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A math guy's random thoughts. |
| A math guy's random thoughts. |
| ** Image ID #2207324 Unavailable ** Most people occasionally see these little specks. They seem to randomly drift across your field of vision. Iāve seen them all my life. I can remember reading a Scientific American article in 1962 or 1963 on them, so I know Iāve seen them on and off since at least that time. The vitreous body refers to a jelly-like substance that fills the interior of your eye. Sometimes little imperfections form, and this results in these little flecks floating across your field of vision. By themselves, they are harmless. I didnāt think anything about it when one appeared Friday night after watching the Utah-Oregon game on TV. However, it was still there Saturday morning, along with something new. Intermittent flashes of light popped up in my right eye, and the floater didnāt floatāit stayed at exactly the same place in my field of vision. It was also a little bigger than a usual floater. I still didnāt think much about it, but just out of curiosity I checked WebMD. The advice there was alarming. The combination of unusual floaters and sparklers is a potential symptom of a torn or even detached retina. The only way to tell for sure is to have a physician examine your eye. I didnāt need WebMD to tell me that this required immediate medical attention. If it turned out to be one of these serious conditions, treatment within the first 24 hours of onset of symptoms gives a high probability of success. Failure to obtain treatment could result in loss of vision. That sent me hot-footing to the nearby urgent care clinic. They agreed with the urgency of the symptoms, which didnāt exactly help my blood pressure. They tried to contact the on-call ophthalmologist for a proper eye examination, but she didnāt answer. (It turns out she was doing an emergency procedure). They wound up sending me to the ER. The staff there took my medical history, recorded my symptoms, and hooked me up to blood pressure and pulse monitors. They gave me a vision test, which showed my vision was not impaired. They tested my peripheral vision, which was also fine. The latter made retinal tear or detachment less likely. Finally, they found someone to actually look inside my eye. They rolled in one of those gizmos you see in any eye doctors office, like when you get tested for glasses. You put your chin in it, and they shine this dazzling light in your eye while they go, āHmmm,ā and otherwise make unsettling noises. At the end of the dayāliterally: I was there six hoursāmy examine was āunremarkable,ā i.e., the diagnosis was no āretinal damage.ā Instead, the physician said it was most likely a āvitreous event.ā When I asked, what this seems to mean is that the jelly-like substance in my right eye had formed a little glop of extra-dense goop, accounting for the fixed floater. When I moved my eye, it would sometimes bump against the retina, which caused the flashes. The cause of the glop? Unknown. But, back to WebMD, age is the number one ssuspect. Iāll be 70 in March, so thereās that. It also says you can reduce floaters by staying hydrated. Well, I recently added the diabetic medication Jardiance to the cocktail of pills I take every morning. It works by flushing sugar out through the kidneys, so of course that means you, uh, pee more. Like, a LOT more. Iāve been drinking more fluids, too, but I conjecture this might be related. In any case, the attending in the ER arranged a follow-up appointment with an ophthalmologist on Monday, just to be sure. Iāll keep you posted! So, thatās how I spent my Saturday. At least I was able to use my phone while sitting in the ER to watch my Sooners beat Baylor. |
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Take on me is an excellent choice.
Interesting... and thankfully, not germaine to me at this time 
