Thursday, February 14, 2013

A Further Eye Update

Until last Saturday, my right eye seemed to have been getting better. The redness and irritation
were disappearing and I wasn't experiencing any pain. But early Saturday morning when I was preparing for a Saturday prayer meeting I lead, I felt a sharp pain in my right eye. It was so strong
that I fell on my knees. The pain was excruciating. The sharp pain subsided after a few minutes,
but I felt the steady dull pain in my right eye and head that is still with me as I write this post five
days later. 

In a previous blog about three weeks ago I wrote about visiting the doctor at the local health clin-
ic who was concerned about my eye.  She made a mighty effort to get me an appointment with
an eye specialist after hours at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. One of the church elders drove me
down to the hospital an hour away in Aberdeen. I was seen by another British-born Pakistani doc-
tor who expressed his concern about the serious condition of my eye. He focused on the buckle
of a belt that had been preventing the retina from detaching. It had served its purpose for over 20
years, but now was protruding through the eye membrane. He said that it does have to be re-
moved. He wanted his supervisor to see me early the next morning at the Aberdeen Eye Clinic.
The doctor prescribed a regimen of drops to help stabilise my eye and reduce swelling. 

Early the next morning, the elder, who has become a dear friend, drove me through Aberdeen 
rush hour traffic to the eye clinic. Even though I did not have an appointment, the staff there 
made time to see me.  The Resident Supervisor examined my eye and supported the conclusion
that the buckle needed to be removed. She set a date in three weeks to see me again. She asked
me to obtain the medical records from the surgeon in Boston who did the surgery in 1992. The
regimen I followed was three different pills and drops, 11 times a day for three weeks. I was en-couraged when I felt that my eye was getting better. But that was until last Saturday morning.

Last Saturday my eye was extremely painful. The eye had not been so before. The eye was
watery and sensitive to pressure anywhere around the eye. Another elder who dropped by the
house expressed her concern about how my eye looked and made arrangements for me to see a
doctor. The doctor at the local hospital arranged for me to see an eye specialist in Aberdeen Sun-
day morning. Nothing would have stopped me from seeing the doctor the next morning, even
church. Fortunately St Fergus Parish Church was participating in an united service Sunday morn-
ing, and I did not have a major part in the service. The pain persisted throughout the day and eve-
ning, but at least I was comforted that I would be seeing a doctor soon.

The next morning I did see an eye specialist. As he examined my eye he called in two other eye
specialists. As I understand it, my eye had entered a new phase. The buckle was eroding the
membrane of the eye. This resulted in the eye losing internal pressure; it could not maintain the
proper pressure. Therefore it was shrinking. It was 'shutting down.' Because of the low pressure,
the eye was painful. Pain has been my constant companion since Saturday. They increased the
steroid drops I was using in order to build up the pressure in the eye. They planned to see me
again at the Eye Clinic the following Friday. As I write this post, that appointment is tomorrow
morning.

Sometime on Sunday I lost sight in my right eye. It was like a black curtain came over my eye.
I had never known that before. It was rather disconcerting to me. I have been praying fervently
that my sight would be restored. I have been disciplined in following the regimen of drops that
they had me on. Only yesterday, Wednesday, did I start to see the black curtain start to dissi-
pate and replaced by more of a light fog. The pain has not subsided. But tomorrow I will get
a bigger picture of what is happening and see what the next step is. I covet your prayers on my
behalf.

Blessings to you and yours,




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