Well, today was ... quick.
I got in around regular time (8:00) cuz I was gettign a ride alogn with someone else, the same lady I got a ride with on Monday. Didn' get into the doctor til a little after 9. Did the usual eye exam, got a decent look into my eyes (for once). Checked out distance vision and reading vision. I don't know if I'll have separate glasses for each thing (we went over a little bit timewise), but am getting new glasses courtesy of the State of Wisconsin (via DVR). I'm also gonna get a monocular for distance vision (seeing street signs, etc.)
Hour two (or most of it) was with Claire, an occupational therapist. We filled out info for cheap bus tickets first, then tried on glare-reeducing stuff. I'll end up with custom-fit sunglasses that are tight against my head to block out vision. Tried out some interesting pairs that worked okay, dark blues, dark greens, etc. Went with a really dark gray. Gonna have to work something out with wrap-around sunglasses that get really close to my face to block out all the side light. Custom setup guess, will find out more from Claire about it tomorrow.
Best part is this is all covered by DVR; I won't be paying anything. Woo.
I had one more appointment w/ Jennifer at 9:30, and w decided tht was enough. I see Gerry tomorrow at 12:30 for trying out stuff with the sunglasses and cane (just to get an idea) and then Claire, and then I'm all done; a few weeks from now we'll have a meeting where we go over all this info again w/ my DVR counselor. Her and I talked yesterday, too, so we got some decent contact in.
Overall a fun experience. Lotsa laughs, and felt really good to be around people that were in similar boat as I was... about half the counselors had vision probs, espec developing later in life. Dealt with several other people coming in for evaluations and other training (computer stuff, orientation, etc) too, so ran the gamut of people to talk to.
I've got more in general thoughts, but mind's wandering about tonight and tired, espec after the eye doctor this morning- keeping eye open is a lot of work, as is dealing iwth less-than-the-most-effective sunglasses. I'll post again after tomorrow's meeting with more details and some thoughts overall.
People probably just realize, when it is too late, how important our eyes are. I know a lot of people who dont want to wear glasses, cause they think it looks stupid. They dont see, that they are not making themself a favour if they dont check their eyes too. I check mine at least twice a year, cause of the diabetis.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever asked yourself, which sense would be less worse to lose? I cant decide, I would miss them all badly. But I guess you can adapt to any situation.
Humans rely on sight for about 70% of their input according to my mobility instructor. Losing any of them would be bad, but sight is a major change.
ReplyDeleteThat's why the canes are designed as they are- you hold it a particlar way to feel sensations in it in your hands, and is an aid in listening to surroundings (different noises for different objects, etc). The other sense make up for it, but it's not the same as having all 5 at 100%.