It's great when it works

A phrase I've been known to use often is "Technology. It's great when it works!" This past week has been an extreme version of that in my life. Many years ago, I found an amazing vision correction technology called Orthokeratology or Ortho K. I wear hard contact lenses at night when I sleep and it reshapes my cornea. The result is similar to laser surgery without the laser. 

As I hit the middle of my 40s my vision has begun to change, and like all busy people I haven't made regular time to go to the eye doctor like I should, so only when my lenses aren't fitting properly or delivering the result I need to I make an appointment. 

Not surprisingly, my near vision is starting to diminish and my eyes have been naturally compensating for that, which is a good thing, but my old lenses weren't cooperating. As a result, I had been wearing my lenses during the day and causes some dryness in my cornea as well as a "dent" where the lenses were sitting slightly off position in my eye. 

SO I was ordered by my doctor to not wear my lenses for a few days. Under normal circumstances if I were to wear my lenses for a very short time (like only get a couple hours of sleep) my vision is slightly worse. I expected to have a gradual diminish in my vision. WRONG. I awoke on Tuesday with very near to my natural vision and very close if not completely natural vision on Wednesday. 

My vision is something like 20/400 or some ridiculous number. I can see the 1 large E about 1 foot from the screen in the office. So, I have spent the greater part of a week "in the dark" so to speak. I could see about 2-3 inches from my face, and not completely clearly at that.

Like most things in the age of technology, you don't realize how much you rely on your vision for EVERYTHING. I couldn't read a book, I could listen to the TV but not watch it. I could sort of get emails on my phone but trying to read or look at the computer for any length of time was exhausting. 

Of course, I haven't been able to drive, so I've been dependent on my husband to take me places, and I hate to ask so have been not running errands that need to be run, etc. 

Disorienting, frustrating, all in all not a lot of fun. I did play with the dogs a lot, which, of course, they enjoyed. We had a nice dinner out at an Italian restaurant with low lighting and I felt like I was able to appreciate the mood more than most not seeing outside our booth LOL.

I took some time for introspection and visualization, but these are things that are not easy for me, so it was a struggle.

Today, my vision is probably 75% and I am overjoyed. 

Definitely an experience of making me very thankful for the things we often take for granted!