Eye floaters

Those who know me (Simon) have probably heard me complain about my "eye floaters."  These are exactly what they sound like - strange stringy things that drift across my field of vision, especially if I'm looking at a clear blue sky (which rather spoils it).  Lately, as my ability to focus at near objects deteriorates in middle age, the floaters seem to have got worse, so there are big blurry spots right in the middle of my field of vision that make reading awkward - I have to flick my eyes from side to side to try to get them to drift away from the center.  I have been pestering my regular optician (or othalmologist or whatever the hell they call themselves) about these for years and finally he found someone who will do the surgery to remove them.  She operates in Jackson, MI, about an hour and a half drive away, and today was the day I went to consult.  Well, long story short, she dilated my pupils hugely, peered inside, and said I should wait a couple of years until my "vitreous fluid" separates from my retina, which happens to us all at about age 50.  She said the only person she'd operated on before this happens was "happy for a few months" and then when it happened he needed operating on again.  So, tears streaming down my cheeks (from the bright light in my huge pupils, not from disappointment, honest!) I drove home.  I have an appointment for next year already booked, though!

 Had to stop off and buy some super-dark glasses on the way.  Stylish!