I have mismatched eyes. One pupil, when in dim light, is larger than the other. I was born that way. I am sure if I’m ever in a car accident where I am unconscious, they will look at my eyes and go “uh-oh, brain damage.”
The other way in which they are mismatched is the prescription. One is fairly good, though no longer perfect. The other is fairly bad, but not so bad that I couldn’t legally drive with a patch over my good eye. It is an odd eye with something like an astigmatism, though the doctors have always been fairly vague about it, like they’re not sure. They can’t fix it with lenses, though they can make it better a bit. My most recent doctor mentioned that there’s probably some atrophy of the nerves back there, that part of the vision problem is that my brain has forgotten how to process stuff from that eye. Odds are, she said, I should have had a patch growing up, to strengthen the weak eye. But the thing is, I had 20/20 vision until my senior year in high school, when I noticed that things on a stage several hundred feet away looked a wee bit blurry out of the right eye. When I tell them that, they just go hmmph and hand me my bill.
But that’s just background. The riddle is this: a few months ago, I started getting headaches and wooziness, usually after reading or looking at a computer monitor for extended periods. I have had this reaction before, and it means it’s time to get a new prescription. However, I had had one not so long before, 6 months, maybe more. I usually go a couple years between prescriptions.
This time, I got a new prescription, but the difference was slight, and I was still getting headaches and dizzy spells.
Except one day I left my glasses at home accidentally, and no headaches or dizzy spells.
I’ve had them off for most of a week now, and I’ve been fine.
I’ve never really needed the glasses to see, I’ve always worn them to avoid getting headaches, which is what used to happen when I didn’t wear glasses.
I don’t get it. I guess I’ll just learn braille and be done with the whole business.
Hey, I’m no expert. Nevermind. Who am I kidding? I am an expert on headaches and vision and wooziness and what to do. That’s not something to monkey around with.
I have an excellent neurophthalmologist. Her name is Nancy Canter Weiner and she’s at Piedmont.
Hmmm.
I guess I better start the long process that will lead to a referral to a neurophthalmologist.
On the bright side, neurophthalmologist is fun to say, and type.
The joy of the PPO is that I can willynilly refer myself to any specialist I want to see.
Only I don’t. I referred myself to Dr. Nancy because I’d had a headache for 37 days. I actually thought she was just a neurologist, but turns out she was just who I needed.
It’s a mystery…
…the human biological machine is.
Re: It’s a mystery…
Indeed.
I’ll call Scooby-Doo.
Where did you get your prescription/glasses?
Real, stand alone Dr’s office, with a sign on the door that says something like “Dr. Ooobleflotz, Optometrist, Opthamologist.” Or a Doc in a Box like Lenscrafters or Pearl?
If the latter, you might want to try the former. An office that is not going to try to shave $3 off the cost of grinding your lenses might give you better results.
Josie and I go to Colony Square Eyecare (two independent Docs.) Who seem to do pretty well.
Re: Where did you get your prescription/glasses?
I go to a Doc in the Box at Lenscrafters up here in Roswell.
I had tried to find an independant sort, but each ended in dismal failure. One guy gave me a prescription so far off it was like looking through those glass squares people use in construction/interior design.
The folks at the Doc in a Box seem like they knew what they were doing. They did all the standard tests “1… or 2?” and this fancy new eyeball photography thing where I got to see an image of the inside of my eyeball.
Perhaps if I took the same prescription to a different sort of glasses house?
Re: Where did you get your prescription/glasses?
Might not be a bad idea. Go somewhere that uses dedicated lab. Perhaps even one that takes more than an hour. “My vision is so important that I care less about quality than speed” Doesn’t really make sense to me.
Re: Where did you get your prescription/glasses?
I really don’t want you to get me started on the evils of places like Lenscrafters. Really, really, really.
Re: Where did you get your prescription/glasses?
Boy I sure loves me some lenscrafters, oh yes. I can’t think of a single thing wrong with ’em, nope.
[ed. note – I’m getting you started]
Re: Where did you get your prescription/glasses?
1. You can get better lenses elsewhere. Much, much better lenses.
2. Their frame selection sucks.
3. You need an opthalmologist. I recommend Eugene Gabianelli, even if, especially if, you’re not a candidate for Lasik.
4. You need an excellent lens and frame fitter for optimum visual acuity. I recommend Planet Eyewear & Juice Bar. Pricey, but the best in the business. No, really. And they’ll make you a smoothy. And send you out with Pentax lenses that will make you realize what you’ve been missing all these years.
I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t mean to encourage.
This is the trouble with being a rock star.
Have you tried “shoo, shoo”? That works with crows, sometimes.
Not a rebuke. It occurs to me, however, that it’s an excellent example of a time to *cough* *cough* *cough* but NOT to employ Wild Hand Gestures(TM).
Check.
*cough* *cough* *cough*
(puts hands carefully in pockets without sudden movements)
Hey, have you thought of calling Tommy?
(BTW, Glenn taught me of screening posts, which I have done. We are in the Dome of Silence)
This Glenn knows everything, doesn’t he?
I don’t know how to screen posts. But I like that dome thing, I do. It makes me feel all covert.
If you look at a comment, there are these little icons next to the date. An “X”, a “box” and a eyeball with a line through it. If you click on the eyeball, then only the original poster and the commenter in question can see the comment.
Yes, Glenn knows everything. He has one of those “memories” I’ve been hearing so much about.
I would call Tommy, but I would need a seance to do so, and a happy medium is so hard to find.
Oh. Oops.
Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?
Huh. I don’t see those little things, but I’ll assume he’s not reading here.
He went to the stinky plant thing. Afterward he held out his hand as though to shake hands, so I was going to shake his hand. He dragged me into a very awkward and unwanted hug. I stiff-armed him. I didn’t mind him going to the stinky plant thing at all, but good grief. My skin is creeping now. Ack.
Ewww.
Perhaps the aroma of the stinky plant overwhelmed his sense so he wasn’t himself.
He offered to come help me do something at my house. For one thing, ick. For another, vomit. This was a month or so ago. He keeps remarking that he probably lives near me, and asked if I’d keep his piano for him. Um, no.
Who is sirinek? Go smack that person. Here I am, trying to prevent an anxiety outbreak over this interview and he’s driving the damn monkey to the airport. Argh.
Oh me oh my. This is why Glenn advised me to take my IM username off my profile, because, well, ya nevah know.
I don’t know who this sirinek is, but you are right. That’s simply no way to encourage someone. Even if he has egg on his tie, you should say “Interviewers love egg! It shows you have a healthy breakfast every morning, and are engergized to work through the day!”
You will note that there is no indication of how to reach me in my user info for that very reason. I am fine with most people on my friends list knowing how to reach me, and am, indeed, hiding in plain sight, but good grief.
I could really just smack that person. Really.
Is that your only stalker? Or is there anyone else I should cough about?
*smack* Done and done.
I don’t believe anyone else is having fond thoughts about me, so you’re probably safe not coughing.
Okay. I’ll keep cough drops at the ready.
Though, you know, those things don’t really help you cough very much. They probably should be labeled anti-cough drops.
Yeah, for assistance coughing, you actually need clove cigarettes. But then you’ll have to wear a beret and everyone will think you’re pretentious. Best probably to just fake cough.
I reckon I can swing that. I am a professional improvisor, you know. Coughing on cue is part of the rigorous training involved therein.
When I was little I could vomit on cue if I didn’t want to do something. But I had to quit it when my mother announced that she would no longer be cleaning up my throw up.
Um. I’m eating lunch here.
Ewww.
I had no way of knowing you’d be dining at the ungodly hour of two in the afternoon, you know.
Fortunately this is not a common talent in children, so yours might spare you that particular joy.
Folks around here don’t think too much of interrupting you when you’re eating at your desk. Which is one of the many reasons I like eating out instead of bringing from home.
From each child comes their own unique joy, I’ll wager.