So today I finally went to get my eyes checked after three long years. The recommended interval being about 2 years at maximum. My prescription hadn't changed much which wasn't much of a surprise as I didnt' notice any obvious changes either in my day to day function.
The really shocker though is the process I had to go through to get my eye pressure assessed and to get my retina examined. There were two solutions. One was to dilate my pupils. Suddenly, my vision was somewhat fuzzy and the bright lights of the office really stung my eyes. My optometrist was quite professional and did inform me of the effects of the drops before hand.
After a detailed retinal examination with the opthalmoscope, she told me that I had a cupped optic nerve which was likely normal. In the near future, she would like to do visual field testing (best done when I could actually see more precisely) and to use a optic scanner which essentially take a detailed picture of each of my retina. A second solution of topical anesthetic and fluoroscene solution was next added. Wow....so weird to be able to touch our eye ball with your whole thumb and not feel anything. My eye pressure is low which means no glaucoma.
I then put on the darkest pair of sunglasses I had and drove home on what is probably one of the hottest and sunniest days of the summer to lock myself in my dark basement until the solutions wear off....probably in the next hour. Can't really do much else as my visual accomodation does not allow my to read at present and I really don't think I can cut veggies when I can barely focus on this computer monitor. It is amazing how much our lives depend on our vision (and good vision at that). Society has certainly taken this seriously as there is a whole field of medicine dedicated to the eye: ophthalmology. But why eye exams no longer part of the public health care plan in Ontario! Outrageous!
