Sometimes, it takes something we cannot control to remind us that we are human. I have always taken pride in being an incredibly hard worker and have been known to occasionally typically strive for an overachieving perfection in all I do.
About a month ago, I began experiencing an irritation in my eyes. Thinking it was allergies, I kept going with my 18 hour days because surely allergies couldn’t last forever. As another week passed and my eyes were still bothering me – I thought it was a lack of sleep. Well, couldn’t fix that! So, I kept going.
One morning, I arrived at school – completely exhausted from the behavior issue we were having, paperwork which was due, my work out schedule and several after-school appearances in one week. The nurse immediately told me I needed to go home – looked like I had pink eye in both eyes. Knowing it was impossible to go home with our staffing issues, I had to stay at school and suffer. How on earth did I get pink eye? How did I not know it was pink eye…because I had never seen it before! Luckily, I had an appointment with the dermatologist that day and she was able to prescribe drops for pink eye.
While I continued the drops, I woke up two days later with completely blurred vision. Being scared, and quite alone in Tulsa, I called my site director to explain that I was incredibly concerned about the lack of sight and asked if I could come in late after an optometrist looked over my eyes. She said to come in because staffing was tight, and I drove slower than I ever had on the highway to get to school.
When I arrived, my master teacher sent me straight to the optometrist and was furious that I had been required to come to school, let alone drive myself anywhere. Thank goodness my voice teacher recommended a Pi Phi alum’s husband to me, and his office was able to squeeze me in immediately.
Turns out, I didn’t have pink eye. FANTASTIC NEWS! So what did I have? Keratitis.
Keratitis is an inflammation of the cornea — the clear, dome-shaped tissue on the front of your eye that covers the pupil and iris. Keratitis can sometimes involve an infection, but noninfectious keratitis can be caused by a relatively minor injury (a fingernail scratch, or from wearing your contact lenses too long). Without immediate attention, mild to moderate cases of keratitis can usually be effectively treated without loss of vision. If it goes untreated, it can lead to scarring in the eye and possible loss of vision. (The Mayo Clinic)
Basically, the doctor explained it as my cornea is shedding, or peeling off, and the layers were blurring my vision and the inflammation caused the red, puffiness. My “exposure keratitis” was caused by many factors: accutane (prescribed by the dermatologist to dry out my skin, causing intense dryness and peeling of my body), a recent trip on a cruise with my family (the wind of the boat and intensity of the sun), and a lack of blinking (go figure – she said I must really keep my eyes focused on my students!).
I am so lucky to have caught it when I did, and with about forty-five four drops, three times a day, including a steroid, I will maintain my vision. I will continue treatment for the next two months, but the doctor said to slow down. While it was unexpected, I am listening to the hints from above to take it easier and make time for myself. All in all: lesson learned. Thank you to everyone for the good thoughts and prayers!