Yesterday we got up really early and set out for a long car ride. Our mission? To get a second opinion on how to protect the vision in my right eye on my journey with Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis (GRPU). Don’t get me wrong, we love my ophthalmologist! But with something this serious, we wanted to make sure we are doing everything possible to maintain vision in my one eye. So we met with another eye specialist for a second opinion.

Well the good news is we are doing everything possible to prolong vision in my eye. The bad news is the signs are there that I could lose my right eye as well. However, my eye could remain stable, and I may go about my life with no further issues. Or changes could develop rapidly like with my left eye, or slowly over time. GRPU is a horrible disease, and there’s just no way to predict what will happen.

For now we will continue to keep me on the non-steroid eyedrops. As the ophthalmologist explained, my eye is like a slow drain in a sink. Fluid builds up, and it takes awhile for it to drain. The trick is to keep things moving enough so that the fluid doesn’t backup and cause pressure. He said to think of the eyedrops like how a plumber uses Drano to clear clogs. The eyedrops are to help keep the drain open and fluids flowing. This in turn will keep the pressure within the normal range, and hopefully slow the development of glaucoma.

However, the eye specialist warned us that it may only be a matter of time before glaucoma develops. To keep things optimistic though, he did say that eventually another medication for glaucoma will be added to my daily routine, to prolong my vision as much as possible. BUT…and this is a big but, I can’t start taking it now. Similar to other medicines, the body gets use to it, and it becomes less effective over time. The glaucoma medicine can lose its potency in approximately 1 to 3 years. He said I’m a young and healthy, so we don’t want to start that too soon, because we need to make sure we have a way to fight this disease when I’m older. Hence why monitoring the pressure in my eye is the key to finding this balance.

Now before Mom and Dad rush out to buy the expensive medical equipment to monitor the pressure themselves, he said as much as it would make them feel like it is helping to know it daily, it won’t make a difference. Just like ocean waves, pressure can vary from day to day, and even moment to moment. It is the overall pressure over time that we need to monitor. A random high spike is not an indication that it worsening. I could just be excited. Therefore the best course of action is to go for regular checkups every 3 months, or sooner if the ophthalmologist detects the pressure creeping up.

Yesterday my pressure was at a good level, and well within my previous range for that eye. There were no new signs of issues, other than the small cataract that was already there, and the slight corneal haze from being on the steroid eyedrops longterm. Again, it is all part of the balancing act. I may eventually switch back to the steroid drops, depending on how slow the drain in my eye is working.

Overall his opinion was to stay on the path we are following, which is regular checkups, daily drops and monitoring for any signs of change. Changes to look for include redness in the white part of my eye, change in color in the iris, squinting, pawing at the face, or signs of distress.

I’m glad we got this second opinion, because he reassured Mom and Dad that they had done everything right, for my left eye. It is just the nature of the disease. For me, things escalated quickly, due to a perfect storm of a burst cyst combined with leaking from previous scarring, causing the pressure to spike to a painful uncontrollable level, thus losing that eye was inevitable. Even if they tried heroic measures of adding a new drain, it wouldn’t have made a difference. The eye would have had to eventually be removed. Now we must just continue on with the current course of treatment and hope for the best with my right eye. The ophthalmologist said it could develop, or maybe I’ll beat the odds and live a long and happy life with no further problems. He also added to get out there and enjoy life! I’m very glad the eye specialist said that last part about enjoying life. Mom and Dad worry a lot about the future and need to focus on the here and now. And at this moment we are doing all that we can to ward off GRPU! Enough with the second thoughts, Mom & Dad!