In Spring, Every Day is Blursday

My springtime allergies are making it very hard to focus my itchy, watery, blurry eyes. All this on top of the scotoma from my dry macular degeneration lightly smudging the central portion of the vision in my right eye. Maybe I’ve been spending too much time squinting at the sewing machine as well. Although as we all know, squinting doesn’t really help. But we still do it, don’t we?

My "good" eye with wet macular degeneration

Sewing with the good eye works only for a time, (Who would have thought I would describe my “ wet” eye as my good eye?) I don’t know which is worse, the itching, burning, blurry, watery eyes, or that grey translucent shape in the middle of what I see with my right eye. What will I do if the injections in the wet left eye stop working? This is something that comes to front-of-mind only occasionally, thank goodness.

Eye drops and antihistamines

The Systane samples from my retina specialist help up to a point, as does the antihistamine recommended by my allergist. But this time of year is always especially difficult. I sometimes wonder why I need to have two things going on at the same time? Couldn’t I just have the allergies? Or couldn’t I just have the macular degeneration?

Spring cleaning

This frustration started again a short time ago, when the glorious sunshine sent me down to my storage locker to get out the lawn chairs. When I realized the majority of my space was filled with fabric that, for the most part, hadn’t been touched in probably five years, I decided it was time to clear out my “stash” before the weather got any warmer and I just took those chairs to the beach.

What I can't do with vision loss

Now, aprons, napkins, shopping bags, and tote bags are ready for when I need a quick gift, and have used up some of it, but reality is setting in. This is not something I can do well anymore. I’m starting to realize my eyes don’t allow me to easily have the quality workmanship I’m accustomed to. When I check my work with the magnifying glass, it’s not what I expect to see. Being a perfectionist becomes very frustrating when the vision is less than optimal.

What I can still do with vision loss

After 15 years, I can still drive, read a book, (mostly) watch TV and do most of the things I enjoy. Then why is it so hard to give up what had become just a favourite hobby? When I retired and closed my small sewing business years ago, it was with a kind of relief. But creating art and fashion had since then become enjoyable again.

Donate or keep?

So now it’s time to sort and donate. A small town close by has a charity thrift store where they will either make something of it or sell it. But how to decide? Obviously the darker colours will go first, they’re difficult to see clearly. But which pieces will I regret giving away? Or need when friends or grandchildren call and ask if I have something that will work for a certain project. Why keep it all in boxes for the what-ifs, when someone else can make good use of it? Close that chapter, start a new one.