It Seems That My Senses Are All Starting to Fail...

[Kathi]

I went for my eye exam yesterday. I was feeling great because the doc told me that the macular of my eye is healthy (my mom and her mom have/had macular degeneration and lost most of their sight). Then doc says, 'I need to talk to you about something...). She said that I have 'narrow angles' (where the fluid drains from the inner eye through where the cornea and iris meet) and that this could lead to one of the worst kind of glaucoma. I did not have this last year or she missed it. Needless to say, I am very upset. She referred me to a retina/vitreous specialist. She did not diagnose glaucoma --just narrow angles. My pressures on the actual glaucoma test where within healthy/normal ranges. Another thing that age brings on. She said that after the specialist she referred me to is done with the evaluation, I may need to have laser surgery to put a small whole in the iris of my eye to allow the fluid to drain and the internal eye pressure to lower.

I've already decided that I won't hang around if I am going to go blind,

Just when you think it can't get any worse--needless to say my anxiety is through the roof.

 

[Vincent R]

May I ask how old you are, Kathi?

 

[billy43]

hi Kathi.I cant blame you for beingvery upset.i would be the same way. i recently read that in most cases glaucoma, if it is caught early its treatable.and that would be a worst case deal.hopefully your exam with the specialist goes well and everything is ok.best wishes Billy43

 

[Karen]

Hi, Kathi,

I certainly understand how you must be feeling right now, and can imagine that you must be upset. But, I agree with @billy43 that if it is caught early, it is treatable. There is someone in my office who has glaucoma, and she is being monitored so that her condition doesn't get worse. She goes regularly for checkups and treatments, and I believe that's what your doctor will suggest for you, too.

It's good that they now have laser surgery to drain the excess fluid so that the pressure doesn't build up too much in your eyes. It may be that, in the next few years, there will be more and better treatments available for glaucoma.

I wish you well, and hope you'll keep us updated on how you're doing.

Hugs and best wishes,
Karen

 

[Kopesy]

Hey @Kathi

I had/have the same concerns as yourself. I got eye floaters at 13 & my perfect eyesight has got a lot worse, huge bouts of anxiety & now my ears are bad with tinnitus, some minor hearing loss & I'm now only 25 years young!

It's horrible when you think about the stuff you're losing or have lost, although I've found thinking about these things makes things A LOT worse! Easier said than done & I won't lie, I'm not very good at taking my own advice lol

Another thing that keeps me going is knowing that if it's going to happen at some point in the future, so to is the science used to help with it.

Stay strong & as calm as possible (..I know =p)

 

[Kathi]

May I ask how old you are, Kathi?

Yes if course. I am old enough to know better...

just kidding...I'm 62 1/2.

 

[Kathi]

hi Kathi.I cant blame you for beingvery upset.i would be the same way. i recently read that in most cases glaucoma, if it is caught early its treatable.and that would be a worst case deal.hopefully your exam with the specialist goes well and everything is ok.best wishes Billy43

In most cases, yes billie--it's manageable. But look up closed angle glaucoma--it can happen suddenly and do great damage. Some things that can cause my narrow angles to close are anything that dilates the pupil: dims lights, being startled and being emotionally upset! I was told that if I get headaches, eye pain, (and I can remember having eye pain once or twice) halos around lights or nausea or vomiting to go to the nearest ER-- if caught in the first few hours the damage can be minimized. That's very comforting. Open angle glaucoma is much more treatable--with drops and such. Only 1% of the population gets closed angle glaucoma. So there is hope that I just have narrow angle from age and the laser will fix it. I seem to have bad luck or no luck at all.

Thank you for your good wishes and support Billie43. It does mean a lot--I'm just kind of flummoxed at the moment.

 

[Kathi]

Hi, Kathi,

I certainly understand how you must be feeling right now, and can imagine that you must be upset. But, I agree with @billy43 that if it is caught early, it is treatable. There is someone in my office who has glaucoma, and she is being monitored so that her condition doesn't get worse. She goes regularly for checkups and treatments, and I believe that's what your doctor will suggest for you, too.

It's good that they now have laser surgery to drain the excess fluid so that the pressure doesn't build up too much in your eyes. It may be that, in the next few years, there will be more and better treatments available for glaucoma.

I wish you well, and hope you'll keep us updated on how you're doing.

Hugs and best wishes,
Karen

Thanks for your support Karen. You are always there for us. I don't think I'd be so concerned if it wasn't 'narrow angles', which only effects 1% of the population. I just have to wait and see. I'll call the specialist tomorrow. Yes, you are right--it's good they have the laser surgery and I'm sure I'll be fine if I need it. It is early--my pressures are good and I don't have glaucoma yet so I guess this is preventative medicine at it's best. I'm just scared.

 

[Vincent R]

Yes if course. I am old enough to know better...

just kidding...I'm 62 1/2.

Life is a tough run. I'd go in the same thoughts if I were in your situation. T is horrible but it's still just a sound, so you can always try to gut it out. Getting blind is a more fundamental change. Like it's already been pointed out, it's not a given that you end up that bad. My only point is, there's no shame in feeling like you do.

 

[Kathi]

Hey @Kathi

I had/have the same concerns as yourself. I got eye floaters at 13 & my perfect eyesight has got a lot worse, huge bouts of anxiety & now my ears are bad with tinnitus, some minor hearing loss & I'm now only 25 years young!

It's horrible when you think about the stuff you're losing or have lost, although I've found thinking about these things makes things A LOT worse! Easier said than done & I won't lie, I'm not very good at taking my own advice lol

Another thing that keeps me going is knowing that if it's going to happen at some point in the future, so to is the science used to help with it.

Stay strong & as calm as possible (..I know =p)

You are so young that I can't imagine it Kopesy. I hope they find a cure soon for our young people. I doubt they will find a cure in my lifetime--the science had not been there for me with my T but hopefully it is with my eyes.

I really feel for young people--we never worried when we were young--it wasn't until I was 61 that I got tinnitus.

Thank you so much for your support and comfort--it means a lot to me.

 

[Kopesy]

You are so young that I can't imagine it Kopesy. I hope they find a cure soon for our young people. I doubt they will find a cure in my lifetime--the science had not been there for me with my T but hopefully it is with my eyes.

I really feel for young people--we never worried when we were young--it wasn't until I was 61 that I got tinnitus.

Thank you so much for your support and comfort--it means a lot to me.

Whoa now! It's 2015, 60 is the new 40! There's still plenty of time for you to get better.

 

[Kathi]

Update: I saw the specialist yesterday and I'm okay! I don't have to go back for a year and I'm not going to go blind! He said that the younger optometrists don't have experience --can't really make judgment calls so err on the side of caution--which is a good thing but they shouldn't scare patients so much. He said I've got small angles because I was born that way. I can't tell you what a relief this is--I was so relieved that I started to shake and tears welled up. He was a really down to earth, no BS kind of doc and he's been in practice 33 years so I totally trust him. He had me laughing by the end of our appointment. I do have to say how impressed I was with the new technology. I had one test where they injected dye that made me see everything in psychedelic colors!

Doc also said to stay off the internet about disease--there is a lot of misinformation--even on sites like WebMD. He said if you want to read real medical articles for research, put in 'Google Scholar " in the Google search machine. I wanted to pass that along.

 

[billy43]

Awesome Kathi.im so happy for you.great to hear that your ok

 

[Kathi]

Awesome Kathi.im so happy for you.great to hear that your ok

Thank you billy43! It's great to feel so relieved and happy!

 

[UserID]

Good news, Kathi. It's always best to hear it from the most experienced. I know so little about eye conditions other than one's need for glasses. It was an education for me just to read the previous posts. There certainly is an opportunity there for anxiety to rule, but we who have health issues can't be giving into the worst case scenarios or the sort of aloneness that comes with our broadening conditions.

I have a nearly blind friend who I have known since the early 70s when he had most of his sight. Today, his life is different, but he still has several of his creative hobbies that keep him feeling purposeful. For instance, he writes and produces his own songs, providing every instrument, lead vocals and harmony using equipment that he can only view with his eyes placed on top of each piece. Without a doubt, his life is challenging, and yet he has still some expression. Sometimes he feels a bit down and used to call quite a bit at which time he would focus entirely on himself. Moving his focus away from his dilemmas, everything from sight related anxieties to relationship details, was not possible, as he held so tightly to them. I wanted to be a friend as much as a sounding board, but he didn't want to allow that.

So, again, good news. How sweet it is. I can see why you laughed, with all that weight off your shoulders.
David

 

[Karen]

Kathi,

That is great news!! I'm sure you are very relieved right now. Glad you found a doctor who was able to give you another opinion. I can understand why the younger doctor would want to err on the side of caution, but it can really intimidate us, or scare us, if we hear the worst-case scenario.

So happy for you!!!

Smiles,
Karen

 

[Kathi]

Thank you so much for your understanding @UserID! My heart goes out to your friend. I did laugh out of relief as there is blindness in my family--plus right now, I am the main means of support for my family. I am so grateful that I finally found a bullet that I could dodge.

 

[Kathi]

Thank you @Karen -- you are so right. I am totally relieved and happy! I don't blame the younger doc but she should've just referred me to the specialist without the worst case scenario. To be fair, she probably wanted me to take it seriously and not put it off.