More Eye Things

I had my yearly appt with my retina doctor last Tuesday and I didn't write about it, but I'm going to for my own documentation.

She answered a lot of questions and in general made me feel better about things, mostly.

Thing One: I still have a teeny tiny hemorrhage in my left eye, but she isn't worried about it. Says it's probably still from surgery.  I have another eye dr appt in March so we'll just wait until then.

Thing Two: I am using my multi-focal contact in the left eye, and it is much, much better than soft lenses but I do have light scatter- significant light scatter- and I don't wear the lens at night at all.
During the day it is fine and it is good at work as well so in that sense it is successful. I asked my dr about the light scatter and he said he didn't know... It's also a neuro-adaptive adjustment to switch between close range and distance.  I guess there is always some compromise in distance vision.

I asked him if the lens is correct and this is just how they are, or does it need an adjustment? He said it could be either one, give it a little while.

I have just received the bill for my new lenses- the right one (high minus correction only) is not a multifocal and costs $60 which is normal.

Oh my gosh the multifocal lens is $200!! I'm very careful with my contacts but losing this one would be pretty bad.  And I'm not getting a backup; it is too expensive.  But it is still less expensive than glasses and I can wear this same lens for at least a couple of years.

I can wear it plein airing but for indoor sketchbook work I don't wear it- distance is too blurry due to either the lighting or switching back and forth all the time. I have been using half-size readers instead to look back and forth which is a better solution for optimal vision while arting indoors.

Thing Three: Flares. I still have flares on certain lights. I would love for them to go away completely. Maybe they are lessening but if so but it is too gradual to notice.  So I asked my retina dr about them and she said it could be a phenomenon of the implant...which could also be causing the light scatter off the hard lens. And I still have occasional bubbles circling the perimeter of my eye... the photopsia.  My implant is made of acrylic.  I asked her if  the material made a difference (some implants are silicone) and she said no.  She also said an acrylic implant is much better for someone with retina issues, silicone would not be advised for me.

The flares might go away or I might have to live with them.  A lot of people have many months' adjustment after surgery; I guess I'm one of them. The good news is it often does get better over time so I will remain hopeful because I don't like the flares.

She also said even if it was available for me, a multifocal implant would have made me crazy and I would have made them take it out.  She said that has happened with some of her patients who insisted on a multifocal implant.  She said that people with retina issues can't ever find the right place to focus.

So all those what-ifs floating around in my mind were laid to rest, I know the implant is the best one currently available to me.  My retina doctor was extremely pleased and surprised at how good my vision is after surgery- she said outright she wasn't expecting such a good result. My left eye- with NO correction! reads 20/50 plus 3 on the 20/40 line.

I asked her if there is still time for my eye to settle down further after surgery, even though three months is considered healed and she said yes,  So that's good.

I'm DONE with eye stuff until March.  I'm not dealing with it anymore. I'm tired of it.

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I can't believe I did that night time plein airing a month after surgery! My vision was still really messed up and I wasn't adjusted or healed!!  It was much worse than what it is now!  I can't believe I did that crazy night painting!