I was fifteen years old when I noticed it. I was sitting in my Grade 9 class and I was struggling to make out the words on the chalk board. It really bothered me back then, that I'd have to wear glasses to see properly. That's nothing compared to what I'd later discover about my vision.
I was in my mid-20's when I was finally told by my optometrist that I had keratoconus; an eye condition that causes a gradual thinning of the corneal tissue, and that it deteriorates as one gets older. To be frank, eye glasses no longer served me well, and I had to switch to soft contact lenses. At 35, I noticed that my eyesight wasn't getting better, it was gradually getting worse. I had constant redness, itchiness, swelling and my eyes would well up with tears on a daily basis. People thought I was high all the time (which I was), or that I wasn't sleeping well (which I wasn't). Everything that I did was directly affected by my vision. I was miserable.
Finally, it was my brother, Adam, who miraculously found an eye specialist on the internet, who dealt specifically with keratoconus. Dr. Michael Baertschi, all the way from Bern, in Switzerland. This man literally saved my eyes from what would otherwise be an unfortunate tragedy. Little did I know that wearing soft contact lenses for over 15 years was actually causing more harm than good.
I travelled to Europe to meet Dr. Baertschi for the first time in 2007. I was utterly shocked to learn about my complex eye disease, which my brother and I both suffer from. I was getting an education about my condition for the first time in my life, and I sobbed when I discovered the truth about my eyes. I could have done irreparable damage, had I not met this miracle doctor sooner.
He immediately prescribed rigid contact lenses that were phenomenal to wear once I got used to them. The clarity, comfort and ease of insertion with the new lenses were the most noticeable improvements and as a result, my overall mood and self-esteem escalated. I was happier than I've ever been, once Dr. B stepped in and took control of the reigns. To me, he is a life saver, an absolute humane and selfless individual who genuinely cares for his patients. Thank G-d for him.
My point in sharing this with you, is to highlight how your vision is vital to a happy life. In the literal sense, you need your sight to get by in the world, but if G-d forbid you didn't have your sight, you'd have to use your other senses to function and adapt. And let me tell you, during my years of utterly hazy, cloudy and disrupted vision, I was forced to make use of my other senses. It took me years to develop a rhythm, but I pushed through. And I was one of the luckier ones; because had I not taken active measures to make changes in my life, I would have become blind. No word of a lie.
Your eyes are the windows to your soul. You need to take care of them. Even if you have stellar vision, you need to protect them from the elements. Shield them from direct sunlight, nourish your body with foods that contain lutein (such as tomatoes, avocados, kale, swiss chard, spinach, collard greens, parsley), to protect your eyes from the inside out. When engaging in any contact sport, wear a mask or goggles. Take it from me, the gal with the delicate peepers, you should take much better care of them than you already do.
Do you see what I mean? Just do your best and continue to take care of you. To all my loyal readers, thank you for taking the time to learn about my condition.
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