Bogieblog

Trial Contacts December 2022

When I posted the picture from my eye doctor visit last week, I had totally forgotten some other news.

So this really starts last March, when I could tell there was a vision change in my right eye. Not horrible, but enough to be noticeable. I had an appointment in April and mentioned it then. There was no conclusive evidence then as to whether the power needs had changed, so we agreed to wait for my November appointment.

At my November appointment, it seemed as if the change was real. My left eye seemed as if it had changed too (although I had not noticed it and that eye changes throughout the day, so the visual test is a crap-shoot at best). Anyway, the doc ordered a set of trial lenses and I picked them up this past Friday. If you want a refresher on how much my left eye changed over the last couple of years, here is a link to a 2020 post.

Here is what my eyes were at for their worst acuity. They had been at the pictured powers for probably 15 years:

Once second cataracts formed in each eye, the acuity got better (I know, weird right?). The left eye developed the 2nd cataract before my right eye did, so it has changed the most the last 3-4 years.

Last year, the power for my left eye was 5.75 and for the right eye was 5.50. The trial lenses that I received Friday are at 5.50 and 5.25 (L-R)

Saturday I wore the trials and the right contact works well. The left, not so much (although not terrible - this just seems vaguely off). I'll give them another day or two and if the left still isn't happy, I will switch back to the 5.75 power to make sure my memory of that vision is correct.

Once I figure out the best combination, I'll let the doc know what prescription works best for each ey and then I can order 6 months of contacts.

November Pictures

On 11/20/2022, the Thanksgiving cactus was blooming. I found it strange, but pretty, that it decided to throw some white flowers instead of the usual salmon color I am used to

On the 29th of November, I had my bi-annual eye tests. I'm not sure how to read the pictures, but the doctor could see floaters, cataracts, keratoconus, "wrinkle" (in right eye from retinal tears), and blood vessel health (which we are watching for glaucoma). I didn't see the results from the visual field test, but she said they were holding steady compared to 6 months ago. Which for me means there is no evidence of macular degeneration or additional impairment from the 4 cataracts.

From the solar array monitoring app, this is the performance for the month of November.  It is plain to see which days were very cloudy (the blue lines show production). Two things to keep in mind: the energy independence is only for the time that it was producing (roughly half the month) and that I was away for 5 of those days so my energy use itself was lower than normal.

And some pictures that the pet-sitter sent after each visit

No pics of Rainey. Not surprised, and I had told the pet sitter she would not see Rainey at all - I would have been shocked if she had.

How Many Cataracts Can One Have?

I had a bi-annual eye testing session last Tuesday. It had been every 4 months, but got changed last fall as my eyes seemed to have stabilized. About 6-8 weeks ago I noticed that my right eye was suddenly not seeing as well - whether that was because it got better or got worse, was the question.

Well, first, my right eye has joined my left eye in having 2 cataracts. That's right, I now have a total of 4, whereas previously I had 3. Each eye has a regular cataract, as well as an anterior cataract.

Second, my right eye has developed an area that it does not see as well, according the the Visual Field test. The left eye has been like that for years, but it coincides with the anterior cataract, and has stayed stable. My right eye visual issue doesn't seem to be related to the anterior cataract.

Going from the looks of the optic nerve, and that the pressure in that eye has not increased, the doc does not believe that it has to do with developing glaucoma. She is hoping it is from developing dry eye (of which I have no symptoms). So, she has put me on a regiment of eye drops and an eye gel at night. I am supposed to go back for another VF test in 2-3 weeks to see if that helps (or at least the issue goes away). They didn't have any opening in that time frame  when I went to make an appointment. And the gal wouldn't book an available appointment for 4 weeks out,  so now I wait for a call telling me that there has been a cancellation.

Latest Eye News

I had another eye appointment about 10 days ago. This was scheduled for another visual field , more pictures and both eyes dilated (last time was in June). My right eye had been the one giving me problems, but about 4-6 weeks prior to this latest appointment, my left eye started acting up with flashers and new floaters. The corner flashers indicate posterior vitreous detachment (as I had in my right eye earlier in the year). And with those changes, that eye's acuity quite glaringly  changed.

The history of vision correction in my left eye is that it has gone between -7.00 & -7.50 power since forever. The vision fluctuates on a regular basis, even during different times of the day so the power of my contacts have just been whatever it tested during my yearly visits.

First pic is of 2017, 2nd is of 2018 (yes, I hold onto all my unused contacts because I'm a hoarder).

One would have expected last year, for my left contact to be one of those two powers, but with the development of a second, different type of cataract in that eye, it had gotten "better" as far as acuity went. -6.50 is a power that I seriously can't remember ever having for that eye; although I believe it would have been in my 30's or maybe in my 20's - I do know it went thru a period of instability in the late 90's.

I assumed the my recent vision change, that the corrective power needed to go back up. But, With the combination of issues, this visit showed another improvement in acuity at -5.75

My left eye is now almost as "good" as my right eye as far as corrective power is concerned. Now, I'm not so naive to think that it will improve further, or even keep these improvements as that is not how any of the conditions in that eye work - they can however, offer temporary improvement. So, the question is how long my contact prescription will be good for - a month, 3 months, 9 months, or even longer.

Bi-Annual Eye Check

For years I have had eye testing every 4 months as the pressure in my eyes has been elevated (19/20 right/left), which could be pre-glaucoma. In February, the pressure was down to 15/16 so my eye doctor decided I only needed to go in twice per year.

With kerataconus, permanent floaters in the left eye, cataracts in both eyes, and the high ocular pressure, I go thru extensive testing. A visual field is done yearly since with the previously mentioned problems, it would be difficult to tell if I was losing eyesight to macular degeneration (or glaucoma). The visual field was performed at my last visit, so wasn't done this time. This visit I went thru different types of deep eye scans and topical geometry scans, along with other routine tests.

Tuesday's testing revealed that my left eye has improved vision-wise. Which normally would be great news except:

• We can't trust improvement since my vision can change hour to hour.
• The improvement is most likely due to a second type of cataract that has formed in the left eye, so most likely won't be permanent as that cataract continues to develop.

Eye pressure has resumed at 19/20, which is not cause for added concern, just disappointing. The right eye cornea has thinned out a bit from previous tests, but is still okay at this point.

To add to the fun, the specialty contact brand/type I have worn for 20 years has been discontinued so all baselines for fit and orientation are out the window. The eye doctor ordered a trial pair of a different type of lens from the same brand. They came in quickly and I picked them up on Friday but didn't try them until yesterday. It is apparent to me that the left eye prescription is lacking, but it is just a distraction and not terrible or unexpected I'm guessing the adjustment up in strength probably will not go to my previous point. I'll get a better idea of how they perform when I drive to work in the dark Monday morning. That will be the true test on the orientation for both eyes - the prescription can be modified from there.

I am lucky to have an eye doctor who takes a lot of time with me, regardless of how busy she is. She explains things in general, what her thoughts are,  and if I have questions, is happy to go more in depth (although she has generally given me "just enough" info that I don't feel the need).

Not Funny

I got an email (from a person whose identity shall remain a mystery) that had a picture taken of a sticker showing an android peeing on an apple logo.

I'm not a fan of "peeing" stickers. Never understood the Calvin sticker, and certainly don't get the android sticker. Don't find either of them even remotely funny.

Just sayin'.

New Glasses

After 12 or 13 years I finally got new glasses. I wear contacts almost exclusively, because of my Keratoconus, but need something as a backup for when I can't wear them (like in the mornings). My old glasses are okay for that job, but my eyes have changed quite a bit and I can't see distance as well, and I certainly can't read in them. However, I can see the computer screen quite well with them, so up to this point they have done the job.

I went in Monday to look at frames and order glasses. Looking at frames is a mis-nomer, whatever seemed to fit well off the shelf is good enough. The lady helping me asked if I wanted Progressives. I said I had no clue what Progressives were. She took that to mean I just wanted the basic prescription and not the bi-focal part. No, I assured her, the main reason I want to get new glasses so I can read if I need to (something about having whatever it is I'm trying to read jammed up to within 2" of my eyeball just doesn't work too well). I explained that I wore contacts to help correct a condition, and the glasses are only for when I can't wear contacts. So once I got that straightened out (by the way, she never actually explained Progressives, I just assumed by her reaction that means bi-focal type lenses) she went on to a few more questions.

"Do you want the special anti-glare coating?" she asked. "No."

"But it will keep you from getting halos while driving at night," she she said in her best you really need this voice. "No, I don't drive at night with my glasses because I get halos, stars, ghosts, smears and waterfalls. It is way to dangerous for me to try with all that going on - that is what my contacts help correct."

Yesterday I picked the new glasses up, and I wore my old glasses in, just so I could tell if I could see out of the new ones. The lady said that this would be quite the change in looks for me, and was quite taken aback when I said that I would only be wearing them when I can't wear my contacts. "Oh, like at night?" she inquired.

"Uh, no, like in the morning before I put in my contacts." [does she think I just wake up and pop in the contacts before doing anything else? After all, it is quite evident from my perscription and from the thickness of the lenses that I can't see anything further than a couple of inches without correction.]

She wanted to adjust them behind my ears because they are "loose". Everytime someone has done that, they end up sending shooting pains into my skull, so I declined. They really aren't loose and stay in place fine when I look down, so there isn't any issue there.

Then she wanted to put my old glasses in the case so I could wear my new glasses home. Um, no, I'm putting in my contacts, but thanks anyway. And I sat right there and put in my contacts (obviously, I had brought everything I needed with me). I think I also flabberghasted her because I never once looked in the mirror to see how they looked.

Contact Trial One

The first pair of trial contacts was not successful. I left work for 2 hours in the morning to try them and have the doc check out the fit and my vision. The first thing I noticed was that the vision in my left eye was noticeably worse than with my present pair of contacts. With the Snellen test, it was also shown that I see worse with my right eye (and I see the chart better than my actual functional vision is).

The doc said he wanted me to try them for a couple of weeks anyway because it might just be a case of my having to get used to that particular type and fit (plus, the machine said I should be getting good vision even if I couldn't see the barn when it was whirring about).

While I ws driving back to work, it felt like I got a piece of lint in my left eye. Fine, as soon as I got to work, I took out the contact, washed it off with saline, and re-inserted it. It felt better for abot 10 minutes, then the lint feeling again. Usually, if I let it go, small debris will eventually wash itself out, so I tried to ignore it. After about an hour, I tried washing the contact off again.

It felt better for a while, then the debris sensation again. I let it go, then after an hour or so, washed off the contact. At that point, I noticed both the upper and lower eyelids had slight swelling. The rims of my left eyelid were also turning red.

Time to call the doc.

They weren't really thrilled to hear from me on a Friday afternoon, especially since it would take me about 40 minutes to ge there, but they had me come in anyway. After looking at things, the doc decided I should go back to my old contacts and he would order a different type for me to try.

This is coming at a bad time. I took 4 hours off of work on Friday at a time when I needed to put in extra time (only put in 7 hours instead of the 11-12 I had planned). I only have 2 1/2 more weeks to get everything in order and I was hoping that long hours during the week would keep me from having to go in on the weekends.

That was wishfull thinking!

No Pressure

At my last annual exam, the pressure in my right eye was elevated, so I had to go back in last week to monitor the pressure. Thankfully, the pressure is back down to normal. However, the elvation in pressure apparently left its mark. For the the last 3 months I have had problems with my right contact; feeling as if an edge is lifted and hitting my eyelid along other comfort problems - with soft contacts (and no, it isn't turned inside out - this has been thru 3 sets of contacts).

I first started wearing this type/brand of contacts in 2000. However, there are new contacts on the market, and we are going to try a different type to see if it helps.

For my left eye, which is my bad eye, there is the possibility that I would be able to see better out of the newer contacts, because they can power them higher. My understanding, which is most likely imperfect, is that the main reason we went with the last type of contacts was because they were the only ones that the doc could get (at the time) that were powerful enough to get my left eye to see as well as it does (anywhere from 20/40 to 20/60). Of course, docs have thought they could get my left eye to see better before, and it hasn't happened, so I will find out when the contacts come in. 

I expect it to be a week or two before the new set is in, and I'll report back then.

New KC Site

I have been remiss in pointing out this new Keratoconus forum. It is very new, so not many people have posted yet, but it looks like the curator took some care to make it readable and to cover most of the concerns of KCers.

Once again, that is Keratoconus International.