Eye update; A second opinion

Today I went to get a second opinion on my cataract and to get recommendation on the lens replacement. The Eye Doctor visit went amazing! I am so glad I got the second opinion.

 I had an eye doctor I loved but my primary Dr. had to refer me to an eye doctor in his circle to check the pressure in my eyes after several ocular migraines. My regular eye doctor was not on his list of doctors to refer. I went to the other eye doctor and got my eye pressure checked. While I was there I talked to him about my cataract in my left eye since it seemed to be getting worse.  He was not very helpful and had recommend I go with a replacement lens that would fix my vision in the left eye. A lens that was $1500 more than the regular lens and not covered by my insurance. I was willing to pay the extra money out of pocket if it made my vision better, my eyes are very important to me.. But I couldn't get straight answers from him and once I did more research on the lens via the internet, I discovered that that lens was not a good option for me for a number of reasons.. I kept getting the feeling that I was going to the wrong person for my surgery. I just wanted to understand what my options were and which lens would be best for my vision needs. But all I got was the up-sell..

My husband and I talked about it and decided I needed to go back to the doctor who originally diagnosed my cataract. He was amazing the first time and did a great job explaining what a cataract was and I was totally comfortable with him.

So today I went back to my Favorite eye doctor and got a second opinion. First off, my cataract has gotten worse since the last time he looked at it. Before I only had a cataract on the front of the lens, that cataract has expanded and I now have a second one on the back of the lens in the dead center of my vision. Which explains why my vision in that eye has seemed so much worse.. We went over my options of lenses.. Correcting my left eye to see distance better and glasses needed for reading.. But my right eye is near sighted so maybe not so good.. Adjusting my vision so both eyes are the same so my vision close up is good and I would need glasses or contacts for distance and a few other options I can't remember right now.. My doctor is conferring with his associate and the operating surgeon to give me a recommendation that is best for my lifestyle and my profession.. He took the time to talk to me and answer all my questions, brought in the other doctor and discussed my case.. Both agreed that the crystalens is not a good option for me, it would be if I was replacing both eyes, but not for doing just one lens replacement.  I would have been paying alot more for a lens that would actually give me issues in adjusting to the new lens and it would not have worked well with a single eye lens replacement.. I am so glad  that my husband urged me to follow my gut reaction. I am now starting the process of getting my surgery done.. I will get the lens recommendation as well as a surgeon recommendation in the next week and then I will need to schedule my appointment. And the best part is that I will be seeing clearly the day after my surgery!!! I will not be tattooing for a few days after that just to make sure my vision is 100% before working on any clients.

Lesson learned, follow you gut, of it seems shady it might be, and ask lots of questions!!! Funny, I tell clients this about getting a tattoo and I almost didn't take my own advice.

Side note for those concerned about me tattooing them with a cataract...... My vision is not a problem for tattooing right now, I am taking care of it before it effects my ability to tattoo.. I would stop tattooing if I thought it would be a problem.. 

Kitsune and Tanuki

 Now  a continuation of my Kowai Kawaii Yokai.. Today I will talk about my two favorite tricksters Kitsune and Tanuki (click on names for more information). Both of them are traditional Japanese Yokai and both are shape shifters.. I would say they were my gateway Yokai. They were the way I discovered that yokai existed and introduced me to a new world.

Kitsune is a fox, Tanuki is a Japanese Tanuki (raccoon dog). I first came upon both of them while playing the video game Animal Crossing. They had Kitsune called Crazy Redd, the black market salesman with a tent that sold you things, sometimes very overpriced.  The Tanuki was Tom Nook, he was the owner of the local store where you buy supplies and sell things.

                                               
Tom Nook reminded me of Mario in Super Mario Bros 3 dressed in a Tanuki suit. Now I know why..
                                                             
 I keep seeing them both everywhere.. I finally fell deeply in love with them both with  the Movie Pom Poko a story about the Tanuki trying to save their natural habitat. This movie had not only Tanuki, but also Kitsune and my first glimpse of a Ghost Parade with many Yokai I had never seen before.. After seeing this movie I started looking for information on Yokai and found more and more little glimpses of them everywhere.

Lately I have been a bit obsessed with making Kitsune and Tanuki as shape-shifted girls with Masks as hair ornaments and makeup to match their personalities. Here are a few of my new pieces featuring Kitsune and Tanuki.

 

The two of them are continuing to inspire me, and we have many new adventures to come.