Have you noticed my glasses lately?

I can't remember if I told you already, but I have been fighting some sort of crazy eye thing since February.  First the doctor thought it was an infection and gave me some steroid drops.  Two weeks of glasses and drops later, eyes were doing better and I was allowed to start wearing contacts again.

Except that it came back.  More drops. More glasses.  Cleared again. Contacts again - and it came back.

I decided to get a second opinion and went to see Dr. Sands at the Cincinnati Eye Institute, who is awesome.  He ruled out contacts (more glasses. Hence why after 18 years of wearing glasses you are just seeing them in pictures this year).  Gave me this ridiculous test to check my tear production - by sticking something in my eyes to see if they tear. Yes, sir, I do feel that painful foreign object.  Check "dry eyes" off the list. Allergy drops didn't help - and it wasn't an infection.  Dr. Sands referred me to a "cornea and external disease specialist."  And I'm sorry, but that referral should come with a reassurance that you aren't dying.

Finally got in to see Dr. Wander today, and he was awesome.  He had a hunch and all of his investigating proved right - after, of course, I was revived from my fainting spell.  Seriously - halfway through my exam I just straight up passed out.  He told me that there is this nerve that connects your eyes with your stomach and it's used to help you control stomach acid.  A few times a year (4 - 5, he said) he has a patient pass out, and it's related to this nerve.  So I am not the only one.  Still embarrassed!

Diagnosis is this: my contact solution caused a "toxic reaction" in my eyes. He said he's seen it in about a dozen other patients using the same solution (stop buying Opti-free solution!) - they use it for years and then one day it just starts destroying their eyes.  If his idea is right, I can start wearing contacts again tomorrow with a new solution and I should be totally fine.  Fingers crossed!

$250 in co-pays and 10 eye doctor visits later (my insurance company probably hates me), I should start getting better!  And my pupils are on their way back down from being dilated (that is so horrible) and I can stop worrying about going blind / having a brain tumor. Which, of course, is what I was worried about!!!