Better Than A Poke In The Eye….

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Shot In The Eye
Shot In The Eye

One of those pithy sayings from my youth was to say that something was “better than a poke in the eye!” That kind of meant getting poked in the eye was the worst possible thing to happen. Well, today’s activities included a trip to the eye doctor with dad and mother. Dad is being treated for wet macular degeneration. The treatment consists of regularly getting a shot of an anti-VEGF drug directly into the eyeball. These drugs are also used for treatment of colon cancer but have become a primary treatment for wet macular degeneration. The drug shrinks the blood vessels that have gone wild on the retina and dries up the blood that they leak.

For dad this treatment has been reasonably effective in maintaining what eyesight he has. He went through the initial series of injections in both eyes, but the problem has returned in his left eye. As a result the doctor has put him on an extended series of injections for both eyes.

I do not like hypodermic needles. Actually, one can say that I am afraid of them and unexpectedly encountering one is a bad thing. A couple of years ago my admin, who was diabetic, jabbed herself in the thigh, right through her jeans, as I was walking by. I fainted dead away onto the floor for a few seconds. It took quite a bit of persuasion not to get transported to the hospital. So, in this case, I put my iPhone between me and the doctor so I could get the picture without having to watch the procedure. It worked nicely.

The doctor heard the shutter sound (there isn’t a shutter on these digital cameras, so Apple added the shutter sound as feedback that a picture has been taken) and invited me to come closer and watch (I declined). He then said he wanted to get a video of the procedure to show patients, but didn’t have the equipment plus he was the one doing the procedure and didn’t know how to video and do at the same time.

Dad will come back to Pocatello on the 23rd of December for another shot in the left eye and once again on January 6th for the next one in the right eye. I expect I’ll have more several opportunities to not watch the procedure. Not watching is definitely better than a poke in the eye….

2 thoughts on “Better Than A Poke In The Eye….”

  1. Roland………

    I never knew you were such a wimp, pansy, sissy or some other descriptive adjective I better not use, especially to my best friend.
    I’ll come and take the video the next time your Dad goes in. I am booked for school assignment until Dec. 19th.

    We are home as you read on the blog. All is well here.

    DCS

  2. The anti-angiogenesis drugs such as lucentis and avastin can be critical in helping manage wet macular degeneration and helping preserve vision, but the other critical part of maintaining vision is through diet, lifestyle and specific nutrient supplementation, which is supported by a many peer review studies completed included the AREDS study and the new AREDS2 study which reviewed lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids.

    Essential nutrients include lutein, zeaxanthin, omega-3 fatty acids, taurine, gingko biloba, lycopene, vitamin A, E, zinc, copper, selenium for example, that can help both prevent the onset of eye disease such as macular degeneration as well as help preserve vision for those with macular degeneration.

    For more information and specific research studies by eye condition on nutrition and vision, go to http://www.naturaleyecare.com

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