The eye situation carries on. It was the beginning of August that the sight in my left eye was deemed ineffective enough to warrant the non-renewal of my UK driving licence. Nearly 5 months since and it's still debatable depending on who you ask, whether an operation to remove the still forming cataract is possible and/or beneficial. The fact that with glasses on I can read the letters on a chart at a certain level means that I have yet to reach the point where the operation is deemed necessary, but of course this doesn't take into account the demise of the peripheral vision which in my case is the aspect that has got progressively worse. The last consultant that examined the eye was amazed that I could see as well as I could through it, given how thick the cataract has become over time, but suggested that there could be a slim chance that the case could be made for the operation to be funded given the circumstances. The case would need to be made through the respective medical channels and the same consultant was also keen enough to point out that he's not known of such a case that has successfully had funding approved as yet.
Oh boy.
So whilst I wait to see how this saga unfolds, I am working in front of a screen all day, staring at texts for long periods and straining my eyes further. The impact has been that my visual acuity has diminished sharply over the past four months that I have been back in my role, which now perhaps understandably, is leading me to question just how much longer I can, or should, keep pushing on. Initially this was going to be a temporary role until I could get away and it was a situation that suited both parties, the workplace itself being busy but enjoyable most of the time and the people (generally) good fun and affable. There is no shortage of tea to be drunk and "so poor they are funny" jokes being made, but there have been days recently where I am feeling more Donald Pleasence than Steve McQueen. Moments have arisen where briefly, with or without my glasses, my vision hasn't been sharp enough to comfortably do my job and have required me to break away from my screen for a while. These blurry moments whilst admittedly rare are an unfortunate development and this again is giving me some food for thought. Not nice, mouthwateringly succulent food thoughts, but more a dry leathery chewy meat type affair that may eventually need to be spat out. Now all I need is Dickie Attenborough to stick his foot out and trip me up and my work time will be complete.
So what now?
I've endured a bit of a poor few months health wise, either from the recurring effects of a flu type virus that I just can't shake off, or what feels like an ongoing barrage of smaller (but no less effective) illnesses which have managed to leave me flat. This bombardment has not only hit me physically, but has also drained almost all enthusiasm from me for wanting to learn or push new ideas forward. The last couple of weeks however it does seem to have lessened it's grip enough for me to make small steps forward. For now this involves me making a concerted effort to restoring my health back to where I feel it should be and this task has already begun. I am heavier than I have been for about 8 years or so, which hasn't been helped by a small spike in weight that has happened since putting myself back into training. In the coming weeks and months however I am determined to lose just over 2 stone and whilst this might seem hopeful, it should be doable. It may just take a bit more determination and effort than it has done in the past.
When this first part of the puzzle starts coming together, hopefully I can then think of new ways to move forward. If I can get a decision one way or another on the eye then perhaps that will free up some mental resource and enable me to work towards something else. I have thought of a few projects that I have almost forced myself into, but none have enthused me in the way that I need to be in order to make any new venture worthwhile. Perhaps I haven't yet hit on that one thing that is a big enough kick to get things to whirring properly again.
There is the possibility of course that this fabled "thing" doesn't exist anymore, lost in time against an ever grey skyline of dirty rain, dull buildings, uninspired graffiti tags and the endless smell of dope that hangs in the Bristol air. I hope beyond hope that this is not the case. Whilst I'm not as yet overly worried about what I could do if I ever found the means or desire to leave for a different existence, I am more concerned about what should happen to me if I don't.
Perhaps I could become an Olympic Ski Jumper...
