[blparent] Word to the Wise for Totally Blind Parents

[Jo Elizabeth Pinto]

I just thought I’d throw this out there, based on an experience I had this last week.  Pinkeye is nothing to mess with, and it can creep up on you, as adults.  Be on the lookout for it, because it’s something we’re taught to be aware of in our kids, but we often overlook it as a possibility for ourselves.

I’d been having allergy symptoms, including a sore throat, headaches, and itchy, watery eyes.  We’ve had more rain than usual this summer, and the plant life has been different.  My boyfriend was out of town all week, so it was just my six-year-old daughter at home with me.  No big deal, except she was a lot to keep up with since I was feeling miserable.  My eyes were bothering me more and more all week long, so I started using OTC drops to keep down the irritation, but they helped less and less.  At first it was just the left eye, but by Thursday, both of them were burning and itching terribly.  Finally, my daughter told me they looked all crusty and gross, the way hers had looked when she had pinkeye last spring.  My boyfriend got back into town that night and said my eyes were swollen, and a trip to urgent care the next morning confirmed the eye infection.  The physician’s assistant said I probably would have sought treatment a lot sooner if I could see because my vision would have been affected.  Now that I’ve started treatment, the problem is clearing up, but I could have avoided some discomfort if I had begun the ointment sooner.  It’s worth remembering that pinkeye is a possibility for people of all ages.

Jo Elizabeth

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening.--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.