It was only a matter of time before I found myself at the local hospital in my new city, I tend to make at least one trip a year to the ER 
What can I say? It just happens.
Last night was that day for me and just in time too. I was feeling way too comfortable in this big bad city of angels. Since I had just gotten over a case of pink eye in both eyes, I had been wearing my glasses for a few days so my eyes could heal. I finally put my contacts back in on Friday and naturally I feel asleep in them too.
So I wake up on Saturday with bloodshot eyes looking like I just fought my way back out of hell. I wasn’t too freaked though, thinking that I had just contracted pink eye again. The panic came after I removed my contacts, and realized that my vision was totally off. It was like looking through a thick cloud of smoke when there was none. My eyes were also highly sensitive to light and wind.
I finally figured out that I must have scratched my cornea…again. My Mom wasn’t too happy to find that we were doing this again when she dropped me off at the nearest emergency room. I walked in dressed in sweats, looking like hell with my hair having a field day and topped off with classic aviator sunglasses. It was quite a spectacle. I have to admit.
I was surprised though, by how small the ER was in comparison to the ones in Miami. More surprised to hear people complaining about the wait and how full the tiny room was…when there we still empty seats. Even more shocking was actually being registered, treated and discharged within 2 hours. An average trip to the emergency room in Miami was at least a 5 hour thing.
Anyway, since this was my second time scratching my cornea, I remembered the Doc giving me these drops that numb your eye thus eliminating the pain. Try to imagine having a gash and pouring salt water on it. Now imagine that gash was on your eyeball. Okay, now multiply that by 10 and you’ve got an idea at my level of pain. It was like someone setting my eye on fire and trying to put out that fire with cooking oil.
Needless to say, I was fiending for those drops like a junkie looking for a fix. A fact that I made sure to express to the nurse you checked me in. Let me tell you, those drops were like a little piece of heaven. If hard core drugs give you that kind of bliss, I have to say I see the appeal. So, thanks to the kind and efficient nurses, doctors and staff at the hospital, I am slowly recurring from my big scratch…again.
Good thing too, because I’m a big fan of seeing.
Jennifer M Lima 