Saturday, October 3, 2009

SEEING IRAN WITH A CLOUDED LENS

I’ve left the beautiful shores of Hawaii and returned to the real world. Well, real in the sense that I need to fly up to Washington State, take care of an ailing hubby, finish my Iran book, and try to find an agent/publisher who’s excited about this timely memoir.

I noticed on the flight home that I was having trouble reading my Kindle. I had it up to the largest font and still it was difficult. I had on my glasses, a light above me, and still it was difficult. My seat-mate seemed a little nervous as I leaned his way to get some light from the window. “Care to change seats?” he asked. Not really, I told him, I’d just take my eyes with me.

I was now more than concerned. What if the retina had grown another membrane since surgery? The doc did say it could return; in a week, in a month, or in a year, or…never.

On my last visit to the retina surgeon, I was 20/25, without correction. Now, wearing my cutesy Versace glasses, I am only at 20/40 and barely eking out the consonants. The vowels usually come easier because they’re more obvious, especially the As, Es, and Os.

I saw an ophthalmologist before I flew to Washington, who told me that there was a small membrane behind my new lens that was clouding up, and that it could be taken care of very easily. It was uncommon, he said, but it did happen, and with a YAG laser procedure they could zap it, put a hole in the membrane and it would clear up the opacification. Fine! How many more “uncommon” problems am I going to have with this body of mine?

Since I’ve returned from Hawaii, I’ve written about fifty more pages in my Iran book, but it’s been difficult. When I use my glasses, I have to lean back and it’s uncomfortable. When I take my glasses off, I have to sit with my nose touching the monitor, then lean back and try to read it.

I made an appointment to have this taken care of here in Washington, but when the ophthalmologist examined me, he felt it was too soon after the retinal surgery to be probing around in my eye, and suggested I wait about a month, which shouldn’t change things, he said.

Now I’m at my computer, dredging up all my memories of life in Iran, and need Windex to clean the nose prints off my monitor. However, the book is moving right along, my poor vision has not altered my memory’s vision, so here I go.

You can check the progress of my book: A Broad Abroad in Iran: One Strappy-Sandaled Foot Ahead of the Mullahs (during the revolution) on my website at dodiecross.com as I add a few chapters to whet your appetite. Click on the bottom of the page where it lists the book.

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