To recap: March 2023 I had cataract surgery done, replacing the lenses in both eyes. My eyes were naturally monofocal, before the surgery. My left eye needed no correction in terms of seeing things close up, and my right eye needed very little correction to see far. So I have monofocal lenses as well, now.

In March 2024 I had a YAG laser procedure done to remove the scar tissue growth that had begun to partially block my vision.

Then everything was fine and I could see clearly for a few months.

Four to six weeks ago, I noticed that my right eye, the eye that I use for seeing things in the distance, was starting to get blurry. At first, I blamed my glasses—they must be dirty, I must have forgotten to clean them.

It took me a while to realize that no, there’s actually something wrong with the vision in my right eye. There’s a haze that’s built up. Everything’s fuzzy.

When I got the cataract surgery (as well as the YAG procedure) I joked about getting a color upgrade. At this time, colors are brighter in my left eye than in my right.

Got in to see my doctor in RECORD time. Every time before this, my doctor’s soonest available appointment was at least three months out. I called on Thursday and had an appointment the following Monday. Score!

My eye is measurably worse. When you get your eyes checked, they project a line of letters on the wall across the room. With my right eye, I can no longer make out any of the letters in the top, biggest line. (It was a relief to learn that my left eye was fine.)

I had figured that I might need a second YAG procedure. It’s rare, but it does happen.

However, I don’t have any growth. The doctor suspects that I have some sort of infection. So I’m back on antibiotics, this time, done as eye drops.

I am using eye drops eight times a day. It wasn’t until yesterday that I realized that the right side of my face is slightly swollen and painful. Really low-grade pain, like maybe a 1 or 1.5 on a scale of 1-10.

I’m only a couple days in, but so far, my vision hasn’t improved at all. Fingers crossed that the antibiotics will kick whatever is in this eye. If they don’t work, I don’t know what the next step is. I do have another doctor appointment already set up for three weeks out.

Normally I don’t report on something like this mid-journey. I wait until it’s all taken care of. I’m trying to not be that person, and instead, to reach out even when everything isn’t great. Hopefully the next time I’ll have better news and be in a better place.