So I went to the ophthalmologist yesterday, concerned that the Flonase I had been taking to alleviate my sinus woes had given me blurry vision in my left eye (or worse, that the infection in my sinuses had spread to my eyes). After putting me through the wringer the doctor concluded that neither was in fact the case, but that I was probably suffering from something called central serous retinopathy, which occurs when the cell wall between the retina and the blood vessels feeding into the eye sockets ruptures and allows fluid to puddle directly beneath the retina. Gross, but in the grand scheme of things I guess that's better than an eye infection or a drug mishap, and better yet it's a condition that clears up on its own as the rupture heals itself and the cell wall is restored. Nevertheless I keep getting the feeling that my body has just exceeded the mileage on its factory warranty. What's next, I wonder?
The funny thing is that the eye doctor told me that this condition is the sort of thing which happens to males in their 30's and 40's who are "Type A Personalities". I had always considered myself a B-minus at best, so this was something of a compliment!
(Huh. Looking at the National Retina Institute's write-up on central serous retinopathy I noticed that they say this: "It follows that we also encounter CSR in patients taking steroid medications as well as during pregnancy." Flonase being a corticosteroid, I wonder if it was in fact responsible for my eye problems, or perhaps the combination of the artificial steroids in my bloodstream plus all the natural ones I'm sure I've been producing through what has been a pretty high-stress few months. Anyway, at least we have a name for it now.)
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