January 27 - Vision Testing

It might be difficult to determine just how much and how well someone with partial sight can see. Possibly it is easier if the person is totally blind or else has perfect twenty-twenty vision. During my last visit to her office, my optometrist confirmed that with my left eye I could count fingers, and with my right eye I could detect movement. This assessment was both perfectly accurate and absolutely not true.

Let me explain. In the semi-darkened exam room at the optometrist, it was true that my vision was limited to counting fingers and detecting movement. I never see well in shadows or darkness, and not only that, my vision was still a bit blurred from the drops that had been put in some minutes prior. In fact, in this situation I had to struggle even to catch sight of the testing hands of the optometrist...and so, in this way the diagnosis was correct.

Yet, when I left the darkened office for the brightly lit waiting area I was easily able to see to make my way through the displays of spectacle frames to the receptionist counter to pay my bill. When the optometrist followed me out, I was able to see that she was dressed in a dark outfit and that she was of a slight build. I could see that there was at least one other person in the waiting area – perhaps more but at least one was visible to me. Details weren’t clear but I was obviously able to see far more than moving hands and fingers. While I’m sure that the optometrist wrote on my chart that I had very limited vision, in actual fact, and although my vision is indeed limited, functionally it is better than the assessment written on my chart.

So, what was accomplished by having my eyes tested? Several things! First, it was established that there had been little change in my vision since my last visit. Secondly, there was only a very small change in the beginnings of a cataract in one eye. Finally, and this is the most important reason for my annual visit – the exam revealed that I didn’t have any other detrimental eye conditions. This last is important because, as it is with other physical health conditions, early detection often means early treatment and a better chance of recovery. So, even though I know what I can see and testing itself won’t change that, I will continue to schedule my regular visits to have my vision tested and my eyes examined. Even though today my eye condition is irreversible, who knows...one day, a cure, treatment or surgery might surface.