These blood vessels are a response to lack of oxygen or significant inflammation of the cornea. When such vascularization of the cornea is observed, it is important to attempt to diminish and hopefully stop this vascular growth. A common cause of neovascularization is over-wear or sleeping with contact lenses. When left uncontrolled, progressive corneal neovascularization may lead to diminished or lost vision."

So, yeah, I had to throw away the contacts I had been wearing—for far too long—and get drops that have to go in my eyes every 2 hours. Fun. The doctor seemed happy to have caught it at such an early stage and feels that the drops and me not wearing those contacts anymore will take care of the problem. I hope it does.

Anyway, my quick trip to check out some frames and set-up an appointment ended up being a 2.5 hour endeavor that left me a few hundred dollars poorer, without contacts, and with a prescription for some eye drops that cost $65 out of pocket, and a follow up visit. I have insurance so the prescription only cost $20, but still. That was my Monday. Not exactly what I had planned. They put a rush on my glasses and I should have them tomorrow. She also gave me a pair of contacts and today I'm wearing one in my right eye (it's the left that has the CNV). That's awesome. At least I can see a little...