Sobering…

Visited the Optometrist today to have my eyes checked. This was a mandatory requirement before I can have my driver’s license renewed. It was a tiring experience. It was clear to me that the stroke affected my vision in more ways than I had realized. My peripheral vision has narrowed, and my left eye is considerably weaker than my right eye.

An altogether sobering experience. It made me realize that, had the bleed gone further, I might be blind! As it is, my new glasses will cost me in excess of $1000.00 Once I see the doctor, she’ll fill out the appropriate medical form to re-instate my license. I got to wondering this afternoon if my license had been formally suspended, or if the doctor just told me not to drive. I realize that no one actually told me about this. I was in Tim’s at the time, and some R.C.M.P officers were having coffee near me, so I asked them what the protocol was. “Depends,” was the answer. If the doctor wrote to Motor Vehicle Branch to suspend my license, then, I would have license until the medical form went in. They suggested I go to the Registry office to check on the status of my license.

Dr. De Witt was pretty emphatic in ER that I should not drive…that I could not drive for three months. It wouldn’t surprise me if her acted on that. This isn’t a problem for me, unless the suspension were to lag over the time when I need to be able to drive Beatrix to Edmonton to hospital. I will check in when my next appointment is with Dr. Swartz.

It all gets pretty technical when you are in it. It’s only afterward that you…I… begin to ponder the impact of impaired vision. I remember how poor my father’s vision was after spending years in the dark underground.

So…another dimension of being brain injured is the “collateral damage” in my eyes. Sobering…