Whether at work or enjoying a hobby, achieving visual clarity has become a conscious effort. Blurred fuzzy lines, false objects to see around, and hazy clouds are proving not only exhausting and frustrating, but intrusive in normal functioning as a productive and active man.
I am a very active and involved 64-year-old business owner, husband, father, and community member with a need for clear vision. My work requires me to read computer screens, written documents, instructions, and use sensitive small-scale instruments. I also speak and teach frequently which requires reading and preparing printed text. In addition, I have developed meaningful hobbies which included studying and reading World War II novels and biographies, fishing and boating, hunting, gardening, activities with my grandchildren, and sight-seeing travel trips.
For the past several months, I have experienced a marked decline in the clarity of my vision in my right eye. Computer screens are blurred, and, at times, are almost unreadable. At work, reading small-scale instruments are difficult due to frequent blurring and mistakes in this area are costly. Reading instructions or for pleasure is laborious, frustrating, and repetitive as I must be sure that I have not missed a small word or words that could be meaningful to proper understanding. When reading material to an audience, I struggle to maintain my self-confidence (even though I have had years of experience and education) as I often stumble over words and appear to be a poor reader when I am attempting to blink and move my head to see the text more clearly as the lines and characters seem blurry or shadowed.
This visual experience is difficult to describe, but I have told others, “It is like attempting to see around something that isn’t there.” Repositioning my head and sometimes blinking will offer temporary clarity, but it quickly blurs again. For example, while driving, I feel a need to readjust mirrors, blink, move my head for a better vantage point, or even rub my eye to gain visual clarity. In addition, lights create a discomfort and sometimes can be disorienting especially when the lights are in front of me or approaching me. The lights can also appear haloed, and all surrounding objects tend to be obscured from vision.
Along these same lines, I have also noticed an increasing lack of depth perception when looking down at steps or walking across/over obstacles. This may be because I am not seeing the whole picture or there is a visual difference between my right and left eyes. However, this is creating a couple of physical concerns. First, this lack of depth perception is throwing off my balance and causing me great hesitation as I ascend or descend stairs especially if I were to carry a small child or valuable objects. Second, this inability to perceive depth accurately prevents me from pursuing exercise or gardening outdoors as vigorously as I have in the past, and I am falling into a more sedentary lifestyle because I am struggling to keep visual clarity.
Confirmation that I needed medical treatment came on a recent hunting trip when I was unable to clearly focus on the target. A single object would appear shadowed or as two objects. Sometimes, there would even appear to be an obstruction on the gun barrel.
Therefore, I find that it is necessary, given all the above reasons and personal statements, that for my quality of life to go back to what it has been in the past, I need to regain the visual clarity in my right eye by pursuing the most effective medical treatment.
James S. P.
January 10, 2012