I never felt entirely healthy, but when I awoke one morning with my eyes swimming in a sea of pain, I knew something was seriously wrong. I could tell that the pressure inside my head had increased dramatically, and I knew I needed to head to a specialist as soon as possible.
After a visit to the doctor, I was diagnosed with glaucoma, an eye disease that can cause permanent vision loss. I was shocked—I had no idea that this condition could even exist. My doctor prescribed me some medication to try and shrink the pressure in my eyes, but it didn’t seem to be helping.
I went on with my life, trying not to think too much about my diagnosis. I was in so much pain that it was hard to concentrate on anything else anyway. But no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, the glaucoma always seemed to be lurking in the background.
One day, the pain was so unbearable that I collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital. After a series of tests, the doctors informed me that the glaucoma had progressed to the point that it was no longer treatable. They told me the only thing I could do was manage the pain with medication.
I had no choice but to accept my fate. The glaucoma had taken over my life, and I knew that eventually I would lose my sight. I had spent my entire life hoping and dreaming, but now all of that was gone in an instant. I had never felt so helpless before, and as I lay in my hospital bed, I felt a dark emptiness consume me.
The glaucoma had taken me from a life of potential, to a life of nothing. I was eventually discharged from the hospital, but the emptiness still lingered. I was in constant pain and the world around me was quickly becoming a blur. I was losing my vision and my will to live. I had no hope, and no chance of ever reclaiming my life.