About six years ago, I woke up one morning to find a black mark in my line of vision. Thinking nothing of it, I went to the bathroom and washed my eyes with cold water. Back then I was terrible for going to sleep with my make-up on so just put it down to mascara residue. As the days went on, the mark grew to what looked like an insect floating around in my eye and generally doing my head in. Time to book into the opticians.

I was sent to the hospital with an eye haemorrhage due to diabetes retinopathy. This is when the blood vessels in your eye become damaged and leak. Your body reacts in what it thinks is being helpful but in reality, it shouldn’t bother! New vessels grow but in the wrong place and start to pull off your retina. Just when you think you can’t hate your body any more than you already do … thanks a lot!

Treatment consists of lots of laser to burn them pesky vessels away as well as your periphery vision in the process. I was then involved in a six car pile up that speeded the process of my retina flying off for me. Six operations followed on my right eye to save my vision. These involved removing cataracts and blood, reattaching the retina and replacing the lens. So many surgeries in such a short space of time was unfortunately,  too much for my eye to deal with and my sight went. I still had my left eye though so I could drive and see but what little co-ordination I had in the first place was now completely shot. Still, the show must go on.

Jumping to 2018, near the end of my pregnancy, my vision resembled that of someone who has drank a bar dry. The ophthalmology department tell me I have a build up of fluid in my left eye that is separating layers of my eye lining. I’m reassured that it will go after childbirth so there really is no need to worry. It did not go though and I was rushed into surgery. I can assure you that this was not in my maternity plans at all.

Weeks of praying for any kind of improvement soon passed and my vision or lack of it, is what I am now left with. This is all still very raw and I am still learning how to do everything I once took for granted in a completely new way. You will be hearing all about this soon enough but I’m not going to lie, it sucks! Big time!