Something occurred to me three weeks ago. I was reading a book, at night, when, suddenly, a flash bursts in my right eye. At first, I thought of a lightening, but the night was absolutely clear. I went to the window to see if there were fireworks in the neighborhood. The streets was silent. I went back to the book and I noticed there was a kind of persistent “post-image” in the center of my right eye. I couldn’t read well anymore. The center of my sight was blurred with a translucent amber shade.

Next morning I went to the doctor. After a clinical examination, the doc said I had a condition called “central cerosa”, a leaking of liquid matter from behind the eye, which deposits upon the retina, on a region called “macula”. I had never heard of such illness before the event. I’m searching but I can hardly find literature about it on the Internet. The cause of the condition: Stress. The treatment is photo-coagulation by laser beam. As a result of the condition, I’m not able, at this moment, to see features in the sky that demand great sharpness, like the Pleiades. I’m very concerned. I submitted myself to the therapy and now I wait for an evolution in my state. I recovered 50 % of my normal view after the laser treatment. Doctor says I’ll be ok (I really hope so).

But it distress me to think that I could lose my full visual capacity, at once, like this. I would go crazy if I was not able to see the magnificent southern polar sky anymore. It would be too heavy a burden for a sky lover. Never again to see the pretty Circinus, the elusive SMC. The Crow and the Crater. It would be so tragic.

So I took the decision of changing my life. If the ‘stress’ is the problem, so I’m not going to worry myself too much with little things. I will go to the outskirts more frequently to see sunsets. I will smile and take things easy. I’m not going to worry about money. I will listen to more Bach. I’ll go to the leisure. I’ll withstand the bad moments with a smile. I’ll take the traffic with “savoir faire”. I’ll be patient with the silly things by W. Bush. I’m going to turn the TV off when they talk about taleban. I’ll never curse anymore when the skies go cloudy.

And I urge you to do the same. Never stress. Carpe Diem. Get your family and go the field. Have a pick-nick. Show your son the wonderous skies. Don’t take vision for grant. Take care. Enjoy life. This is my testimony.

(and now I hear on my mind great Eric Clapton singing: ”Smile, though your heart is breaking…”. I will surely do.)

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Argos on 2002-06-28 16:13 ]</font>

Not in any way to belittle your condition -- which sounds dreadful, and I hope you recover! -- but this, of course, is why we have two eyes... So the stupid question is: how good is your vision in your other eye?

(My own vision is really crummy, and I wear thick, heavy glasses. Alas, all the observing I can do is "virtual." If I go outside on a clear night, without my glasses, the whole sky is a kind of "milky way." It's actually pretty...)

To your health!
Silas

Best wishes and a speedy recovery to you. (Raises double espresso purchased from the local Starbucks.)

Be careful. I can see a vicious cycle: you need to star gaze to reduce stress, but you can't star gaze because you're too stressed; thus increasing both you need to star gaze and stress level. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Get well soon.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Wiley on 2002-06-28 19:31 ]</font>

Hope you come through, Argos. Permanent loss of vision, and uncorrectable (seems like I've always worn glasses), is one of the few problems with advancing age that I know I'd have problems dealing wtth. Good luck.

Count me as another member with "coke-bottle" glasses, and I'm also bothered by "floaters" and, occasionally, optical migraines (very weird indeed - they're in the field of view, though not in the eye, but rather in the brain's visual processor).

I hope you recover full use of your eyesight. But if the problem is with your macular vision, be comforted. The macula is the area of our most precise vision (used for reading, for example), but it's actually poorer at night vision than the rest of the retina. Maybe you have used the technique of "averted gaze" to see dim objects. This should still work fine even if you suffer some loss of vision in the macular area.

Please keep us informed of your progress.

You may be having trouble finding information on your condition because you didn't get enough information from your doctor.

Is 'central cerosa' the correct spelling? Could it be serosa? 'Ser' is a prefix for serum which essentially means blood. And, is there another name?

What kind of fluid leaked? Small ruptured blood vessels can bleed in your retina or in the vitreous of the eyeball itself. On the retina it might look like a flash of light. In the vitreous it looks like 'floaters'. There isn't any fluid 'behind' your eye that could leak in unless your whole eye ruptured. (If that had happened, you would know it.)

A small ruptured blood vessel in you eye warrants other follow up. Do you have diabetes? Do you have high blood pressure? Did the doctor say your retina might detach?

If I had to guess from what you described, you had a small ruptured blood vessel bleed a small amount on or in your retina in the area called the macula which is the area of most visual clarity. The photo coagulation was just a fancy method of stopping the bleeding. This was probably all on a very small scale. It should resolve (go away) after a few weeks like a bruise goes away slowly.

Rarely, light flashes precede retinal detachment. I doubt that was occurring because that would be hard for the doctor to miss on his/her exam.

But I get annoyed hearing that a doctor might have said 'stress' was the 'cause' of any illness other than a mental breakdown or depression. Hypertension, (high blood pressure), can result in minute retinal blood vessel ruptures. Stress can make high blood pressure worse, but it doesn't directly cause it. And, relaxing alone will not make hypertension go away.

Stress can contribute to the release of certain hormones that over time result in worsening cardiovascular disease. Diet and genetics also contribute a great amount.

Stress can result in short term hypertension, again as those hormones are released, but it wouldn't cause problems unless the long term hypertension problems were already there.

So, what am I trying to say? Insist your doctor gives you more information. If you saw an opthamologist, go to another doctor and have an evaluation for hypertension. If you went to a family practice doctor for your eye problem, be sure to get a second opinion from an opthamologist at some time in the near future.

Don't worry too much, it probably will go away.

Stress is relative. If you are stressed because you are doing what you like, it may be worth the trade off. If you are stressed and hate it, definitely make some changes.

Everything we do is a tradeoff between risk and benefit. The secret is recognizing the two so your choices are thought out rather than reactionary.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: beskeptical on 2002-06-30 02:11 ]</font>

I'm moved, my friends. Your solidarity is so precious. Your words really comfort me. That's why I keep believing the human kind.

I wish you all everything that's good in this world. Thank you very much indeed.

100%, thanks (except for a 1,5 degree myopia). You're right. Good to have two eyes... [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Yes, Silas. But even the most powerful star gazer of the world(HST) uses "glasses". So, we're in good company!

Yours too!

Yeah, Wiley. But i'm determined to recycle myself. The problm is that stress is a silent enemy. I never knew that I was stressed (though I knew that i had a slight Hypertension). That's why I put this testimony. I want you to stop and think about the way you live. Is there any room for diminishing your anxiety? Take a moment to evaluate it. Don't be surprised by avoidable things.

I should say that I can stargaze. The problems is with the detais, with elusive objects.

Thanks, my friend.

Grapes, I have been searching, and I found articles relating to macular degeneration due to aging. The main problem with things like that is that we are astronomers. I can cope with some degree of vision loss, if i was a football player. But as a sky lover i would be a tragedy.

Hope no one of us ever face this fate, but if we do, shall we find strength to withstand it. Good luck you too!

Donnie, here's the first report: Since friday, when i wrote down this topic, I have recovered more 10, 15% of my vision. I had the last laser session on tuesday. Doc said it would take some ten days to recover. Tomorrow it will complete seven days, and I really feel better. Maybe next saturday I'm fully recovered.

Your words comfort me. So good to know not being alone. We have to learn how to adapt to disabilities. We should take destiny in our hands and be pro-active.

Thank you and good luck! [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Beskeptical, are you some kind of surgeon? I find your word very sensible, mature and well informed. You went right to the point.

The condition is really called "cerosa". It has to do with the radical "ceros", that indicate hard matter (though in this case, it is a soft "bubble" full of lymph). I really had a hypertensive attack days before the condition appeared, and this fact is linked to my condition. Now I control my blood pressure with medicine.

I'm lookin for a second opinion. But it seems that my family doctor was right.

That's the problem. I never felt "stressed". I like very much what I do. Maybe this kind of strees is linked to anxiety, to the necessity of seeing things be done faster than they should. I think that I can overcome this easilly.

As I said, at times one should stop and review concepts, objectives. This occasion is being precious. For the first time in my life i'm taking a time to reflect on life. And i'd like to share that with you.

Thank you for your encouragement. This post and the replies it provoked showed me how many goodly creatures are there here. How beautious mankind is. You are all so generous. I wish the best for you all.

Sorry to read about your condition! I'm one of those "coke-bottle myopics" and can relate to your frustration. Best wishes for your upcoming surgery, and glad to hear your blood pressure's under control. That was the first thing to occur to me, too.

Thankyou for such a nice compliment. Actually, I'm a Nurse Practitioner. I've been refraining from saying so because we don't get as much respect for our profession as doctors do. People's impressions of you affect the way they perceive your knowledge and opinions. I have my own practice and I've been on my own, (there is no doctor in this practice), for 12 years. I have a couple hundred clients, (police, fire, dentists, and even some doctors), who have employees that are at risk of infectious diseases on the job. I provide consulting, educating, routine medical care, and, medical follow up after potential exposures occur.

I had not heard of your injury and it wasn't in my handy dandy Merck Manual. It makes sense. Your lymph system is similar to your blood system except there is no pump. The fact your family doctor knew what it was is a very good indication you have an excellent doctor.

I have a lot of stress in my life as well. My biggest controllable stressor is having to drive all over the county since I go to my appointments rather than them coming to me. Seattle just ranked 4th for worst traffic in the country! My solution was books on tape. If it's a good book, you almost want to go slowly. If I am late, which is all the time, I just rely on being the best person for the job and my clients rarely complain. It's a tradeoff for them as well. I do have to make a conscious effort not to stress over bad drivers or being late.

Medication to control the effects of stress you don't want to give up is a perfectly fine trade off. I'd look into those cholesterol lowering drugs as well. My only advice is to take the drugs that have been on the market the longest, as long as they work for you. Newer drugs haven't been truely tested until enough of us consumer guinea pigs have taken them.

That’s a big mistake humans commit

A noble profession. And you leave the strong impression of being a great professional. Your clients are surely in good hands.

Neither I. I performed a furious web search after I was diagnosed (I’m a very curious guy). Google returned me only two documents under the key-word “central cerosa”. My doctor himself told me that he’s written a paper on the subject. Google didn’t return it to me. Maybe it is not indexed (next time I see him I’ll request a copy0. But I’m still searching (now to discover why there are so little reports on the condition). If Stress is a mediate cause for this illness then I would expect to find more documents on it. There must be some problem relating to the naming of the condition. My doctor may be using a non-universal terminology. But I think he’s a good doctor (he’s a Michigan PhD).

Traffic is a major stressor to me. I get very upset with the barbarians on wheels. I’d be so much better if I didn’t have to drive (though I like to drive). But not to drive is only a dream in this car civilization we live in. (once I lived in São Paulo, Brazil. That’s a real traffic nightmare. Seattle is a garden of delight compared to São Paulo’s traffic. I just couldn’t go on living there). There’s nothing we can do except for adjusting to the environment. From now on I’m determined to assume a more ‘zen’ attitude towards traffic. Music can help.

Thanks my dear friend, for your valuable advice. It is not everyday that we can obtain such guidance for free, from an excellent professional (in an astronomy forum!!). I wish you all the success of this world.

For the comrades who might like to get in touch with eye problems (as Grapes of Wrath showed some concern), I found some interesting directions. I think that, as astronomers, amateur and professional, we should be aware of how to keep our “imager” working perfectly (and how to troubleshoot eventual problems). This might be useful for you, Beskeptical, as a health professional. Here they go:

Association for Macular Diseases, Inc.
210 East 64th Street
New York, NY 10021
Tel: (212)605-3719
Fax: (212)605-3795
Email: macula@macula.org
Internet: http://www.macula@macula.org

Macular Degeneration International
6700 N. Oracle Rd
Suite 505
Tucson, AZ 85704
Tel: (520)797-2525
Fax: (520)797-8018
Tel: (800)393-7634
Email: TPerski@aol.com
Internet: http://www.maculardegeneration.org

NIH/National Eye Institute
Building 31 Rm 6A32
31 Center Dr MSC 2510
Bethesda, MD 20892-2510
United States
Tel: 3014965248
Fax: 3014021065
Email: 2020@nei.nih.gov
Internet: http://www.nei.nih.gov/

National Association for Visually Handicapped
22 West 21st Street
New York, NY 10010
Tel: (212)889-3141
Fax: (212)727-2931
Email: staff@navh.org
Internet: http://www.navh.org

Vision Community Services
23 A Elm St
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel: (617)926-4232
Fax: (617)926-1412
Tel: (800)852-3029
Email: mablind@tiac.net
Internet: http://www.mablind.org

National Association for Parents of the Visually Impaired
P.O. Box 317
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel: (617)972-7441
Fax: (617)972-7444
Tel: (800)562-6265
Email: napvi@perkins.pvt.k12.ma.us


Internet: http://www.spedex.com/napvi

American Council of the Blind, Inc.
1155 15th Street
Suite 720
Washington, DC 20005
Tel: (202)467-5081
Fax: (202)467-5085
Tel: (800)424-8666
Email: info@acb.org
Internet: http://www.acb.org

American Foundation for the Blind
11 Penn Plaza
Suite 300
New York, NY 10001
Tel: (212)502-7600
Fax: (212)502-7777
Tel: (800)232-5463
TDD: (212)502-7662
Email: afbinfo@afb.org
Internet: http://www.afb.org

Put em in a save file, thanks.

I switch from books to music and back. Library is a great source for books, and they're unabridged.

Agros: I'm very sorry to hear of your affliction. I have had travails in my life as well and want you to know that you have people wishing the best for you.

Also, I want to pass on my experience, which may help you. I nearly lost my left leg on a hill in the central highlands of Viet Nam. A tiger trap with a trip wire inside. When I came to, the Doc's all told me that IF they didn't have to cut my leg off due to infection, it'd be pretty much useless for the rest of my life. I went through all of the predictable krap, denial, anger, hate, dispare, more hate, et. al. infinitum.

One day I saw an old John Wayne movie about a navy officer that had broken his back and regained the ability to walk by shear, raw determination. I was at the bottom of the s__t heap and deaperate for something to pull me up. I decided that I was going to do the same as John Wayne's character.

I spent the next two years repeating to myself "My leg will heal." The pain of physical therapy brought tears to my eyes but I'd grit my teeth and repeat my oath. To everyones amazement my leg did heal. Although I walk with a bit of a limp and I can tell you when the weather is about to change, I have about 98% use of my leg.

The purpose of my rambling story is to tell you, DON'T GIVE UP! Your health is very much what you decide it will be, including your eyes. Decide now that your eye will heal. Accept nothing from it that is less than what it was. If you make this personal commitment, I am sure your eye will heal.

Now repeat after me: "My eye WILL heal!"

__________________
It's just one of those damn things of which there are many few. -- Dan Blocker

Russ, I'm so happy to know it! I feel privileged to have people around the world wishing me luck. Thank you very much.

It must have been a very hard period. I'm glad that you came through. I'm pleased to know you're a brave man, who did great things. I'm convinced that, as you say, we have to get the destiny on hands and be strong. Now I see my problems are almost nothing compared to the suffering of other people.

Believe me, your story made my day better. It constitutes an example for anyone. I'm sure your family and friends are proud of you.

YES!!
MY EYE WILL HEAL! MY EYE WILL HEAL! MY EYE WILL HEAL! MY EYE WILL HEAL! MY EYE WILL HEAL! MY EYE WILL HEAL! MY EYE WILL HEAL!

My friend, i'm feeling much better now. You are all great people. I'll never forget how generous people can be. Let me dedicate for you all a poem which means a lot to me:

"O wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is!
O brave new world
That has such people in't."

W. Shakespeare

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Argos on 2002-07-03 09:40 ]</font>

You are welcome. I truely hope I helped.
It was indescribably horrid. Pain that I had not thought possible.
I know your intentions are good. But whatever you think of me do not think I was brave or did good things. It was a terrible time when terrible things happened. It has left me with scars that are not on my skin.
Do not belittle yourself. Everyone's cross is heavy for them to bear.
Thank you. I hope my friends and family are proud of me, but I hope it is for other reasons.
AMEN!

__________________
It's just one of those damn things of which there are many few. -- Dan Blocker

"It's getting better all the time
better, better, better
getting so much better all the time"

With pleasure I communicate to all of you that my condition is evolving positively.

I went to the doctor on tuesday and got some more laser shots. My vision in the right eye cleared-out 90%. The irritating post-image is just a faint ghost now. The only thing left to heal is a slight distortion of the images at the center of my sight, caused by the thin membrane of the limph bubble that's being emptied. It acts like a warped lens. But doc says that within 10 days it will be gone. AND I'LL BE ABLE AGAIN TO SEE THE PLEIADES!!(when they come back to my sky.[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]).

By the way, Beskeptical, i've been meeting a lot of people who listen to books on the traffic. I'll try some.

Russ, I'm a sentimental guy. Don't be bothered for an eventual excess. You're great.

The stars bless you all, and take care. Remember: SMILE! Take things easy!

Final Report for those who care:

Yesterday doctor said i'm fully recovered.

I feel very good. I'm reconfiguring my way of life. It's been almost two months without getting too much upset with trivial things. I'm discovering that life can be so simple if you don't worry too much.

I'm preparing a star-party this weekend in my ranch to celebrate, with dear friends, the wonders of the mid-winter southern subtropical skies.

You are all invited. Just take a jumbo and come down.

Life is good. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

Congradulations!

::tooting party horn and throwing streamers::

Glad that the story (or at least this chapter of it!) has a happy ending! May your starwatching skies be clear and quiet ('cept for an occasional cool bolide!)

Silas

All right!

BTW, have you seen the editorial article in 9/2002 Sky and Telescope by Rick Fienberg, editor in chief? He was diagnosed with retinoschisis, and had to be treated with laser also. He quotes Joni Mitchell: "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone," and adds "You can be sure I'll never take another clear night for granted."

I went outside last night and just laid back and looked. Something I haven't done in a long time.

Not to the moment, Grapes, unfortunately. In the begining of my condition, when I was searching for a little light (pun intended), I came across several articles regarding his illness. It requires care, according to what I read. It is a little more complicated than the macular problem that happened to me me, in account of affecting the entire retina. But lasers can do miracles nowadays. Surely he'll be fine (the good thing - if this can have any good side - is that even more serious conditions, like "corioretinitis" and "retinitis pigmentosa", take a long time to evolve to the point of taking away your whole visual capacity. So, even in the worst case scenario, his chances are very good).

Today I understand the feelings of those who get into this sort of trouble. It tastes a little bitter to know that star loving people can suffer this way. The fact is that we take vision for granted, and forget how precious it is. Believe me, it's a big shock when you suddenly get into blindness, even a partial one.

So, you guys take a good look to the beautiful skies of the planet Earth and thank the stars. You are priviledged creatures. The galaxy bless you all.

As you gave me a little Joni Mitchell (whom I love), Grapes, I give back to you some Irish pop poetry. It is about seeing, and about a promise of a new day:

"See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by clouds
See the tuna fish clearing the sea out (...)

See the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out

It is a beautiful day
Don't let it get away"

Bono Vox

I can't tell you how glad I am to hear (actually read) [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img] that.
Thank you for your kind thoughts. You are right about the regulars on this board. They are good, caring people. You are special among us.

This is off topic but somehow I had the impression that you are from Greece, (from your posting name primarily) and I seem to recall your location indcator used to say Athens. But then it said that you were in antartica?? Now your posts indicate that you are in Brazil??! What's your story? Did I miss something, am I missing something? What's the emoticon for confussion?

One last thing. YOUREYEDIDHEAL, YOUEYEDIDHEAL,YOUREYEDIDHEAL, YOUREYEDIDHEAL [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img] [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img]

__________________
It's just one of those damn things of which there are many few. -- Dan Blocker

Hi Argos,
I'd also like to recommend saving up some bucks and investing in binocular eyepieces for your telescope. (The September Sky & Telescope has a good review about them.) I tried them recently at the Davis Star Show in California. I have pesky floaters and such, and they were very comfortable and seem to alleviate visual problems. They can be adjusted for each eye, and also seem to impart an almost "3-D" effect.
Wishing you a happy recovery!
Chip

Well, Russ, Don't you worry. There's nothing to it. I’m Brazilian.

One day I was searching the web for references on astronomy in Brazil. Google offered me several links. One of them was about something called "Project Extracom", a project by a Brazilian amateur radioastronomers which intended to perform active SETI. A discussion about it was taking place in BABB I entered the discussion, which yielded some sparks and flames. I never had heard of the group which was the object of the discussion, neither had references about them (and I still don’t have and i’m still searching).

It was the time of Matt’s script. The Ban Enforcer had not come into scene yet, so discussions caught fire easily. Name calling, rude speech were common. I named myself Argos panoptes, "the one who sees everything", from the Greek mythology. It was appropriate for the time. I was a watcher. I put some posts that time but I wasn’t a success at all. I confess to have got into sterile discussions about God. I was severely reprimanded by the BA.

Soon I realized that it was a place of rendevouz of very intelligent people. There was plenty of well reasoned, mindful discussions, some with very deep arguments. That seemed to be made for me, a whole hearted astronomy lover. I was among the most interesting entities of the web. I became an enthusiast.

Then the BA changed the software, and allowed people to disclose their location, besides turning mandatory the login. At first I thought to be suitable declare my location as the cyberpace. I declared my location at first as "Internetland". As the time went by, I noticed that most of the people declared their physical location, their countries of origin. It was the best way to do, I thought. It is good to the cause of globalization, of which i’m a strong supporter. I decided to declare my location as "Antarctic France", a name given by the French conqueror Villegaignon to the Brazilian lands (Brazil was dominated by France in a short 30 year period in the 17th century), which sounds very romantic for me. But nodody noticed the catch (except for Hub’). Thus, I ended up revealing my real physical location.

I’m a 40-year-old, IT professional, who runs a small but ambitious digitally oriented media firm at the city of Bauru, State of São Paulo, the industrial and technological pole of Brazil.

Here I am in the sweet plateau of southeastern Brazil, in the middle of a mild winter, saturday morning, preparing to go to the field, to have a long awaited star gazing night.

(*)As to Antarctica, I spent three days there in the austral summer of 1999. An eerie place. And I have been many times to the wonderful USA as well.

Cheers, my friend.

Herald Marques



<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Argos on 2002-08-12 08:20 ]</font>

Thank you very much, Chip.

I wrote down your tip. I will learn more about it. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]