Eye Appointment

So I woke up one day and couldn't see and my left eye has been very irritated, red and several people commented that it looks swollen. I figured the decreased ability to see is attributed to my being OLD now and I know that your vision can change because of that. So, I made an eye appointment @ the hospital with the ophthalmology dept to get fitted for contacts. I figured an hour was long enough, right? So, my appt was scheduled for 9 a.m. and my treatment shot for 10 a.m. Little did I know...

Arrived there, talked with the tech and then the ophthalmology resident came in. Checked the eyes, the lids, behind the eyes, lots of bright light that hurt my eyes... then he asked me if I have always had big eyes. Ohhhkkkkkaaayyyy... he looked at my latest lab results and noted that my thyroid is being monitored. More questions... more poking around... he asked what symptoms I've been having... then, he called the optometrist in... more bright lights... more poking... ah, this time, we had some refraction done and all... they consult... they talk to me... consult some more...

So 3 HOURS later they both agreed that I need to see another doctor within the next week... they are trying to determine if my thyroid is affecting my eyes. Apparently, it looks like my left eye is bulging. They even took measurements on how far out my eyes were bulging... it wasn't too bad, but they still want to make sure that they have ruled out everything. The WORST thing that the resident doctor had to do was pull out eye lashes from my left eye; apparently the lashes on the bottom are going straight up and poking my eye.. they think that may be the cause of the irritation and redness on the left eye. Ouch.. I told him I barely even pluck my eyebrows, let alone my eye lashes. that took a while cause I was tearing up and I couldn't keep my eye open knowing that metal tweezers were coming. It was pretty bad.. kinda like having a breast MRI or a root canal... And the conclusion? I have to see another doctor... wait and see if the irritation will still be there now that the eyeylashes have been pulled...

I can tell you though, I came home, ate lunch, took a nap and I still CANNOT see. They dilated my eyes and also put some mild anesthetic (for when he pulled the lashes and poked around)... It still feels gritty and it hurts when I close my eyes... but I was reassured that I'm not going blind and my retinas are not detaching!!! thank God for good news :-) Have you had your eyes checked lately? You better... you don't want to have an eye appointment like I did!!