That was anticlimactic.

[torquill]

I went to the eye doctor again this morning, to get the workup needed to ensure that I won't get glaucoma and go blind at 35. Or something.

I did the visual field test (I hate those things) and got the photographs done. Then I went to see Dr. Graham, who said the tests looked good, and the next thing was to retest the ocular pressure that was measured yesterday. I said, "Oh, this'll be fun." She asked why, and I reminded her that I had reacted to the anesthetic yesterday. Oh, yeah...

She decided not to put me through it two days in a row, and when she caught my comment that I request non-epi anesthetic at the dentist's office, she confirmed with me that I react to epinephrine as well. I admitted that it was just an anxiety reaction -- it spikes my blood pressure and gives me mild panic attacks -- but she said it was relevant because the dilating drops they use are basically pure epi. Oops.

She let me go, saying she'd like to see me back in a year. I suppose, since she's dealt with my dad, that she's not too concerned about my test results either, and feels that monitoring is sufficient. So... boo for being yet another special case (I feel another t-shirt coming on), yay for having a doctor who can cope with special cases.

Comments

[hopeforyou.livejournal.com]

The drops they use are epinephrine? That's interesting. I thought they used Atropa belladonna, aka deadly nightshade, which is where atropine comes from. Usually I think it'd come in the form of atropine sulfate in drops.

The entry in wikipedia on Atropine states:

Ophthalmic use

Topical atropine is used as a cycloplegic, to temporarily paralyze the accommodation reflex, and as a mydriatic, to dilate the pupils. Atropine degrades slowly, typically wearing off in 7 to 14 days, so it is generally used as a therapeutic mydriatic, whereas tropicamide (a shorter-acting cholinergic antagonist) or phenylephrine (an α-adrenergic agonist) is preferred as an aid to ophthalmic examination. Atropine induces mydriasis by blocking contraction of the circular pupillary sphincter muscle, which is normally stimulated by acetylcholine release, thereby allowing the radial pupillary dilator muscle to contract and dilate the pupil. Atropine induces cycloplegia by paralyzing the ciliary muscles, whose action inhibits accommodation to allow accurate refraction in children, helps to relieve pain associated with iridocyclitis, and treats ciliary block (malignant) glaucoma. Atropine is contraindicated in patients pre-disposed to narrow angle glaucoma.

Atropine can be given to patients who have direct globe trauma.

I think it affects the parasympathetic nervous system... not quite sure how it would affect you, and it's been maybe 4-5 years since I last had eye drops... the time before my body went weird on me.

[luna-torquill.livejournal.com]

She may have been thinking of the phenylephrine... I'm not sure. She did make an offhand comment that they use two solutions (simultaneously?) for it and perhaps next time we could try just one, so they may do both tropicamide and phenylephrine...? I really don't know. I think I had my eyes dilated once, but it was over a decade ago, and I was used to a lot of procedures hurting or inducing panic (like dentistry).

Thanks for the info... right now, I'm willing to put up a Not My Problem field and shelve it for a year.