Let's start with the medical news. I got a flu-type illness about 4 months ago with fever, body aches, headache, cough, etc. During that time, my eyes hurt quite a lot, especially when I woke up in the morning. They burned and stung and watered and felt gritty and as if someone had punched me in the eyeballs. They even woke me up in the night hurting. I also wasn't able to see as well. My vision was blurry, and I noticed that I was seeing double. I assumed that the eye stuff was related to the flu, but the flu went away and the eye stuff didn't. Then I noticed that the double vision was happening in just ONE EYE (the right one), which freaked me out a little. I had assumed it was related to my strabismus (crossed-eyes, managed in my case with prism in my lenses), but that sort of double vision is caused by the interaction between the eyes; it doesn't take place within ONE eye.
My medical provider recommended that I go see an eye specialist, so I went to the optometrist, a different one from the one I normally see, because I needed a next-day appointment to make sure nothing was seriously wrong and my normal place was full. The doctor told me that my prescription had changed significantly so I needed new glasses and that I had dry eyes. It didn't sit right with me that my prescription had changed that much in just the eight months since my last vision appointment, so I decided to see an ophthalmologist. That appointment was surprising!
It turns out I have two different kinds of cornea dystrophy that are affecting my vision!
The first one is Fuch's Corneal Dystrophy. The pump cells in the cornea die off and the cornea swells up and doesn't work the way it should. I am using saline eye drops to pull some of the moisture of of my swollen cornea and it has helped me see better. There is no permanent fix other than a cornea transplant (!!!) In my case, TWO corneal transplants because I have this condition in both eyes.
The second kind of dystrophy is called Epithelial Basement Membrane Dystrophy. This one has to do with cells on the outer layer of the cornea that grow wrong and cause the membrane to be thicker in some places, which of course affects vision. It also causes discomfort. The saline drops (hypertonic drops called Muro 128) help with this, too, but once again, they are not a cure. The cure for this condition is a laser procedure where the doctor/surgeon scrapes off the outer layer of the cornea so the cells can grow back properly. Again, I have this disorder in both eyes, so I will need this procedure in both eyes. Interestingly, my Dad had a very similar (some would say the same) dystrophy (it's genetic!) and he had the laser procedure that fixed it. He's had great vision since then, so that's hopeful.
This has been a bit to adjust to. I already have a number of other medical conditions to live with and manage, and most of them are under control or in remission, so I don't think much about them on a daily basis (outside of taking my thyroid and hormone med, plus carefully arranging my diet). Right now I'm putting drops in both eyes 4-5 times per day and still not seeing as well as I used to. Sometimes, such as when it's very humid, my vision is worse and my eyes hurt more. Driving is a bit harder, though I'm still legally able to drive. I continue to practice being more cautious, using all my car's safety tools (backup camera, side cameras, etc.), and which activities are likely to make my eyes most tired.
I don't want to think about the procedures and surgeries that will fix these conditions, but it is good to know they are available and that my difficulties are most likely fixable in this modern world.
I'm off to put in some eye drops . . .
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