For the last 18 months I have been being treated for an eye condition called Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion. That's a fancy medical term that, in Kirbspeak, means "you had a blood clot go through your eye." Let's see if I can remember how my good friends at the Wilmer Eye Clinic at Johns Hopkins explained it to me when I asked them to tell me why I lost most of the vision in my right eye.
"Well, Mr. Kirby, what you have is called a branch retinal vein occlusion. It is a blockage of one of the small blood vessels that drains blood from the retina. The retina is the light-sensitive nerve tissue lining the back of the eye. Like film in a video camera, the retina continually "takes pictures". When a retinal vein becomes blocked, part of the retinal vein becomes blocked, part of the retinal blood flow slows or stops. Suddenly and usually without warning, a patch of retina loses some of its "picture-taking" function, and you may be aware that part of your field of vision has darkened. "
Aware that part of your field of vision has darkened? Are you kidding me? How could I not be? One minute I'm able to see and the next minute I'm half Ray Charles.
So I asked the good doctor how this happened. And now, in my best doctor language I will try to repeat word-for-word what she told me. "Normally, the retina is nourished by oxygen-rich blood that is brought to it by arteries and drained away by veins. When a vein - a drainage channel - is blocked, blood backs up, leading to bleeding and swelling or edema in the retina and hampering its nourishment. The extent of damage and the visual symptoms produced depend on the size of the blocked vein and its exact location. If the blockage occurs toward the peripheral part of the retina, you may hardly notice it. But if it occurs in or near the macula - the central zone of the retina that is critical for sharp vision - and causes it to swell, vision is likely to be reduced or distorted."
Great. Just my damn luck. Mine occurred near the macula. That means the vision in my right eye has been really crappy for the last 18 months. Without trying to remember exactly what the good doctor said, this is what I took this away from the conversation. Let's see... blood flow in the retinal vein slowed, causing a blood clot. The blood clot burst the vein and blood and all sorts of other vitreous fluid went spilling into the eye causing my vision to be impaired. Now this really pisses my off because my fortune cookie that day contained a message that said, "Things are LOOKING up for you." That was cruel.
Now the treatment. This is the good part. The vision in my eye can only come back once they stop the leaking of blood and other goodies in my eye AND once they get the swelling to go down. Now obviously they can't put a band-aid on the inside of my eye nor can they put an ice pack in there. So, what do we do Doc? Without blinking she said, "We give you an injection in your eye with some of the same medicine we use to treat certain types of cancer."
Oh no she didn't say, "Give me an injection in my eye." But she did. And that's what they've been doing just about every 4 to 6 weeks. It is so much fun. I would liken it to walking though sharp glass in your bare feet fun. I love how they say it won't hurt when you get the injection. But we all know you can't stick a needle in your eye and not feel pain. I mean, really, sometimes I know I act like I'm brain dead but you can't tell me that getting a needle in your eye won't hurt.
If you're like me, you can't stand anything in or around your eye. So the first time I had the treatment, I damn near passed out. And it does hurt, even after they numb it; but only for a second. And the funny thing is that for about an hour or so after the injection, the vision in the eye actually gets worse and then it gradually gets better. But it feels like somebody poked you in the eye with their finger for about 3 days after.
The good news is that my vision is getting a little better. The swelling inside the eye has gone down a lot and they hope that my vision will one day be close to what it used to be. Let's keep praying.
In the meantime, I thought I'd attach a video of someone getting the treatment. She makes it look easy. I'm sure it wasn't her first eye injection.
Be Well.
Bill
