In a Blink of an Eye

On what began as an uneventful work-at-home day, developed into a real pain. There I was minding my own business, typing away on my laptop when suddenly I got something in my eye. I began to blink automatically and started the natural process of tearing. This all happened on its own accord. Though it was my legs that propelled me with great speed to the bathroom where I ran the water and kept splashing my eye. Not finding great relief, I opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed Visine. Again, not a great relief but enough to slow me down.

Walking back to my laptop, I grabbed the phone and called Jen. Had to share that I was really uncomfortable. Jen did give me the good advice to “not rub it.” I went on with my work and was still amazed that it was continuing to bother me.

I went to lunch to meet Kelly & Tina. I brought the eye drops with me…just in case. I spent the hour at lunch holding a wet napkin to my eye, grabbing a shot glass from the bartender to create my own eye-wash in the restroom, and finally called the doctor form the table.

Rushing home and then off to the doctor’s, I was surprised when he wanted me to go to the optometrist right away. He did not like that whatever it was had come on so fast. Rushing to pick up Logan who had stayed after school for Studio Art prep, I was now in agony. This agony was not so much pain as it was discomfort and making all my senses out of whack. My head hurt, I was nauseous, and couldn't concentrate.

By the time, I found the office and parked, I was mumbling to myself and losing all patience. Logan was kind and put up with my short answers and whining. We signed in and I suddenly turned into my father.

Picture Logan and me 30 years from now (and that’s how I became my dad.) Logan helped me fill out the paper work; he sat next to me telling me to keep my comments to myself. Oh c’mon “boo hoo” for the boy who’s mother said his allergies were acting up. Really!

Now back to the present as I rocked gently and started whimpering “God, make it stop, make it stop. Please call me next. Please.” I kept my sunglasses on as the light – dim lights! – were so bright. Shutting my eyes hurt and then dreading that I had to open them. Did you know the average person blinks 120x a minute? Do you know when it hurts to blink it feels like 1200x?

Relief was near. They called my name. I nearly sprinted to the examination room. I was thrilled to sit in the dim lit room with Logan looking on from the sidelines. Some eye drops to numb ‘em did the trick. Life was good again – truly it was. I realized I wasn’t going blind, I would live to see Logan’s handsome adult face, and now had a reason to lose weight. (What I didn’t share up until this point was that I had already mapped out what would happen to me as I went blind. You see the right eye that was injured is my good eye. We all know that I don’t really use my left eye for my “real vision.” It’s just an awesome peripheral vision tool.)

Doctor came in and did his thing which included rolling my eyelid like a window blind with a q-tip as the wooden base. He called Logan over to have him look and proceeded to remove something from inside the underneath of the eyelid. It was microscopic…or at least not visible to Logan’s eyes.

The verdict “…looks like part of an insect.” Ugh! So many things went through my mind – “Doctor, there’s a fly in my soup…I mean…eye” or “…I don’t know why, she swallowed a fly” to “ewww that’s so gross.”

Somehow, I refrained from wrapping my legs around the doctor and pulling him close to me for a big kiss. Logan and I made it home safe and sound (no dilation done) and rest that evening made the difference.

My P.S. to this story is that I spent the day at work say “I can’t see.” The word “can’t” pronounced as a big whiny sound. Did you now that 3, 8, 6, and 9 all look alike when your eyes are shot?

And that is what can happen in a blink of an eye.