Eye, eye, eye!

The last week of October, I noticed I was having terrible eye pain which radiated to the back of my head, down my neck and to my shoulders and back. I was also dizzy, and objects seemed to oscillate back and forth, never really in focus. As I was pondering the pain, I suddenly knew what was the cause. My eye muscles must have weakened, and I needed different prism strength in my glasses. This exact same thing has happened to me in October 2016, October 2015 and October 2014. Armed with this information, I called an eye clinic which hosts six different eye doctors. When I called, I just asked to see the doctor who had the next available appointment, which was four weeks away.

Today was the magic day. I was excited I would soon have a new prescription and would be seeing again soon without pain, dizziness and double vision. When the doctor saw me, my body was shaking due to fatigue. The doctor asked about my tremors. I briefly explained I had mitochondrial myopathy. When the doctor heard I had mitochondrial myopathy, he quickly told me there was nothing he could do for me. "You have a muscle disease. Your eye muscle strength will change throughout the day." I already knew this, but I also know that my current glasses need different prism strength and possibly a different refraction strength. I am dizzy, see double and have a headache from the moment I wake up until the moment I go back to sleep. These exact same symptoms have occurred in the past and have been resolved with a new eyeglass prescription. Without ever doing an eye exam, the doctor pushed me out the door, insisting there was nothing he could do for me.

I was a bit in shock as I left the doctor's office. Did the doctor really not check to see if the prism in my glasses was correct? Did I just waste my yearly eye exam visit on a doctor who did not perform an eye exam? I was utterly defeated, felt sick to my stomach and knew I had just wasted a precious afternoon's worth of energy.

I wish there was some happy ending to today, but it seems today was just another day with another bad doctor's appointment. Now, I have to ponder if I can endure these symptoms for the next 12 months until I can schedule another eye exam through my insurance. I doubt I can last that long. I feel as though I have been doing everything I can for the last month to patiently wait for this appointment. I guess I will just keep praying. Praying for a miracle. Praying to have relief from these symptoms soon.