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Catherine Gacad

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Bad Luck

39east_RB_SF095I am not a morning person which makes it all the more alarming when I woke up at 6am.  I felt like there was something in my right eye.  I tip-toed to the bathroom and tried flushing it out with water and Visine.  There was no redness, no mucous, simply irritation.  I tried going back to sleep, but eye movement made it worse.  The only time I didn’t feel irritation was when I had my eye wide open.  Maybe I had unintentionally scratched it in the middle of the night?

My optometrist’s office is closed on Mondays.  I called my co-worker’s optometrist—his schedule was completely packed for the day.  I tried another co-worker’s optometrist—they could see me at noon.

But it looks like your insurance won’t cover the visit.

I don’t care.  I’ll pay out of pocket.

Ok, if there’s any reason you won’t be able to make your appointment, we’re going to have to charge you anyway.

This is an emergency!  Of course I’ll be there.

The doctor asked questions for almost ten minutes.  Who is your regular optometrist?  When was your last visit?  Do you sleep near a vent?  Are there pets in your household?  Any allergies that you’re aware of?  Did you sleep with your contacts on?  Do you ever sleep with your contacts on?  How long have you had your brand of contacts?  Have you strained your eyes any more than usual?

She checked my bespectacled vision.  I felt like a failure.

Your prescription is outdated; you can benefit from a slight increase in both eyes.

I almost always wear contacts.  I think these glasses are at least three years old.

Alright now, let’s take a look inside your eye.  Look straight at the door.  Look up, look down.  Help me isolate the problem.  Does it hurt every time you blink?

You know, it doesn’t.  It only hurts when I look up.

She flipped my eyelid up.  And there’s the problem.  It’s a tiny speck.  She lubricated a Q-tip and swabbed it away.

RELIEF.

I don’t even know what that was.  Unidentifiable.  Your eye is raw in one area from the constant rubbing, but that should heal quickly.  Looks like you simply had a case of bad luck.

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06.19.10

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Welcome to my site, derived from an advice column I wrote while getting my MBA. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I give helpful, opinionated advice based on my own experience and from the expertise of my extensive network. For more, click here.

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