“Does that bother you?” Dr. Counter, my optometrist, was completing my annual eye exam and pointing at my droopy right eyelid. I told her I knew about it, but didn’t pay it any attention. I relayed that my dad had the same malady. He had ignored his languid lid too.

“You have a condition called ptosis. Your drooping eyelid is blocking your pupil,” Dr. Counter continued. “It could affect your eyesight, particularly your peripheral vision. You should see Dr. Press, our ophthalmologic orbital surgeon for a consultation.”

At first, I resisted the idea. I was convinced that my eyesight issues were due to progressing presbyopia and incipient cataracts. What did my eyelids have to do with that?

But after a few days and a gentle nudge from Barb, I reconsidered. There was no harm in having a specialist assess me, so I made an appointment with Dr. Press. Her first opening was in the middle of September but when another patient canceled their scheduled visit, her staff moved my slot to last Thursday morning. I had to drop out of an anticipated pickleball match to get to the appointment. C’est la vie!

The visit to Dr. Press’s office began with “field of vision” testing to see if my peripheral vision was intact. If you have ever had this done, you know the testing is usually pretty crude. The tech or doctor moves two fingers around the edges of your vision and asks if you can see them. That is all that is necessary in most circumstances.

The testing in Dr. Press’s office was more sophisticated. Under the guidance of a pair of techs, I stared into a binocular device and clicked a buzzer (Jeopardy! appearance flashback) whenever I saw a light flash at the very edge of my vision. The process was repeated with my eyelids taped open.

After the tests were complete, Barb and I were introduced to Dr. Press, an engaging young woman somewhere between our daughter and our granddaughter in age. During introductory chit-chat, we discovered that she grew up in the subdivision we now live in. That felt like good Karma.

Dr. Press examined me and then made her pronouncement. “I’m looking at the field of vision test data and your eyes. You have bilateral ptosis. Weakened eyelid muscles are the culprit. Our testing confirms that the droop affects your vision, so surgery is advisable. I can make a small incision into the underside of each lid and tighten the muscles, leaving the eyelids more elevated. It’s outpatient surgery with minimal risk and a quick recovery.”

“Surgery for weak muscles?” I wondered. “What happened to exercise and spinach?” But it is doubtful incessant blinking will bulk up my eyelid muscles, and I prefer kale to spinach. If surgery is the best way to improve my vision, I’ll go under the knife with Dr. Press, my Doc from my Block. When it’s all over I’ll see better–and look better too. I’m all in on that Daily Double.

And to my pickleball friends, sorry I dropped out of last week’s match, but wait until you see me after surgery. You’ll all want to be my partner. It’s going to be a whole new game!

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