on a more sober note

Today I underwent a series of tests to determine why the vision in my right eye has deteriorated significantly since the end of July, when I had my last eye exam. My "general practitioner" eye doctor was honest enough to tell me, upon re-examination, that I have the beginnings of a cataract in this right eye, but he believes this is not the cause of the problem. So he referred me to a specialist. People kept asking me if the vision problem looks like there's a film over my eye or something is blurring my vision and I kept saying, "no, it's more like I am simply lacking the right number of pixels in my field of vision." Interestingly, when I told this to the specialist, he knew EXACTLY what I meant and did some tests to confirm what he already surmised: I have a membrane growing over the retina in my right eye.

He told me that my description was "insightful" and that the condition is not uncommon, although in this case the growth is very pronounced and this membrane is actually pulling tissue away from the back of my eye. He showed me a scan of the "normal" configuration and then mine, and the difference is so great even I could see what he meant. This means that I will be undergoing a very delicate surgical procedure to remove this membrane. In most cases, near 20/20 vision is restored (in my case, with corrective lenses) but there is a chance it won't be perfect. They use, said the specialist, the third smallest needle in the world in order to do this surgery, but the doctor to whom he referred me is the best he knows of.

I joked on Facebook that maybe my recent obvious blunders have not been just because of weak play. Even thought this may not really be true, I do know that my field of vision on the right side is very much impaired. I have a pre-operative appointment next Wednesday, to meet the surgeon and to learn what will happen, so all plans to play competitively are on hold while this issue is addressed.