I had been noticing that vision in my right eye was not right, but I did not then know the symptoms of retinal detachment. I had a friend coming to town to ride the Mt. Washington Century, so I decided to put off seeing a doctor. We did the ride on Sunday, and then Iwent to see an ophthalmologist on Monday morning. I saw the surgeon that afternoon and had surgery the next day. My wife rented a bench on I could lie prone, looking through a hole at the floor, or at reading material. It also came with a periscope for watching TV. Recovery was good, but reattachment brings stimulates cataracts so I had a lens replacement ten months later. I learned that I was on the verge of right eye blindness, and delaying the visit to the doctor was not a good move. But I did enjoy the ride. :-)

Five years later the same retina came loose again, and I knew it right away. This time I did without the bench and just looked down.

A week, or so, before the century ride I had crashed when I encountered a hummock on the road very close to home, a hazard which I had always avoided previously. I was not gripping my bar, and my hands flew off the bar and since I was going downhill over 20 mph I lost control. My head did touch the pavement, but there was no noticeable impact and no helmet compression. My ophthalmologist at the time insisted that the crash could have contributed to the detachment.

The retina has been firmly attached for ten years now. There is glaucoma, unrelated to the detachment, says my current ophthalmologist. Its effect on my optic nerve has decreased my right side peripheral vision so I usually ask fellow club members if I'm clear to move back into line.

And that's my story.

Leland