Eye Update

So holy crap I wasn't expecting this...


Eye Doc says "Well, Lindsay, they can't get much worse, but here's the deal... you have to go to a toric lens."

I forgot to mention yesterday I have an astigmatism, so my eye is shaped like a football instead of a basketball.

So I say, "What's a toric lens?"

And Wikipedia says:

A toric lens is one in which either or both of the optical surfaces have the effect of a cylindrical lens, usually in combination with the effect of a spherical lens. Myopic (nearsighted) and hypermetropic (farsighted) people who also have astigmatism and who have been told they are not suitable for regular contact lenses may be able to use toric lenses. If one eye has astigmatism and the other does not, the patient may be told to use a spherical lens in one eye and a toric lens in the other. Toric lenses are made from the same materials as regular contact lenses but have a few extra characteristics:

• They correct for both spherical and cylindrical aberration.
• They may have a specific 'top' and 'bottom', as they are not symmetrical around their centre and must not be rotated. Lenses must be designed to maintain their orientation regardless of eye movement. Often lenses are thicker at the bottom and this thicker zone is pushed down by the upper eyelid during blinking to allow the lens to rotate into the correct position (with this thicker zone at the 6 o'clock position on the eye). Toric lenses are usually marked with tiny striations to assist their fitting.
  
  
• They are usually more expensive to produce t han non-toric lenses; therefore they are usually meant for extended wear.

So after we leave the exam room, we break the news to my dad.

And dad says "So how much more expensive?"

And Eye Doc says "$459 for a year supply."

Dad says "FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY-NINE DOLLARS?!?!?!?!?!"

Apparently, these lenses have to be specially made just for me. And, only one other patient of his wears these kinds of contacts.

Well the nice lady at the front gave me two different samples of non-toric lenses to try and see if they help at all. So far, the -11.00's are not making much of a difference. Tomorrow and Saturday I'll try the -12.00's.

Anyway, to sum this story up, I may be going blind and there's nothing I can do about it. And I don't have an extra $500 to pay for contacts, so I may be setting up a donation site. Just Kidding. :o)

Happy Thursday Kid-o-s!




**Update: here is an older picture of me with my coke bottle glasses. see why i don't wear them?