It's Not Due to Farkling

Dumb stupid prednisone. 

Yesterday, I appeared at a new clinic for an eye exam. After forking over my co-pay and finishing all of the usual check-in routine junk, I squinted down the hallway.

So.......where's the eye department? I asked.

The receptionist giggled and pointed at a large sign directly in front of my line of sight.

Oh, geez. Good thing I'm here to have my eyes checked, huh?

She nodded with her hand covering her not-very-well-concealed grin. Good grief in a bucket. I settled into the reception chair with some embarrassment, glad that I was the only one in the waiting area. I was quickly called back to the exam room and greeted by my new optometrist. Who, by the way, looked to be all of fifteen years old.

What is it with all my doctors retiring lately? And they're all being replaced with adolescents!

She seemed to be a real smarty pants, though, and it didn't take long for me to realize that I was in good -- albeit young -- hands. "So. What's going on?" she asked.

 I told her that I had made this appointment since I had noticed some blurring in the vision in my right eye, and she quickly went to work with yellow eye drops and green eye drops, air-puff machines, and several weirdo machines placed in front of my face. And, of course, the lengthy Which Is Better? A......Or B? game.

Whew.

After which, she crossed her arms over her chest and told me that I had begun to develop cataracts.

What? Is it because I'm really OLD? I asked. Fifty five is pretty old....

She laughed. "Nope. Fifty five is not old." Bless her little heart. Then she said with a significantly more serious expression, "I can tell that these cataracts aren't age-related. They're because you've been on prednisone for such a long time."

Yikes. I listened as she rushed to assure me that these cataracts were small, and the one in my right eye was nearer my center of visual field, which was what made it noticeable to me. She was referring me to an ophthalmologist, who would do more eye dropping and air puffing and weirdo machine-ing.

I had to sit quietly and let that news digest. I'm still pondering this little tidbit of information.

I'm trying not to freak out here.

I could have significantly worse things happen to me as a result of this disease. With a decrease of my prednisone, or ideally eliminating prednisone from my daily stack of pills, it's a good bet that these cataracts will not continue to progress. I hope. But....but....what if I CAN'T get off prednisone?

It's a really, really good thing that I have an appointment with Dr. Young Guy on Friday, during which I can pick his brain with all those questions that I have regarding prednisone induced cataracts. You can read more about prednisone here, and cataracts here.

And to think that I was convinced that my blurry vision was due to my extreme iPhone dice-game sessions.

Well, then. Farkle on, Julia.......Farkle on.