Red Swollen Eyes
The world seemed smaller as I opened my eyes last Friday morning. For the short, few seconds that I reluctantly pressed “snooze” on my ageing cellular phone, I sat down on my mattress, and realized that a combination of puffy and itchy sensations permeated from my eyes. I stood up and stared at my reflection on the mirror. Before me was not the prettiest sight one could ever look at so early in the morning: through a head of rumpled hair and a hint of spittle on the corner of my mouth, a pair of red swollen eyes made me look like jaded Mandarin who was just bullied by a giant bumble bee.
It’s really a bit weird as to how I developed this eye allergy. As if on a whim, my eyes suddenly have an adverse reaction to dust, contact lenses, and other alien bodies that come in contact with our peepers. I first contracted this allergy last summer when my left eye swelled up, and being the cry baby that I am, decided to consult an ophthalmologist in Makati Med. The lady doctor diagnosed my condition as a simple case of sore eyes (or in my case, sore left eye), and prescribed two different types of eye drops – an antibiotic that costs around PhP 300 and insanely expensive “artificial tears” that retails for PhP 600 – to relieve my discomforts. She assured me that if I’ll religiously apply the eye drops on my left eye (one drop of each type, three times each day), I’ll be up and about in three days max. My visit took all of fifteen minutes, and before I turned to leave, I had to churn out another PhP 500 for the customary professional fee.
Three days later, however, my condition did not improve at all, and my right eye decided to join the bandwagon and swell up like its leftie counterpart. I marched back to Makati Med, sorely disappointed and battle ready to confront the lady ophthalmologist who just rigged me off of 1.4 grand. Arriving there, the drab secretary told me that the lady doc will not be reporting for clinic that day, and if I desire, will consult her brother (who is, mother of all shockers, another ophthalmologist, by the way) instead.
The Li’l Devil on my left shoulder poohed and bahhed. Ignorance is hereditary he snarled, and that Paris Hilton is probably Mensa material if I fell for the trap for the second time. The Li’l Angel on my right shoulder, however, argued that to err is human, and that the sibling ophthalmologists deserve a second chance at redemption.
I am not a religious person but I’m always rather inclined to side with the Li’l Angel. And since I didn’t know of any other ophthalmologists in the first place, I decided to play along and consult the brother. After a routine examination of my swollen eyes, the doctor gave the same diagnosis and advised me to apply the same eye drops for the next seven days. “*&$#@^ (name of sister) should’ve advised you to apply the medicine on both eyes,” the pudgy doctor added, “so the infection shouldn’t have spread to the other eye.” Before I left, the secretary charged me for PhP 400, and not for the usual PhP 500 since I came in only for a “follow-up check up.” “Thanks a lot,” I snickered sarcastically. Maybe I’ll donate the hundred bucks that I just saved to UNICEF and feed a zillion homeless kids. “And have a great day!”
On my way back home, I phoned my mom to complain about my condition. In my mind, there’s got to be a catch from all of this. My mom suggested that my condition could be a simple case of eye allergies. Months back, one of my brothers also had the same symptoms, and after administering anti-allergy eye drops for a few days, my bro recovered soon after. Trusting my gut, I bought the same anti-allergy eye drops that my mom has spoken of. Within days, I noticed considerable decrease in the swelling of my eyes and recovered swiftly. Four short months after my first brush with eye allergies, I was once again thrust in the same predicament. And it had to afflict me when I was gaining good momentum with my work and with my badminton training. I was then left with no choice but to rest out my allergies for the whole weekend.
When you’re down with puffy eyes with nothing left to do but eat, sleep, and watch Animal Planet on cable, you start to notice the small things in life. On my part, I realized that a footlong hotdog sandwich sold for PhP 25 each from the friendly sari-sari store could make for sumptuous meal. It was refreshing to see kids play street games once again in this age of computer games and the virtual world of the internet. I was even amused by my landlord’s collection of religious statues that were carefully arranged on top of his china cabinet. Why, there’s even a lamp that burns lavender oil on one of the desks in the living room! No wonder it smells funny during the morning.
I couldn’t believe that I’ve missed out on life’s little pleasures simply because I am too absorbed with my own little self. Last weekends’ bout with eye allergies may have prevented me from having a great time with my pals, but in the process, I got a definite eye opener. Sure, a potent formula of steroids, antibiotics, and other anti-allergy agents are slowly easing the redness and swelling of my eyes. But for the first time in the longest span, I haven’t seen anything so clearly.
