#cataracts

*from July 2024*

My cool old lady Stoneweb

Little Prince has braved sticking his snoot out to wish everyone a happy new year!

I'm sorry for the lack of Prince photos this year. Since Summer, he hasn't wanted to come out of his viv once. He's also been startling and whipping his head round when I walk past the viv like Yuma did when she first started to develop cataracts. So I think he may now also be getting cataracts and he's lost some confidence moving around. He'll get his usual annual vet check up in the Spring so hopefully they can take a closer look and confirm if cataracts are developing!

But with him not being out and about, most photos of him this year are basically this-

I haven't talked much about the eye problems I've been having for the past couple years, because it's just tedious and unhappy-making. Seems I have an allergy to something (probably Miette Kitty's saliva) that causes my eye(s) to get red and really swell up.

I saw my optometrist about it in summer 2023, because it was messing with my vision, and he put me on steroid drops. I continued to use them whenever an eye would swell, refilling the prescription several times over the next year.

My vision only got worse, and fast.

Finally, after waiting months to get in to visit a proper ophthalmologist, I was diagnosed with cataracts, brought on by -drum roll- the steroid drops. Turns out you shouldn't use steroids long-term, as they mess with your body. (Arnold Schwarzenegger has a lot to say about that.)

So I need to get new, un-bumpy lenses installed. Which I do starting tomorrow (right eye), then again in two weeks for the other eye.

Ironically (again), the ophthalmologist put me back on steroid drops to prevent new swelling before the surgery... so my vision has gotten so bad that I can't drive at night, and bright lights hurt, and I can't read a screen that has white background. Critiquing student stories has been interesting.

Hopefully all goes well and my vision comes back - I have a new telescope to use!

(Not the one in the image - that's the WIRO instrument we visited on our honeymoon drive back from the wedding, which Mike Brotherton kindly introduced Lauren to.)