I wonder how many of you saw this title and started to get how under the collar ready to come out and blast this posting. How many thought this title meant this posting was going to be political and how I was going to tear onside down and build the other one up. I got to say that in one way that may be right but it is NOT about politics. This type of title is what many would call “Click Bait” as the title is worded in a way that you would click on it. At least if you find yourself reading this far you will understand how the media does this to create animosity, or anger through a few words. It’s why the “pen is mightier than the sword” lays so true today.

So, did you make it past the first paragraph and relax a little? I do hope so as that is all I am going to say about the media or politics.  This posting is Multiple Sclerosis related and the weak left and strong right refer to my eyes. So, yep nothing political about that at all so if your blood pressure hasn’t relaxed a little please relax. If you are reading and find yourself laughing a little about this so far, even better.

You see during this pandemic they call Covid-19 I did not find myself Inflected with the disease, as of this writing. I hope that it continues that way, but of course, only time will tell. Oh, and no there will be no discussion on that front either. It like politics in itself is too polarizing. So, let me continue with a small flashback. Those who watched 1980’s action films this is the point I would insert some montage music as I do a quick recap of what has been going on.

A few years back I had gone to an eye doctor and during the visit, the doctor saw something they did not like. This brought on steroids and more eye exams to find out that some blood vessels in my eye had died off. They created a bit of a blind spot in the upper left quadrant of my eye. I’ve been dealing with that for a few years now as exams have shown no worsening of the issue.  I asked the eye doctor and specialists if this was MS, or diabetes-related. They all stated that this was MS-related and as I never had any issues brought on by diabetes I should consider myself lucky about that.

So, along comes 2020, and here comes the pandemic. The doctor’s office is shut down all but for essentials, and many of my appointments get pushed later and later into the year.  It finally came time for me to get into my yearly vision exam. It was going good nothing diabetic-related seen and then as my doctor was about to let me go, there was a pause.  Another look was taken and I heard those words, “we need to get him to see one of the specialists”. Yep, all I got was they saw something they were not sure with and wanted me seeing the specialist within two weeks.  As usual, my right eye cruises along with no issues and all is good with the right.

The ironic thing is if you knew my family the left eye is often the stronger one. I find myself being the oddball but that is part of who I am. I like being the oddball even though I claim to be an introvert. It’s just who I am and I firmly believe why I like doing this blog even when it’s about some personal woes. It’s a way to leave my mark on the world, in my case, a digital version.

So, back to that left eye as the time came to see the specialist and after several tests, there were signs of new blood vessels taking hold. This, you’d think, would be a good thing, but in truth, it wasn’t. I learned that this new growth could lead to future eye issues and on that appointment was told I’d have to come back for more testing to determine if laser surgery would be the next step.

I won’t say I panicked but I did decide that I was not going to risk any vision issues as my work week revolves around a lot of computer work. I have the opportunity to work from home, but this has me looking at numbers and often utilizing dual screens for my work. I’d put in an average of 8 hours or more daily and to avoid any potential strain when work was done, I was done.   I had to take a break from reading and writing so the blog took a back seat.

As this is getting a bit long the latest eye appointment turned out to be much more than just some testing. I ended up having that laser eye surgery which in itself a whole new experience. The surgery created a bright yellow light in my eye and I swear at times I could even make some of the blood vessel paths as he did his work. I was told it really shouldn’t hurt but it would depend on how close to the nerves the vessels were. I am one to say it was not pleasant as it did hurt but could have been far worse.

A the time of this writing it’s been a few weeks since the surgery and I can feel myself getting back to normal eyesight wise. I am not getting the headaches I was having originally after the surgery. I can say the doctor was right as things did get worse before they started getting better. My poor right eye has had to pick up the slack for the vision issues with the left. This has caused those headaches due to the variation in vision between the eyes.

There was a period of severe anxiety that came along with all of this just due to the fact how much a person relies on their eyes. I try and fight Multiple Sclerosis at every turn not letting it stop me from doing yard work during the spring and summer months. The raking and cleanup that comes in the fall (autumn to some) is also a lot of manual labor. I like getting outside and using a rake and my leaf making burrito device. What is that you may ask? I lay a tarp on the ground with a rope tied to each side. I will rake as many leaves onto the tarp and pull that tarp to the curb for city leaf pickup. Oh, and before anyone asks I do dump the leaves out and I say burrito because I fold the sides over and on top of the pile to avoid spillage as I drag the tarp by the ropes. Lastly, I even do not mind getting out and either shoveling or using the snow blower in the wintertime.

However, when it came to my eyes I was a bit at a loss at what I could do. So, the obvious was a break on any small screens, after work computer usage, reading, and other things that may over stress my eyes.

All of that fun is coming closer to an end as I work and finish this post. I have authors waiting on reviews that I feel obligated to get written. They understood why I had to take a step back, but I am one that will do my best to finish what I started even if it takes more time than I would like. I thank those authors who were so understanding.

I’ll finish by stating that I promised no politics and I kept to that promise. At the time of this writing, we are only a few months away from a major election in the United States. I’ll close by stating that I do not care where you stand on the political scale, but all I can do is say, “Get out and Vote” or best not complain about who the elected politicians are.