The Creepy Eyeball Doctor & Artwork Strikes Again!

I returned to the eye doctor last Friday for my laser zapping on the secondary cataract in my left eye.

After some eye drops(ack!  hate those), signing a release form(listing various "oops!" that can happen, including retina detachment and blindness-Yikes!)then a red sticker dot was placed on my forehead above my left eye before herding me into the "Dilation Room".  I guess this sticker makes sure the doctor zaps the correct eyeball, like when I had my TKR, the surgeon and I both signed my knee so they didn't have an "oopsie" and saw through the wrong knee.  Someone in the Dilation Room had their sticker fall off and we all cautioned them to make sure they put it back over the proper eye. lolz

All of us "laser zapping folks" waiting exchanged some pleasantries and after about 15 minutes I got called in for my zapping.  I sat in the chair and an assistant put even more drops in my eye(have I mentioned how much I dislike having drops put in my eyes yet?).  Then I put my chin in the chin holder and my forehead against the forehead holder(lol)of the machine and was instructed to stare at the eye doctor's left earlobe.  I "saw" red exes and heard the laser go off in bursts and what appeared to be clouds of white smoke?

After 10 seconds it was all over and the eye doctor asked me if I wanted to get glasses(the upsell-at least he didn't try to sell me on Botox injections or other cosmetic shit at his MediSpa next door), then handed me an appointment card to return in 4 months.  I went to get up and leave and the eye doctor stopped me as I rose and removed the red sticker on my forehead.  I told him, "Gee, I thought I'd get to keep that as a souvenir." 8-)  He smiled and I went to the waiting room to find Hubs.

After 2 days and the drops wearing off I can discern crisper vision in the eye that got zapped.  Perhaps I'll get the other one done as well if I can stand to run the creepy eyeball artwork gauntlet again. ;-)

But as promised I did snap photos of the eyeball artwork I came upon on this visit.......

It started at the reception desk....there were 3 eyeballs on canvas artworks(only got 2 in this photo)and a snow globe of sorts with an eye ball in it.  Now that eye in glass was the creepiest thing......

I sort of liked this one in the waiting area........it was tile of either ceramic or porcelain in nature.  You figure out what this means. 8-))

And this ginormous fake chocolate rabbit complete with blue hued bow, grass and little Easter eggs was displayed prominently in front of another eyeball artwork in the waiting area.

I didn't go as many places in the building as on my first visit so I missed some eyeball artwork.  And I did notice a couple of non-eyeball themed pieces in the waiting room this time.  I wonder if in time, those two pieces will be replaced with eyeball themed artwork?

Here is a mural at the end of the long hallway and also running with ads in a loop on the tv monitor in the "Dilation Room".

This painting was next to a water fountain/hydration station down another corridor.  Notice the little figure in a space suit sitting in that eyeball. lol

Here's the painting in the room where the tech gave me the first set of eye drops.  That eyeball sort of looks like mine on terms of color but mine is lighter green with less brown around the edges. ;-)

And here I am with the Easter themed artwork they had someone paint on the building by the entrance.  Giant bunny-esque figures wearing sunglasses.  yeah.

And the Pièce de Resistance was this one.....

The giant eyeball statue is now sporting bunny ears.

Oh, I can't wait until I come back in July to see what they do to this thing for July 4th.*eye roll*

Sluggy

My Visit to the Creepy Eye Doctor's Office

My primary set me up to have an eye exam.  Being diabetic I have a yearly exam but this new primary says current thinking is that this sort of eye exam should be done two times a year now.  Great, more money being sucked out for medical shit.

So Hubs took me to the eye doc last week.  I couldn't help but notice the giant eyeball statue in the complex's courtyard.  I posed with it after we were heading out.........

So we go into the check-in area and there is a large decked out Christmas tree.......

Folks around here seem to leave Christmas trees up most of the year.....Christmas decorations make way for Mardi Gras decorations and/or Valentine's decorations.  As I looked closer at this tree I noticed there were rather large silver balls which had been painted to look like eyeballs.  Hmmm.  A bit creepy in my book.

So I rather quickly got escorted back by a technician to a small room where she did an intake on me and then tested my vision with the infamous eye chart.  Between answering questions and trying to make out the lines on the eye chart, while she was writing stuff down I made the comment that "I could never work here.".  She looked at me with a puzzled facial expression and I explained that I found this whole place creepy, as there was nothing but eyeball themed art work on the walls and on EVERY SINGLE WALL IN THE BUILDING.  And this small room had a large piece of artwork featuring a ginormous eyeball on it that kept staring at me!  She responded in a rather haughty tone that, "Well, all this art work is done by local artists."  That's all fine and good but seriously?.....if someone was paranoid, all these eyeballs staring at a person might drive them running from the place. lolz

So after finishing with this tech person I went back into the waiting room and then was called back by a different technician to a different room.  He had me look into a machine with bright green x's to measure something or other.  I made a comment that I felt like I was going to play MineCraft due to the green pattern.  This 30 something tech suddenly got very excited, thinking I played Mine Craft, but I had to burst his bubble on that.  He then launched into telling me that he and his brother ran a side gig helping gamers advance in games by providing digital equipment you can buy at auctions in these game worlds, etc.  He went on to say they made a high double $Ks figure last year and all I could think was, "Dude, you need to quit this job and do that full time because I am sure you'd make more with your side gig than what they pay you here.". 8-))

So after being dilated I was sent to a darkened waiting room labeled the "Dilation Room".  There was a tv monitor in there and instead of showing a tv show of some kind it ran commercials for this eye doc on a continuous loop.  Seems he also owns a "MediSpa" in this complex and they do cosmetic type dermatology stuff........

There was also a slide of the doc next to an eyeball mural located somewhere in the building.....I suppose the lady on the other side of the mural was the artist?

Then a slide came up of the giant Eye Ball statue outside decorated for Halloween, wearing an oversized Witches hat......

Hard to tell the scale of this thing from this photo.  I was wondering where the Christmas decorated eye ball photo was.

So it was finally time to meet the eye doctor.  I was surprised that he was a young guy, dressed in tan corduroy pants, a plaid flannel shirt and a red puffer vest.  Looked like a hipster employee rather than the owner of this facility.

He extended his hand to me but instead of putting his hand out vertically so I could shake his hand, he held his hand out to me, palm up.  I didn't know what to do with this....slap him 5?....spit in his hand?.....What??

So he went on to explain that I had no evidence of diabetic complications in my eyes. yay.
Then he said however, that sometimes when one has cataracts removed(which I had done in 2015)and have artificial IOL lenses implanted, a membrane can develop under the lenses, which can make your vision less than perfect.  He explained that they have a quick and easy fix for that-a YAG laser that can zap the membrane and restore your vision to the clearness from when you had the lenses implanted.  I had this membrane developing more so in my left eye but the right eye is not far behind in having this condition.  It's called a secondary cataract and this is a common complication with an easy fix.

I did have the presence of mind to ask if Medicare covers this procedure.  In my case my Medicare Part B will cover this being done as an outpatient procedure with no OOP.

So I am due to go back to the creepy eyeball place in about a week to have the PCO membrane zapped away.  Information on this procedure is HERE. Having a laser zapping my eye sort of makes me  nervous.  Heck, eye doctors/techs have a hard time prying my eyelids open to put drops onto my eyeballs. lol

Let me know if you have had cataract surgery and then needed a posterior capsular  opacification procedure performed on your eye(s).  How did it go for you?  Any complications?

I'll try to get more photos of all those creepy eyeball paintings/prints/murals/watercolors to show y'all in the future.

Sluggy

Blah, Blah, Blah

 Ok folks, I got nothing today.

What is everyone out there up to today?  
I've got an exciting eye doctor appointment and then I get to inject myself with Humira tonight.  

Oh yeah, and Anne and I are still waiting for KIM to call us.  Good thing neither of us was holding our breath.  We know better. lolz

Fun times.....

Sluggy

What I've Done....Er, Mostly Avoided This Week

On Tuesday I dragged my self out of bed long enough to take #2 son to the eye doctor.  He had failed the vision test at school...uh oh.....

At the doc's office, #2 son learned he has joined the family "bad vision" club on Tuesday, as he is now nearsighted.
Plus got the astigmatism from dear old mom's genes.
Double bonus!

I had my vision checked as well since it was time and yes, the doddering old mom's eyes have gotten worse in the last 2 years.  Pretty soon they'll be fitting me for a white red tipped cane and/or a big guide dog in a harness to haul my carcass around.

I don't mind eye exams.
It's the picking out new frames I can't stand.
Why must they change all the styles every 2 years?!?  I find a style that doesn't make people turn away in disgust at my face and then the next time I need a new frame, the style is gone and I have to ferret out another style that works with the few good points on my visage.
It's so totally unfair I tell ya!

After the psyche scarring episode over at Pearle Vision Center, #2 son and I went down the strip mall to Ollie's.
Ollie's is the local discount/closeouts store, much like a Job-Lot, Odd-Lot, or the now defunct Value City.  I am a card carrying member of Ollie's and they had mailed me a 15% off Coupon to use before Valentine's Day.

Since I've spent so little from the food budget this month, we stocked #2 son up on vital junk food and I got a few deals as well......

I got 5 boxes of kitchen bags-45 count for $4.24 after 15% discount.  A real good price!  Between this lot and what I already have in the stockpile that I got for no OOP at Rite-Aid over the course of last year, we should be set for garbage bags at least until the Fall.
4 bottles of 100% juice for $1.69 each.
3 jars of mandarin oranges for $1.35 each(ignore that 1 is already empty!lol)

Then for #2 son's dining pleasure....
4 boxes of Mac and Cheese "crack" for .76¢ each.(close-out because it's jack-o-lantern shaped)
2 packages of cookies for .76¢ and $1.69.
1 package of kettle popcorn for $1.27.
And a huge 2 foot tall container of pretzel logs for $4.24. *Not pictured as it's already disappeared into the depth's of his room.*

I spent $43.01 with tax.

Afterwards we met Hubs and went over to Denny's so I could cash in my Free Birthday Grand Slam Meal Coupon.   Mmmmm.....French Toast, a couple of eggs and assorted breakfast meats made my tummy happy.  #2 son got a Grand Slam and Hubs got a Chicken Sandwich.  We dropped a $20(including a righteous tip) and headed home.

And other than chauffeuring duties, I haven't left the house since then.
I wander around the house and think about cleaning and decluttering or doing laundry and then I go lay down and rest instead.
Or I go read emails/blogs until the feeling passes and then I go lay down instead.

I can't seem to shake this thing.  Being sick on your birthday blows, ya know?
Plus I've been in a major funk.  Having relationship issues with the daughter lately doesn't help.

Don't mind me.  I'll just be over here in the corner wallowing in self-pity for a bit longer.

Sluggy