At the hospital : day 2

When I got home from work a few days ago, I noticed something amiss with my right eye. It felt uncomfortable somehow for the whole day but I didn't think there's anything I should be worried about.

Oh, yes. Let's establish this fact first : I wear contact lenses every day, from the last 13 years. (started wearing lenses at the tender age of 16)

Ok back to the story.

So I took a mirror and examined the eye closely. There was something - the lower part of my eye was red, and there was a white something in the area.

Oh, shoot. Probably injured my eye when I was wearing the lenses, I thought. Showed it to my husband, who asked if this has happened before - believe it or not, in the last 13 years, it hasn't. I've had a smooth, clear track record of any injury (contact lenses related).

Until now.

When I got to the eye clinic, this was the result. I was taken to do a "photography" shoot of my eyes using the microscope, or at least something that looks like one, in a special room. The staff asked me to stand still while he took the shots, with bright lights directed straight into my eyes. It was super uncomfortable.

Then he asked for me to wait for the doctor; the ophthalmologist. She came a few minutes later, saw these close-up images, asked me to sit in front of the "microscope" while she examined my eyes.

"This is bad"

Then she asked my history - where I've been, what I'm doing, my daily routine, etc. 

Suddenly she asked,

"Do you usually sleep with eyes half-opened?"

"Huh, what?"

She said that my symptoms got worse because I tend to sleep with my eyes not fully closed - which usually means the lower part of my eyes get exposed. Explains the white dots visible on the lower part of my eye.

This condition, she said, is called corneal ulcer. The exposed part of the eyes get dry and infected, and I probably made it worse by putting on contact lenses. Though I've been wearing lenses for almost 13 years..

Kalau nak jadi, jadi jugak. Sobs.

So here I am.

So day 1 at the hospital yesterday, I had 2 appointments with the doctor - in the morning, I had to undergo a laser treatment because my retina has a "hole" which might risk exposure of nerves inside the eyes, and the laser treatment helped close them back. Probably more to the reason why I refuse to undergo LASIK - the procedure was painful T.T

(Though if I had to wear glasses permanently after this, I'd still consider it - the doctor says LASIK takes 15 minutes and downtime is just 1-2 days.)

And every half an hour, the nurse would come and give me antibiotics to help combat the ulcer. As of now, my recovery has been good - there are signs the ulcer is shrinking. 

Can't wait to go home!