Well That Was Unexpected!
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118435)
Gainesville, Florida
September 21, 2019 8:51am CST
Without going into a lot of detail, many years ago I woke up one morning blind in my right eye. Numerous doctors, hospitals and surgeries later, they decided to try an experimental drug to try and restore the vision in my eye, since they could not figure out what caused the blindness. Long story short, the experimental drug worked, and my vision was restored. The unknown out of the whole ordeal was that they did not know if there would be any long-term side effects of the drug treatment. So I see the eye surgeons on an annual basis so they can keep an eye on things (sorry, no pun intended), and every 5 years or so I have to have scar tissue removed from the back of my retina.
Anyway, Thursday was annual visit to the eye doctor. My eye had been bothering me lately, but I figured it was probably a combination of stress and allergies. But when they started poking around inside my eye, they discovered that I had a really bad infection, and needed to perform surgery as soon as possible.
So Friday morning, a little scared and worried about what was going on and the unknown fate of my eye, I went into surgery. Two hours later they said I was as good as new, bandaged me up, and sent me on my way. The bad news: my eye is a bloody mess. The good news: I can see! The unfortunate: I have to take a heavy regimen of antibiotics for the next 90 days. Never a dull moment in my life!
Reminds me of a funny meme I saw not too long ago:
Soi for I'mm pretry hoppy withh thee rasults of mi "by won, git one have offf on the secund eye" sergeree .
Thank goodness for those discount surgery coupons! haha
Anyway, as you can see I'm in good spirits, although I had to postpone my trip to Disney World this weekend. At least I can still sit around and watch college football, although with only one eye until this bandage can come off.
And don't call me Cyclops....
31 people like this
28 responses
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
21 Sep 19
You are almost ready to be a pirate for Halloween.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Sep 19
@hereandthere Sadly, I'm not as handsome as Johnny Depp, so I can't pull off a Jack Sparrow look that makes all the ladies croon.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Sep 19
Not a bad idea! I've been giving some thought to what I would dress up as this Halloween.
4 people like this
@snowy22315 (169932)
• United States
21 Sep 19
Oh wow, that is dramatic! At least you can see now. How do you get an infection in your eyes? Do you wear contacts?
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Sep 19
I don't wear contacts. The infection was inside my eye, so no real explanation of how that could have happened. I seem to be a freak of nature when it comes to my eyes! LOL
3 people like this
@snowy22315 (169932)
• United States
21 Sep 19
@moffittjc Be careful, My friend lost the vision in the central portion of one of his eyes as he got a detached retina somehow. It may have started as an infection..no one is really sure how it happened.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Sep 19
@snowy22315 Trust me, I am taking no chances when it comes to my eyes, which is why I am constantly going back and forth to the doctors.
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
21 Sep 19
yes, i remember you talking about this. i can't imagine taking antibiotics for 3 months. when will the bandage be off?
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
21 Sep 19
@moffittjc how do they do the surgery - by laser? how many hours did it take?
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Sep 19
I have it off right now since I am inside, although my eye is oozing and it's driving me crazy, But the surgeon says this helps air it out. But when I go outside and when I sleep at night I put the bandage on to protect my eye.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Sep 19
@hereandthere When they do the surgery to remove the scar tissue from the back of my retina every 5 years or so, yes they do it with lasers. Pretty cool how sophisticated they can be with those things!
In the case of yesterday's surgery, there were two surgeons, and they went in by hand to remove all the infection, then used a cauterizing tool to burn out the rest.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Sep 19
It's okay, I'm used to dealing with this. I'm just happy I still have vision in both eyes. Way back when I first had the surgery, they said it was going to be a crap shoot since since it was all experimental at the time and they didn't know what the long-term effects would be.
But the good news is that I have a 50-50 chance of living! LOL
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Sep 19
@just4him That's not what my opponents were hoping! lol
1 person likes this
@just4him (306090)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
26 Sep 19
@moffittjc I'm sure they weren't and would hope you wouldn't be able to play. Good for you for disappointing them. 
1 person likes this
@just4him (306090)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
24 Sep 19
@moffittjc That's great you can.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Sep 19
Thank you! My Florida Gators won today, so I'm a happy camper!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Sep 19
@CarolDM Do I even need to ask if Alabama won? I think it's a foregone conclusion every Saturday! LOL
Did you watch the Auburn/Texas A&M game? I was kind of hoping for an A&M upset, but they fell short. LSU also looked good today.
Can't wait for the Notre Dame/Georgia game tonight!
1 person likes this
@shaggin (71664)
• United States
22 Sep 19
@moffittjc sounds awful having to go through what you did with your eyes. I'm so sorry 
. I hope they are right and the antibiotic clears the eye infection up!
. I hope they are right and the antibiotic clears the eye infection up!1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Sep 19
They don't really know what could have caused the infection. It's possible I picked up bacteria by rubbing my eye; something could have gotten into my eye; or it could have been related to previous surgeries. Either way, they seem to be optimistic that they took care of it all. I guess only time will tell. And the months of antibiotics I will be taking.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Sep 19
@shaggin I hope so too! I need to get my health back in check!
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (95001)
• United States
22 Sep 19
I am glad you are okay and your surgery went well. Don't strain your other while. You need to rest, Mr!
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (95001)
• United States
22 Sep 19
@moffittjc I see you typing away 
I'm glad you had your annual eye appointment due so they were able to catch the infection immediately. Will you have a follow up appointment soon to see how your eyes healing?
I'm glad you had your annual eye appointment due so they were able to catch the infection immediately. Will you have a follow up appointment soon to see how your eyes healing?1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Sep 19
@infatuatedbby Yes, on Thursday I have an appointment to meet with the surgeon to exam my eye and make sure it is healing correctly.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Sep 19
I've been resting up and taking it easy today.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (48929)
• United States
22 Sep 19
Oh my goodness. That had to be do scary. Thank goodness you can still see.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (48929)
• United States
24 Sep 19
@moffittjc I hope you don't experience anything that frightening again.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Sep 19
@Tampa_girl7 Me too! but I seem to live my life with reckless abandon, so I'm sure something frightening will rear it's ugly ahead again in the future! LOL
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Sep 19
It was a little uncomfortable, to say the least. But i’m Through it so I can focus on getting back to normal.
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40515)
• United States
22 Sep 19
Wow, sorry to hear that. But glad your vision should be good after the healing process, right? What about your paint ball games?
1 person likes this
@1creekgirl (40515)
• United States
24 Sep 19
@moffittjc If you ever get headaches behind your eyes and forehead, be sure to see an eye doctor. I had that for two months and kept thinking it was just the weather, etc. When it got so bad, I planned to see my internal med doc and you know how hard headaches are to diagnose. But I decided to see my eye doc first and found out I have Iritis. It's an inflammation and I'm on steroid drops which should clear it up. Hope your paintball games go well.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Sep 19
@1creekgirl Yeah, I was having bad headaches for a couple of days after the surgery, and they said it was because of the inflammation.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Sep 19
My vision is back to normal, although the healing is going to take some time. No issues with me continuing to play paintball, as long as I can still see!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
29 Sep 19
@DianneN But you can still call me Gimp if you want to! lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Sep 19
I'm back to two eyes now (mostly), so you can't tease me about being a Cyclops! haha
1 person likes this
@DianneN (246720)
• United States
28 Sep 19
@moffittjc Good and then, never mind.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (129430)
• Israel
22 Sep 19
@moffittjc
That is great and happy for you. That is not good news how your eye was feeling. How long does the bandage have to stay on your eye?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Sep 19
I only had to keep it on for 3 days.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Sep 19
@Hannihar It's been bothering me a little bit, but it seems to be healing okay. I have a follow-up appointment with the surgeon tomorrow, so he'll be able to look at it and tell me if everything is progressing according to plan.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (129430)
• Israel
25 Sep 19
@moffittjc
That is good. How is your eye now?
1 person likes this
how many antibiotics will you take?
Well you can see and that is what matters and you can just be relaxed at home.@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Sep 19
@nela13 My doctor has recommended a healthy diet that will help compensate the antibiotics.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Sep 19
I have to take two pills per day for 90 days, plus put antibiotic drops in my eye, plus antibiotics ointment around my eye. The doctors really want to make sure the infection doesn't happen again!
1 person likes this
@nela13 (55698)
• Portugal
27 Sep 19
@moffittjc better safe than sorry. Maybe you should take something to compensate the antibiotics.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Sep 19
You should see how my eye looks right now! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Sep 19
@Nevena83 Thankfully, my eye looks much better now, and I shouldn't be too scary to look at. At least I don't think you will be scared to look at me!
1 person likes this
@Nevena83 (65282)
• Serbia
23 Sep 19
@moffittjc Oh, no, I don't want that. I probably would have fainted.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Oct 19
When it comes to my eyes, I am very thankful and grateful that I still have my vision! I've been through a lot over the past regarding my eyes, so I never take my vision for granted!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Sep 19
Well, okay is a relative term, but yes I can still see.
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Sep 19
I’ll let you in on a secret...i’ve Always been a pirate, i’ve just been incognito! Jimmy Buffet even write a song about me. It goes something like this:
“I did a bit of smuggling; ran my share of grass. I made enough money to buy Miami, but I pissed it away so fast. Never meant to last.”
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Sep 19
I've blown out my knee and broken my ribs playing paintball, so I'm not going to let something as small as an eye injury keep me out of the game! lol
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Oct 19
Everything went great, and everything is holding up great! I can still see, and I think I can still shoot straight!
1 person likes this
@MommyOfEli2013 (81983)
• Rupert, Idaho
22 Sep 19
Ouch! I am sorry to hear about that....and the 90 days of antibiotics! Glad you can still see though!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118435)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Sep 19
90 days of antibiotics isn’t bad knowing it’s helping me retain my eyesight!
1 person likes this
@MommyOfEli2013 (81983)
• Rupert, Idaho
25 Sep 19
@moffittjc That's a good point!
1 person likes this
