As some of you might remember, last October I got a terrible eye infection. I started to notice something was different when Matthew and I were at dinner with his family. I excused myself to go to the restroom, thinking I had something in my eye, but nothing was there. On our drive home that night, my eye felt more and more irritated. I went to bed thinking it was just because of the dry October air, and perhaps the strain from a long day. In the morning, though, I was awoken to a shooting, blinding pain in my left eye, not to mention continuous tear production. It was so painful that I knew I had to go to Urgent Care. My eyes were incredibly sensitive to the light so Matthew drove me while I hid my eyes behind a bundle of blankets. Just opening them hurt. I found out that I had a corneal ulcer, and was even able to see the mark visibly on my eyeball in the mirror. So scary! Over the next few weeks I had to use very expensive eye antibiotics around the clock. Luckily I’m used to wearing contacts so it wasn’t a Rachel from Friends situation, where Monica and Phoebe had to pin her down. Nevertheless, it was no fun! And even to this day I can see a faint mark from the ulcer.
This whole situation made me realize how precious our eyes and our eyesight are. We are so blessed with the ability to see so it’s incredibly important to keep up with our annual eye appointments. My eyes are probably my favorite feature about myself. I’ve always loved how unique the color is. I remember when I was 15 and had to fill out my Drivers Permit Application, and put “Honey” for the section marked Eye Color. Of course I got back a permit that said “Brown,“ but I so wanted to classify my eyes in the color that I felt best described them. It’s kind of amazing when you look at your eyes and see different flecks of color in it. Each person’s eyes are so special and unique!
I just downloaded this new app from LensCrafters called Eye Am Unique and it’s so interesting because it takes a photo of your eye and then will analyze the exact color. So even if you think your eyes are really a true brown, the app will break it down. For me, my eyes were 81.70% Armadillo, 9.51% Gull Gray, 4.43% Schooner, and 4.37% Gunsmoke. So interesting right? I have to go to the DMV to update my Driver’s License in the next few months so maybe I’ll show them what my app says and see what they can do 😉 Fingers crossed, right?
You can download Eye Am Unique for free on IOS or Android! If you try it, you have to let me know what your eyes are! I did it with my girlfriends and it gets super interesting with blue and green eyes! You can see how unique your eyes are compared to other eye colors around the world.
Also, if you’re a contact wearer like me, make sure to give your eyes a break every now and then with glasses. If you suffer from dry eyes than getting a corneal ulcer is a lot more common, unfortunately. Regardless of whether or not you wear glasses/contacts, make sure to schedule your yearly eye exams. There are so many reasons why it’s important to take care of your eyes. Eyes are constantly changing so you need to make sure you give them the attention they deserve.
xox
DISCLOSURE: Thank you LensCrafters for partnering with me on this post. All thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own.
photos by Valorie Darling
