Not Seeing the Point

As we age body parts begin the inevitable decline, and Ol' Abner seems to be declining at an accelerated rate. Don't get me wrong. The old guy still stalks up and down our little piece of the mountain, climbs the ladder to clear leaves and acorns off the roof, and chops logs and other wood from downed trees. Always an energetic sort, he requires longer periods of rest between his physical endeavors and those same tasks must be of shorter duration these days. I know this appears on the surface a rather mundane observation, but a routine diabetic eye exam yesterday shook his foundation of personal strength. Yep Ol' Abner has developed the dreaded macular degeneration in one eye.

I didn't go in with him to see the doctor. After a two plus hour wait, I opted to go out to the vehicle to check on the dog. She had agreed to make the long winding three hour trip off the mountain with us after a three year hiatus. We thought she had begun to tolerate longer rides and might even begin to travel with us again. This visit, expected to be a fairly routine eyeglass update, seemed the perfect time to bring her along. The wind was blowing very and I was chilled to the bone after walking her around the grassy areas to sniff and greet walkers. When finished I opted to just enjoy the warmth of the passenger seat to wait for my spouse. As the critter and I settled in with my book, he tapped on the window clad in the temporary shades provided in the eye clinic. When I opened the window, he blurted out "I have macular degeneration and I don't want to go blind!"

My reaction to horrifying news is generally disbelief...followed by massive gathering of information. Given the family history, the disbelief was not present, but many questions remained. Uncle JH had developed the condition and we watched as he valiantly attempted to remain independant while his vision deteriorated at a rapid pace. Once we reached the homeplace I set to work to track down the name of a retina specialist I had met many years earlier. Dr Eddie had given a presentation on exactly this condition and treatment options to retard it's progression. After reading a little more about it and researching treatment options, it would appear that Ol' Abner was given instructions that follow standard protocol. Still, I think we may seek a second opinion.