I thought the injection in the eye for macular degeneration was going to be routine, but it wasn’t this time. I’m surmising I didn’t do well reading the eye chart, which is the first quick test you are given. They shunted me to the person who takes a scan of the retina, often given at the end of the sixth cycle. After another wait, I had the numbing drops and an explanation that my retina showed a disturbance and I would be given a stronger dose than before. I’ll get another in eight weeks.

Those are the bare facts. Emotionally, it was unnerving. The audiologist reset my hearing aids to a higher level several weeks ago, and I think they are a bit too high. The waiting room was loud, but I didn’t lower the volume because I was afraid I wouldn’t hear my name called. By the time I left the office two hours later, my head was reeling with all that noise.

The injection seemed normal until after the eye was rinsed. I took the exit papers in my hand, stood up, and realized one eye was seeing only white, pure white. I always thought blindness was black, but mine was as white as snow. (They do say snow is blinding!) I walked hesitantly to stand in line to make the next appointment. I could see the exit door and knew John was waiting in the car just outside that door. If I could only make it out there, I could collapse in the car.

Thankfully, the sight began to return, and I could see where I was going without tripping over people. I was a rumpled heap for a while, but John was very patient with me.

It was a sad task to cancel the appointment I had with the eye doctor who was going to prescribe glasses. The only practical thing was to postpone it until the eye is more settled. I have learned one very important thing. I WANT glasses again! I’m extremely tired of groping for reading glasses whenever I want to see text messages, read a recipe card, know what we need from the grocery shelf, or decipher tiny script on the laptop. If I don’t whip those glasses off when I stand up, they can make me dizzy and run into things. My ears are worn out, and my patience has vanished. I want to see instantly 100% of the time, and glasses are the answer. It took me a while to want glasses when I was a young teen. It was quicker this time. Is that progress, do you think??

That one stressful day is over, thank heavens! I am back in the business of being me.