Tuesday, October 19, 2010

No more cloud in sight! PART 2

Continuation from Part 1..

In late 2009. I started noticing that my sight had become cloudy, especially in bright light. I searched up the net for a picture that would describe what it was like most accurately, I found this:


Some parts were clear but the center of my sight was very blurry and cloudy.
It felt like my contact lens were dirty but even after I changed to a new one, it was still cloudy and blurred. I started to search up in the net and was kinda convinced that it was cataracts. I started worrying even more when I couldn't see what was the number of the bus I usually catch. I could only tell whether it was 504 or 940 when it's realllyyyy close. So I just stopped any bus and get on it because it would be embarrassing if I didn't get on the bus I stopped lol. I can go to uni both ways anyway.

I searched up wikipedia and other websites and it said that using steroid based creams relate to developing cataracts. And that's when I immediately suspect that my eye problem was because of my eczema cream.
I went to an optometrist and she said "No, no it's not cataracts! You're still too young! It's just astigmatism!" She gave me some trial astigmatism contact lenses but I found them not helping at all! I then tried to ignore the problem and continue with uni and life.

Well into 2010, I really had difficulties with my eyes, the cloud just got worse. During labs I couldn't measure the transparent water or other transparent fluids in measuring cylinders because the light in labs are bright. Using pipettes were a nuisance and I sometimes embarrassingly need to ask the person next to me to check if it was the right dosage. I couldn't copy down answers in bright light. And in the pharmacy, I couldn't read the instructions behind the medicine boxes, making it hard to give quick answers to customers. One of the pharmacist also taught me how to dispense medications but I couldn't really see the computer screen, so I proceeded very slow. It was so embarrassing.

Basically, the cataract was TROUBLESOME!

One day, I told myself: that's it! I'm gonna need to get it checked! So Shawn accompanied me to an optometrist in Karawara. The optometrist there confirmed that it was cataracts and it was a rare sort. It's not located on the surface of my lens, but instead in the middle of the lens. Therefore, simple laser slicing of the top part is not possible and he referred me to an ophthalmologist. Before that, I partly suspected hat it was cataracts but I partly hoped that it wasn't. I went home crying on that day because the later option was wrong.

My grandma had a cataract removal surgery with Dr. Ian Constable form Lions Eye Institute. Therefore my mum brought me there too. I was pretty scared about it because I had never gone under the knife before!
The surgery was early in the morning at 7 am.

The anesthetist was very friendly! He asked me what course I do at uni and I told him I do pharmacy. I also told him that  I was missing a lab session on that day. So he started telling me all the names and functions of the drugs that he put into the canula that was injected on my left hand. After all was done he said "See, you didn't miss out on learning stuff today!" and I just laughed xD

My bed was rolled a short distance to the operating theater. It was like in movies! I saw the ceiling lights rushed past over my head as the bed moved.

This is a diagram of the type
of artificial lens inserted
to my right eye.
The operation was amazingly fast. I fell asleep and then I kinda woke up a bit towards the end. I saw the blurry Dr Constable and I don't know if I imagined it or not, I saw his hand holding a lens. Then everything went black and I can feel something pushed from the right side of my eye. I think it hurt a tiny bit, but not really. Then I felt someone stripping off a large sticker off my face (it felt like someones waxing my face lol). Then someone wipe an alcohol like (probably antiseptic) liquid on my face with a tissue. Then that's it!
I was rolled back out and woke up feeling refreshed lol.

Crazy right. I had a shield covering the eye for a couple of days and then it got taken off and everything was CLEAR. Like crazy. I even got headaches from it.

So yah. :) I'm now (as a friend's brother said) a bionic eyed girl.
Even thought it was pretty sad I got cataracts from the cream that was suppose to help me with eczema, I'm pretty thankful cos at least now I have better sight. Also, the artificial eye will NEVER get cataracts anymore the doctor said. And eventually if someone lives long enough, they will get cataracts apparently. So i got an early surgery hehe..

THE END

PS: Careful for those using eczema creams not to use it near your eyes!!!!!!!!

2 comments:

Cass said...

Gosh, it must've been hard to get by with blurry vision for months like that. And then finding out you needed surgery for cataracts...that must've been scary :S I wouldve been scared...never had an operation before. They put a cannula on your hand? Just wondering, coz when I had a cannula, I had it on my arm, where they usually do a blood test.

MOnster a.k.a monica said...

Yeah it was pretty bad. But it's okay now! My left eye is still like that a bit but at least now I can rely on my right eye :)
Yeah! They put it on the back of my hand. I think they insert it on the vein there. I have no idea what's the difference. Maybe some medications are better administered on the person's arm or hand.