A couple of weeks ago, I received notice that a very old family acquaintance had become resident in my life. I wish it were a visit I could experience and then send it on its way again.  This acquaintance robbed my sweet grandmother of her eyesight and then again took my father’s eyesight away during the last years of his life.  I know that we live in a more modern-day with medications and procedures that can reduce the impact, but I remember that there was nothing that could be done for my grandmother.  During Dad’s experience, some eyedrops were being prescribed, but they were said to be very costly and problematic to remember their constant daily application.  Dad never had the patience for that, and the cost made the bother a nuisance.  Something he came to regret when he lost all helpful sight and was left in a world of shadows. 

After my dad’s passing, his younger brother, Uncle David, explained that he, too, was experiencing the same problem with his eyes.  However, he was always very upbeat about it.  Uncle David’s close association with hospitals and doctors gave him a source of good information and prescription access.  Several times, he told me that if Grandpa Jeppson had lived in our day, the prescribed methods and medicines for the Colitis from which he suffered could have extended his life.  The same is true for Dad’s eyesight – its loss could have been prevented by applying the eye drops as prescribed by the doctors, and yes, they were costly, but then what is the value of one’s eyesight?

All of this being said, it is the reason that I have asked the eye doctors during every examination about my inherited propensity and susceptibility towards glaucoma.  Frequently, I have been told my measured eye pressure was “High Normal” and something to monitor, but I was not expected to have a problem.  Three years ago, I experienced a “Torn Retina.” Still, when I could schedule an examination, it was determined that it had happened sometime earlier without my paying attention and had begun to heal itself pretty well.  Two years ago, I had cataract surgery and have been primarily pleased with the results.  About a month ago, I began experiencing cloudy and tunneling vision, mostly in my left eye. and when I wore my new prescription for a time, I began feeling fatigued and experienced double vision.

Two weeks ago, as my wife and I were planning a drive North to visit family, it was anticipated that some storm might be present along the way. On previous excursions, I noticed my night vision was severely impacted, and I blame the new Halogen headlights that so many vehicles employ today.  Anyway, we decided I should visit the doctor and ask him to check and see if the Torn Retina was becoming a problem again.  As he dilatated and looked into the left eye- then the right eye he asked me if my complaint was in my left eye only.  He then asked me if I had ever been diagnosed with Glaucoma and I shuddered; it was a blow.   He told me that it was present in both eyes but that with drops, it should never become the problem for me that Dad and Grandmother experienced.

The good and bad of this story occurred when I visited the pharmacy to pick up the drops. While I was expecting to mortgage my retirement even further, the good news was that because I kept my medical supplemental insurance current with a prescription drug plan, my cost for the drops was nil.