Saturday 19 May 2007

I guess I'll have to do it in my sunglasses now.

On Friday we fancied a day trip to Sissinghurst garden, but I just had to pop into the optician on the way. When I told them about the funny little tadpole shapes that were swimming before my eyes all hell broke out. Stingy stuff was squirted into my eyes. I was puffed and peered at, the hospital was phoned, a letter pushed into my bleary hand and, with my husband driving, off I went to the eye hospital as a medical emergency.

Once at the hospital I had to sit on a special red chair and wait. A few more medical emergencies arrived and we were called one by one to have more stingy stuff squirted into our eyes. We sat together on our red chairs, with dilated eyes, like a row of bush babies on speed. By now I was peering through pupils the size of saucers but I was being very brave. Apparently in past times women would put belladonna in their eyes to dilate the pupils and look more alluring. It certainly wouldn’t have worked for me.

I was seen quite quickly by a lovely bearded doctor, who, to my confused vision , looked remarkably like my husband, only more patient and stern. After much puffing, prodding and peering I was told I had a bleeding eyeball (that's roughly what I was thinking by this time...) but nothing important was detached. I’d have known more of what he was talking about if I’d paid attention in biology lessons, but in those days they never taught the really interesting stuff and pictures of eyes still make me go all squidgey inside.

Apparently it will clear up in a couple of weeks in the meantime sunglasses might help. Today the tadpoles have turned into a sort of grey cobweb, so I guess that’s progress. When I asked the doctor what I could have done to cause it, he replied without a hint of humour, ‘grown older’. Not a nice thing to say to a woman facing a birthday. I replied , ‘Oh wailey, wailey’ and he showed me the door.

8 comments:

Wizzard said...

Poor you. I hate going to the opticians for my six-monthly contact lens checkup - they always put that yellow stuff in my eyes which then means I cant put my lenses back in so I have to try and walk round with my specs on - not easy.
Hope the cobwebs go soon

Un Peu Loufoque said...

I have had flaoters for years and wentr to teh oprician recently ready to have glasses but he tells me all is ok...ehy alwasy remind me of those drawings of ameba flaoting round.. just think how alluring you will look in shades!

Pondside said...

Poor you - there I was reading your first line re Sissinghurst and thinking "Lucky her"and then went on to read how your day went to He%# in a handcart. I'm glad to hear that it is nothing serious, nevertheless it must be annoying for you. I hope it all passes soon and that you can wear dark glasses just for show!

Eden said...

Gosh how frightening. Glad it wasn't a detached retina or worse. What a mercy. The dilated pupils do sound alluring though. too bad they will be hid behind shades.

MaidofKent said...

Nasty thing to happen to you, glad it's not a detachment and is just because you're getting old ( sorry I HAD to say it )
Me too admittedly, wailey, wailey indeed.

LITTLE BROWN DOG said...

Poor you - what an unpleasant experience! I always hate it when I go to the optician and have that puffy thing blown into my eyes. Hope the cobwebs disappear very soon.

JacquiMcR said...

Oh, I know exactly how you feel. My eyes have been rebelling against my contact lenses all week and I've been forced to wear my specs, even though I desperately need new ones (on my "to do" list).

I hate when they puff air into your eyes, mine always water like mad.

Take care - Jacqui x

Pondside said...

Hi again - thanks for your comments on my blogs! In answer to your question, we do get bears, but I haven't seen one near our house. My neighbours have a small ornamental pond and the bears visit it every year.
Sometimes I just want a normal garden without the wildlife, but mostly I enjoy the peace and quiet.