OK, real-life drama is always the most interesting.
Here’s mine.
Around 12:30 yesterday, in the newsroom of course, no more stress than normal, I thought I’d looked out our nice new windows at a sun reflection or something.
Why elese would I be seeing spots?
But soon, they morphed into some pulsing designs of various trapezoidal traiangular stuff along the edges of my vision.
Uh…. oh….
I was talking to the ladies in the room, working on their shows, telling them about it but trying to not freak them out or have them freak me out.
I’d put off eye doctors for far too long, in part because… well, occasional flashing thingies in a darkened room, especially as I got up for the day.
For years – even before I heard Dr. Doug Nelson (former Bend schools supt.) tell me, “If you see flashing, get thee to an opthalmologist!”
So I was scared, to put it mildly.
Fortunately it started to pass, then morphing into some odd issue along the edges of my eyesight.
Okay, freak out time.
Called my darling wife Deb, told her calmly there was something wrong with my eyes and I need to see an eye doctor, SAP.
She had an appointment set up for me within two hours. And by the time she’d called me back to tell me, the issue was gone. But not the fear, of course.
Wake up call!
So I told my bosses, they said get outta there. But of course, I was fine, so I kept working. Deb showed up early, I left late. Working, working. (I’m so pathetic;-)
Anyhoo, to make a long story short, I told the nice lady optometrist everything – they numbed and dilated the eyes, did their tests and used the most glorious word I could ever hear.
Normal.
Whew!
What I’d had was an “ocular migraine.” (I’d never heard of that.) One of the joyous fun possibilities when one gets older. I’m very nearsighted, so I have long eyeballs, and… well, the funny, even amazing thing is, after 15 years of far too much staring at computer monitors, my prescription was… basically the same.
That’s right – I’m finally getting new glasses! Nowhwere near as big – they don’t make em this size any more, I hope – but quite fashionable – bronze, lightweight, etc. etc.
These glasses have stood me in very good stead for a decade-plus, even when the nylon straps stretched so much the lenses would fall out and I had to pry/pop them back in.
I’ve been ribbed by many (especially you, Joe;-) about the corny old glasses for a long time.
Pity it took a big fright to get me to do what needs to be done. (Men can be like that. Women too, I suppose.)
The new me, coming soon to a face near you, well, me;-)
Leave it to Barney 
I know about what I call “the sparklies.” If I don’t take Tylenol IMMEDIATELY, I become debilitated with a migraine. Glad to hear yours didn’t take a bad turn, Barney!
Forgot to mention, Elise – that’s how the eye doc knew what it was – there was, blessedly, no pain. Just fear.
Hi Barney, I was getting those ocular migraines with some regularity a few years ago. They seemed to happen when I was stressed out at work, deadlines can do that to a person. I haven’t had one lately and the optometrist I see hasn’t said one way or another, but I relate it to when my blood pressure is up. Stress. Deadlines. Crazy people at work making my life a living ….! Oh did I say that?
LOL, hey, that never happens at the paper, does it?;-) I hope not toget them often, knock on wood (head). Good to hear from you Nena – and to hear that they can pass!;-)
Oh Barney, you know I only teased you for MANY years in good old fun. Not very often you see someone who is in a technology based job, that was so behind the times with some aspect of their life. 🙂
I know, I know, Joe, you kid because you care. Now you’ll have to find something else to rib me about – that shouldn’t be too hard;-)