I AM writing this as a matter of personal privilege. For almost two months, I endured a serious eyesight problem. My left eye got partially blind. I had difficulty driving, especially at night, and reading the teleprompter in my TV news program with only one eye fully functioning. But thanks to the Lord and to my eye doctor for restoring my vision.
One morning last May, I woke up with the vision in my left eye blurred. It worsened in only a few days and resulted to partial blindness. “Partial blindness” in the sense that I could no longer see objects and identify colors. I could not even look at myself in front of a mirror. But I could see lights. It felt like scattered blood clots hampered my vision.
I immediately visited my long-time friend, Dr. Billy Jaca, one of Cebu's topnotch ophthalmologists, for consultation. Dr. Jaca said I had vitreous hemorrhage caused by diabetic retinopathy.
Diabetic retinopathy, according to Wikipedia, is a diabetic complication affecting the eyes. It is caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light- sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (retina).
Diabetic retinopathy may initially cause no symptoms or the person only suffers mild vision problems. Eventually, it can cause blindness. It can develop in anyone who has type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The longer you have diabetes and the less controlled your blood sugar is, the more likely you develop this eye complication.
I was surprised because my blood sugar level is only between 140 to 150 during random tests. It never reached to more than 200. Although that is still high because the minimum blood sugar level is 100. I am not yet into insulin medication but I have been taking diabetes maintenance medicines for years now.
In the follow-up consultation, Dr. Jaca invited Dr. Vic Cajita, another known ophthalmologist, to his clinic to get a second opinion. Their findings were the same. Dr. Jaca asked Dr. Cajita, who is my fellow Mindanaoan being a native of Aloran, Misamis Occidental, to “take care” of me. Cajita is an expert in retina and vitreous cases.
Dr. Cajita is among the original group of ophthalmologists that organized the Aces Associated Eye Specialist, which is headed by another friend, Dr. Jojo Aquino. Their well-equipped clinics are in Velez Hospital and Perpetual Succor Hospital. They have branches in Dumaguete City and Cagayan de Oro City.
Before this, sometime last October, I experienced double vision also in my left eye. A series of laboratory tests showed that I suffered lateral rectus nerve palsy. It was cured three months after through extensive medication.
Lateral rectus nerve palsy, according to Wikipedia, is a palsy of the sixth cranial nerve. It is a weakness of the nerve that innervates the lateral rectus muscle, which pulls the eye away from the nose and when the lateral rectus muscle is weak, the eye crosses inward toward the nose (esotropia).
The most common causes of the sixth cranial nerve palsy are stroke, trauma, viral illness, brain tumor, inflammation, infection, migraine headache and elevated pressure inside the brain. The condition can be present at birth. In children, the most common cause is trauma. In older persons, the most common cause is minor stroke. Sometimes the cause can't be determined despite extensive examination.
Two weeks ago, Dr. Cajita injected medicines into my eyes improving the vision in my left eye. He performed laser treatment in my right eye as a sort of prevention. Last Monday, he performed the pars plana vitrectomy operation in my left eye. Thanks God it was successful.
The blood clot-like images blocking my vision have been removed and, as of this writing, my eyesight is gradually improving. Dr. Cajita said it will take a few weeks before my eyesight would be back to normal. Hopefully, the vision will be 20/20 again. Incidentally, in the same operating room was my close friend, businessman Raul Laurente, whose cataract removal operation was performed by Dr. Jojo Aquino.
Salamat sa Ginoo ug salamat ni Dr. Cajita ug sa iyang mga assistants nga gigiyahan sila sa Labaw'ng Makagagahum aron mabalik ang akong maayong panan-aw. Ang ako lang gyud nga gikagul-an mao nga kun mabuta ko kay dili na ko makakita og mga guwapa. Apan karon makasud-ong na gyud tag mga mammords ani. Thank you, Lord.
(bobby@sunstar.com.ph)