Eyesore

I love double entendres and multiple meanings to single phrases. It's a great literary device, and I employ it most often in poetry and titles of stories. It also has real-life application for me at this very moment.

My house is an eyesore to me and the outside world and I'm recently following The FlyLady's Baby Steps Program to get back on track. So far I've aced Day #1 with the shiny sink. I'm only on Day #2. It takes 21 days to make a habit, but I'm committing to the entire 31-day program. I'm not sure why, but these timed challenges really seem to work for me. Case in point, NaNoWriMo, which I've won a dozen times and the most recent Lose 'da Booze 100 Day Challenge that I talked about in last week's post.

Mostly though, my eyes are sore. Very sore. Actually, more like someone is grinding shards of glass or dripping molten hot lava into my eyes second by second. I mentioned that I suffer from Lupus and Sjogren's Syndrome. This lends itself to being more of a Sjogie thing...extremely dry eyes, unable to produce tears, high risk of corneal tears, etc. I live in the Midwestern United States where 42% of the world's supply of corn is grown. I literally grew up in the middle of a cornfield (Grandpa gave my parents two and a half acres from his fields). Guess what I'm allergic to!? Yep, you betcha. Corn. It doesn't get terribly bad until it tassels (ironically, I walked beans and detasseled corn when I was a girl) but for the past several years, I've experienced severe eye problems from late July through September. I'm doing my best to keep my visual acuity in tact this year. I'm still pretty uncomfortable, but here are a few things that have helped me:

• Moisture chamber glasses (I ordered mine from EyeEco and I chose them because you add water to the filters to give extra hydration.) A word of caution--the lenses scratch quickly, the glasses tend to give me a migraine if I wear them too long and I'm having trouble keeping the screws that hold the arms in tight enough. The positives are that I can get about two hours extra use from my eyes on a daily basis and my eyes are definitely more comfortable when I'm wearing them several hours per day. Another side note: they are FUGLY. If you are into the hipster look, they fit in! The benefits of these BCGs outweigh the detractions.
• OTC lubricant eye drops, gels and ointments. I would truthfully not be able to use my eyes at all without these godsends. I have no favorite brand. In fact, I found if I rotate the brands and types throughout the day, I have slightly more success than if I just stick to a single brand and type. I have to add drops every half hour or more right now. Oddly, in the winter when it is so much dryer, I can get by with a lot fewer drops. If you would like to try eye drops, look for the ones without preservatives. Certain preservatives cause allergies that are a contraindication of the intent.
• Cod liver oil. Seriously! It's messy, but so much cheaper than OTC drops. I put mine in a small glass bottle with a medicine dropper and it is thick like the gels and almost leaning toward the ointments. Because it's messy, it is not convenient to bring to work or when traveling. But, weekends and evenings at home, first thing in the morning and last thing before going to bed--WIN!
• Periods of abstinence from television and the computer. I'm a writer and a technology junkie, so this is a hard-fought battle for me!
• Rest. I rest my eyes quite a lot with a damp rag covering my eyes. If a nap isn't going to happen, I'll listen to audio books, guided meditation or New Age music while I do my own meditative study. I also sleep with a damp rag on my eyes. I purchased the nighttime eye mask from EyeEco, but it broke early on and it truthfully didn't help any more than putting a damp rag on my eyes. If you are a tosser & turner, you can affix the damp rag by tying a bandanna or something similar around your eyes to hold it in place. I also have been getting anywhere between 7-9 hours of sleep at night when I can.
• Hydration. Lots and LOTS of water. If you don't like the taste of water, add a couple of drops of peppermint oil or lemons, cucumbers, fresh fruit, ginger, etc. Hydration also means cutting back on caffeine and alcohol consumption.
• Omegas and lutein. I've been craving eggs and avocados for YEARS. Enough so that it has become a running joke in my family! I will actually seek out menu items that contain avocado! There is plenty of evidence and research pointing to the fact that these foods aid in brain and eye function. I also crave fish--especially denser, meatier fish like tuna and salmon. Omegas, baby. Omegas! 'They' say when you crave something, it is a good indicator that your body is lacking in some nutrient the foods you crave are abundant in.
• Reading glasses. I started using reading glasses before I officially needed them (I officially need them now, however!) because when my eyes start to fade (late afternoon) they get very blurry. The reading glasses don't help the blurriness aspect, but they do magnify the blurriness to nearer-to-legibility for me.

Note: I'm not a doctor, nor am I anywhere close to the medical profession. In fact, I wait until the last possible minute to see a doctor, mostly to my own detriment. I'm just stating what has worked for me. Dry eye can lead to some very serious consequences, including blindness, so please see an ophthalmologist if you're having trouble. 

I'm in the market for some non-eyesores right now. I'm babying my eyes, but hoping that I am so much more mindful of my eye health now, that it means I will be more on top of my housekeeping duties and my next challenge I think will be that 365 Photo Challenge that has been going on the interwebs for maybe a decade or more. Fewer eyesores and fewer bouts of sore eyes are on my agenda. Speaking of which, it is time to seize the day!