Happy to say things are about back to normal again.
So, as I mentioned on Friday, my eye specialist called me in for an 8:45 appointment this morning. My vision had improved remarkably over the week-end, not 100% but much better than the previous few days had been. I was able to read once again.
Nonetheless, I went to see my retina specialist, Dr. Michael Fielden. He reviewed the scans I had done about 30 minutes prior, and I discussed the rapid changes in vision I had been experiencing over the course of the last two weeks. He used the analogy of a house that’s dirty inside that also has dirty windows. If the windows are dirty, you cannot tell that the inside is dirty. Once you clean the windows, the mess inside becomes evident.
Now that my dirty window had been cleaned, it was time to clean the inside of the house. This would be done using a drug called Avastin (bevacizumab), which would be injected directly into the eyeball. Avastin is a type of drug known as a biological response modifier and is also used in chemotherapy for certain types of cancers.
It acts by turning off a signal in the retina, usually turned on by lack of oxygen, that causes the growth of abnormal blood vessels. These vessels can leak fluid, leading to CSR. The drug acts almost immediately, and any accumulated fluid is quickly reabsorbed by the body.
It’s been about three hours since the injections, and my vision has returned to normal again, although it will take me a while to get accustomed to normal. I go back to see Dr. Fielden in a week to see how things are progressing.
Until then, I’ll get back on with things. I have a lot of work to get done, but if anything changes I’ll keep you in the loop. I want to thank all of you who kept me in your prayers. They helped. Meantime, get your eyes checked.
D.B.
The Advocate-Equalizer 