When last did you have a medical check up? Or to be
precise and relate the question to the above topic, when last did you have an eye
test? I trust many of us have never undertaken any in the last one or even two
decades and many more of us have never at all. Ok, here is the thing:
Very early this year, one of my friends was hit with a
tennis ball on his right eye during one of our evening trainings. Quite a platitude
for this accident to happen during Fives trainings. But I tell you, it is not a
good experience for one to find him self in this position as it is always very discomforting.
To moderate the pain by making it easier to bear one is expected not to touch
or wipe away the impending tears from the effected eye but to bear the pain to
subside for about 30 minutes to an hour. If this is observed, then you are good
for tomorrow’s game otherwise you will have to bear the consequences of not
applying those palliative measures. As I write this piece, I feel sorry for my
friend who is now confined to his house and in complete darkness for not
showing restrain and adherence to the basics.
Barely 3 months ago, I had to go for eye test on the
advice from many of my friends who noticed that at my age and with the way I
use the screens I still do not use medicated eye glasses. This, they were
pleasantly surprised. You see, I have
been on computers for more than a decade now and had my first machine in 2005.
I have never been so glued to the computers like I was in the last 10 months
putting in the average 5+ hours each day. When I am not looking at my screen
designs I am typing letters or engaged on these social sites surrounding me on
all sides constantly refocusing and repositioning my eyes on different text at
different distances which always leave my eyes very tired by the end of the
day. I didn’t realise this was having a great devastating effect on my eyes. The
tests results indicate that I had to go for reading and travelling glasses.
That was not any surprise to me as I was expecting that, in fact, I had already
in mind the type of frame I would use for the glasses even before I went to the
clinic. But the surprising aspect of the results was the fact that the
Ophthalmologist indicated that he had noticed an ailment with my central vision
which requires a more sophisticated equipment to diagnose. Sophisticated what?
I quarried almost immediately. It is a certain thing I noticed within the
retina that … That what? I quickly
interjected him again. In annoyance but professionally he told me that ‘the
central vision helps you to see details, colours and shapes with clarity and
all actions for the central vision take place in a spot on the retina called
the macula which is one of the areas to weaken as we grow in age. The statement
made my ‘body weak’. You mean I am going blind? I asked, rhetorically. He
didn’t answer and I left the clinic without even collecting the referral. I was
dumbfounded, totally confused and began to wonder in consternation. It is
apparent that my left eye is defective since I could not even read the
alphabets at the clinic with my right eye closed. As I drove out of the
vicinity and to convince my self of my predicament I would closed my left eye to see with the
right eye and vice versa but each time I did so the difference became so
glaring, so clear (7up), just like chalk and cheese.
The following morning I drove to Makka Medina Eye
Hospital Kano where my left eye was diagnosed to have about 40% devastated by
glaucoma. The Chief Consultant congratulated me for coming to the hospital. He
said further delay could have escalated the problem and that would have caused
me the whole eye and eventually it will go on to the right eye and within a
short time I will be rendered blind. I would have become just like my friend
who did not realise glaucoma had consumed his eyes and with the tennis ball
accident he is now a complete blind man.
The import of this rhapsody is to strike awareness and
to ensure that we attend medical check regularly. I know none of us has ever
thought about the possibility of going blind but the chances are very high now as
statistics on blindness in Nigeria stated that 41 out of every 100 Nigerian
adults over 40 years have a sight impediment while 41 out of every 1000 are
completely blind. It also stated that 1 out of 3 of these blindness cases are
caused by avoidable conditions like cataract and glaucoma. It is therefore
advisable for us to visit an eye clinic to determine how healthy our eyes are
to avoid being in my position and that of my friend. More elementary, DO THIS
NOW: cover your right eye with your hand to see how bad your left eye has
really gone. Do the same for the other eye and that will determine if you
really need to see an ophalmologist.
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