Eye check-ups and book buying survey

Click on the above updated My Life In A Nutshell comic to access the archives.



My eye check-up went fine. No more new holes in the back of my retina, yay! My optometrist did say that the tissue within the lasered area has changed but is anchored safely because of the lasering; if I didn't have the surgery when I did, I'd be blind in my left eye now.

And that's my cue for my annual post for those of you who haven't had an eye check-up within the past couple of years. Those of you already familiar with this story or who HAVE had a check-up recently can skip the next few paragraphs. A couple of years ago, on a routine eye check-up (I didn't even need a new prescription), my eye doctor happened to notice two very small holes at the back of my left eye. She said they may have been there for years and may not be a risk, but she had me to go a specialist, just in case.

The specialist did more tests, advised laser surgery to seal up the holes. During surgery, he discovered that the holes were worse than he thought, and that I had a subclinical detached retina. Even though I hadn't noticed any effects yet, I would have gone blind in that eye within 1-2 years had I not been treated in time. You can read more about the process and my experience here.

It still kind of freaks me out that the problem was discovered on a routine check-up...that I hadn't noticed any problems beforehand and hadn't even needed a new prescription. I go for check-ups every 6 months now.





Just finished reading:

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I very nearly didn't even look at this book in the bookstore because of its cover...I had figured it was a pure romance, a genre I don't tend to read. BUT I was intrigued enough by the title to read the blurb on the back, and was surprised to find that it was a supernatural-fantasy. Started reading, and got totally hooked.

Here's a survey: Do you ever buy a fiction book completely on whim? Or do you only buy books based on recommendations? If on whim, what prompts to buy a book? How much does the cover influence you? The title? The blurb on the back? Do you start reading the book in the store? I usually read at least the first few pages, to see if I like the author's writing style and to get a flavour of the book. If you mainly get your fiction books at the library, feel free to answer the survey the same way, in how you choose which books to take out.

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