Eyeless in Ayrshire

It's amazing how much you can abuse your own body while you are in bed. Er, no hang on that doesn't sound right. Let me explain...

You see I am typing this with only one eye functioning at the moment. A couple of days ago I got an acute pain in my eye and thought I had something in it. After rubbing and fussing with it a bit it wasn't getting any better so I just left it and hoped that my eye would water and dislodge whatever it was. That didn't work either. By yesterday morning having had a very disturbed nights sleep I woke with it really gowping and I couldn't concentrate on anything. Nothing for it, I would be forced to seek .... oh no! ... medical attention!

I started with my GP surgery. Ten minutes down the road, a five minute wait and the practice Nurse saw me. One look and she tells me that I am better going to Accident and Emergency. So away I drive 15 miles to the hospital trying to make sure I don't knock anyone down on the way. I did have a bit of a wait there. About an hour and a half to see the first consultant who muttered something about an ulcer and said she was sending me straight to the ophthalmic consultant.

Along I toddle to the other side of the hospital. They didn't have an emergency surgery that day but said they would fit me in at the end of the clinic and so after another hour and a half I was seen.

According to the consultant it seems my eye must have dried up while I was sleeping and when I woke the first morning my eyelid had probably pulled skin from my eyeball. Fortunately it didn't seem to have become badly infected so I was sent on my way with ointments and a return appointment. It's still pretty sore but getting better. The cost of all this? Nothing. Well apart from my taxes of course.

So I am not completely eyeless. (I just liked the ring of that post title.)

What have I learned from all this? First that our dear National Health Service is still fully functioning. Although I had a bit of a wait they were all very nice and treated me great. Second that I am glad I don't live in a country where the first thing you have to think about when you get ill is how you are going to pay the medical bill.

And finally that it's amazing how much you can abuse your own body just lying in bed sleeping on your own. (Ok, I knew that already.)