PHOTOGRAPHS TO PARAGRAPHS

I See More After Losing One Eye — Chapter 1

Original drawing by Author

Drawing by author: 1974, Reaching Out to Communicate (my art as an introvert). Copywrite © 2022.

These short stories are about losing my eye and writing 4,419 days on pain, frustration, success, and joy.

One short story can’t tell the personal moments in the recurring cycle of these four areas of emotional highs and lows.

This story will begin on the day I experienced the challenges of facing the reality of a blind eye and the frustration of questioning my return to fieldwork.

The first symptom of blurriness in my right eye was mucus floating from the outer corner. I thought this was a reaction to pollen.

The problem bothered my vision enough to pull to a side road and concentrate on the source of blurriness. Soon, my eye cleared.

Back on the road.

I had emergency contacts with our regional office on my cell phone. The drive back to the office was in the daylight. I didn’t feel any more irritation in my right eye, so I felt confident this problem was temporary.

Part 2

Back at the office and clinics

My next task was to complete an assessment report of the damages to roads and bridges.

I was mentoring a trainee on the writing of details for this section of the local natural disaster. We were evaluating the quantities of damage and repair costs by local contractors.

While I was explaining the tips and tricks of a spreadsheet, an unusual whiteness began moving across my right eye. No amount of blinking or eye drops helped to slow this invasion of my vision.

Immediately I called the optometrist back home that I have seen for the last 4 years. The advice from my optometrist, 1900+ miles west of northeastern Missouri, was to find a vision clinic for a diagnosis and treatment.

A coworker volunteered to take me to the local medical office. This search became more difficult. The office was closed that day. We had to drive north to the next town where he was scheduled on a revolving basis.

I called ahead to get confirmation that the doctor was in that facility, today. An emergency appointment was set up during the 45-minute drive. Unfortunately, the local optometrist’s eye exam could only verify that I needed to be treated by an eye specialist in the next state, Ohio.

Part 3

The daylight was shorter in October. Our trip to Ohio University Southern Campus was a challenge for both the driver and me, the one-eyed navigator. Another helpful navigation tool was my Garmin GPS for the details of streets in a town and university campus.

Finding the medical department for the vision specialists was harder than finding the university. Not because of hard-to-read signs at dark, but because of the two guys that have never been in this area, ever.

When I was met by a medical intern for an advanced examination of my right eye, I wasn’t nervous about another eye exam. I was nervous about what my options were for treatment; from eye drops to surgery.

The diagnosis was retinal detachment.

The choices for surgery were to stay in a hotel near to medical facility for a week of recovery and checkups or fly home for the same schedule. Well, I could be home the next day. The obvious choice for me was to fly home to be with my family and friends.

Part 4

A few hours later, I was working again. We were back at the regional supervisor’s office (hotel room), and I was asked to download all the photographs and notes on my inspections and evaluations for this day.

Since I was mentoring the new people in the process of composing the daily report with the information I gathered from each site, I needed to write a basic report that included the following data; photographs at each site, field note evaluations, measurements, materials, personnel, equipment, and restoration schedules.

The flight home was booked for the next day. I was driven back to my hotel and packed for the trip home. Another interesting day.

Part 5

Life Lessons Learned

A sudden change in your comfort zone demands a constant learning curve; how to function with impaired hearing and vision.

Challenge yourself to see how strong your spirit would keep fighting each day. Respond as if you are the person that survived cancer or lost your vision.

I did both challenges over the last several years. Then the cancer diagnosis in 2013. (a story for later)

You will appreciate days in the depths of despair and the joys of discovery.

You will learn the initial fear of being in medical emergencies. Particularly, the ones you can’t get back to normal. Being outside your comfort zone takes on a new depth of challenges to your inner strength.

Thank you for reading this first chapter. I will submit each story that continues with my challenges on the flight home with layovers in Chicago and Seattle. The irony was of my traveling for years did not make my experience look like a confident traveler. (Chapter 2)

Closing Thoughts

You will learn to think about how you will react to your family, friends, and yourself in life-changing situations in not ideal locations — outside your comfort zone.

Despite my seven years as an EMT in the states of Washington and Alaska, I could not fix these problems. Your appreciation of individuals in the medical system help educate others even more regarding their advanced experience and collaboration through the emergency treatment that they perform every day and night.

Each following chapter will be from my perspective of emergency medical situations. You can understand the necessity to remain ‘Calm in the middle of a Storm’. Saving a life can be done by an individual at the site or yourself, by just calling the local 911 and being calm.

Note: This story is about my experiences with vision impairment. Please consult your healthcare professional for vision exams and treatment.