The Commute: 03/30/10

Long time no blog update right?  Sorry.  Just nothing to tell.  My trainer's schedule is usually busy.  One day we had tentatively set, we both forgot by the time it arrived.  The next week Jennifer took vacation.  All of this and a lot of rain have led to it being a month between lessons.  So we finally agreed on last Tuesday, 03/30/10.  Before I even met her that day trouble tried to inch its way into my plans.


I was at work, engulfed in my research, yet thinking I wanted to have things better prepared so I did not waste a moments time driving today.  I made sure my bioptics were in working order and clean of dust.  I kept looking at the clock consistently making sure to try and get downstairs a little earlier then my 12:00 appointment.  I made sure to put my contacts on, instead of wearing eye glasses.  I looked at my phone to ensure it was charged and checked for missed calls.  Despite all these efforts a sudden streak of terror ran through my mind.  I realized I left my wallet at home with my drivers permit in it.  I couldn't drive today.  I thought about just not telling Jennifer I left my permit at home.  The repercussions of that lie far outweighed the benefits.  If I wrecked that car with no permit on my person, I may never have a chance to drive again.   I couldn't believe this.  I was going to have to call Jennifer 30 minutes before my oh so belated appointment and tell her that I couldn't go today because of my carelessness!  I sat thinking about calling her and suddenly remembered something.  The day before, I put my wallet in my lunchbox because my pants pockets were so small and shallow.  Could it still be in there?  I swirled my rolling chair around to my lunchbox as fast as I could.  Like a mad man looking for treasure I snatched my lunchbox up off my desk.  Then I glanced into the side zipper pocket.  There sat my wallet with my permit and everything else in tact.  Whew...I did not have to cancel after all.  Shortly thereafter Jennifer called and said she was outside.  She still beat her own appointment time, so I wasn't downstairs yet.  I wanted to do this during my lunch break today so I did not have to take time off work.


Jennifer jumped out of the car after she saw me and got in the passenger seat.  I was a little shocked she was going to make me drive downtown again at the beginning of this trip.  Today, unlike my first drive, was a extremely bright sunny day.  Translation: it was hellacious for me to see outside.  However with the red filters. things really were better, just not as good as a cloudy day would have provided.  I hopped in and remembered to put my seatbelt on, to turn the mirrors so I could see and to put the dark blanket on the dash.  I had memorized the gear order.  I put my left foot back so I would not be tempted to use it at all.  Jennifer was not satisfied with my right leg angle to the break and gas pedals.  She watched me move up closer to the wheel till she was satisfied.  According to the wikiHow website your leg should be at a 120 degree angle when driving.  After Jennifer got done texting, I shifted gears to roll out to the main street.  I had to ask her which way to go.


As soon as I had that out of my mouth she reminded me to turn my blinker on.  I did it wrong.  Those poor confused drivers behind me.  lol  I struggled with remembering if pushing it up was for the left or down was for the right or the opposite.  I need a rhyme to remember them by or something stupid that will stick.  If you have any suggestions please let me know.  We hit the main road and she reminded me of the one way streets.  I made the turn but Jenn held the wheel some to ensure I would not turn into anyone else's lane.  I was doing good seeing the red lights for the most part.  Seeing the stop signs with the red filters proved to be a challenge.  Lucky for me, this particular road showed the word "STOP" painted on the ground which proved most helpful.  Regardless, I was still very observant before crossing ANY street.  Jennifer ended up telling me she was training 5 people.  I''m sitting here wondering how in the world that utilized all of her day unless they are doing much more training then I am.  Anyways, before I knew it we were.....well....'Where are we?"  I laughed out loud.  I was SO busy concentrating on staying in my lane, seeing red and green lights, doing lane changes, turning on the correct blinker, hitting the gas very lightly, and listening to Jennifer's instructions....that I had NO CLUE where we were.  After she told me, I began to pay attention to my surroundings more and figured it out.  We came the back way to my house.  This involved some extremely curvy streets.  I was so excited.  I told her one thing I was thinking.  It seemed much easier for me to stay in my lane then I ever thought it would be.  That was a big difference from what I assumed while observing others drive and actually driving myself.  I always thought it looked so daunting to have to keep moving that wheel left and right.  But it became no biggie for me personally.  Jennifer immediately exclaimed she was glad I was so good at it because she recently had a nightmare about one of her other pupils who veers into other lanes much too often.  Can you imagine how many nightmares you'd have about driving if you took legally blind people out on the road daily?  She's definitely got nerves of steel.  Maybe her keen ability to listen to PRM radio nonstop enhanced that gift.  


Well before I knew it we were coming toward my apartments!  Wow, I had driven myself home.  She instructed me to park and I couldn't even see the lines at all.  They desperately need repainting.  Regardless,  I was lucky enough to pull in to her satisfaction.  Ok, now time to back out.  I started backing out, but turned and looked first.  I was starting to turn the wheel toward where I wanted the car to curve out, but she stopped me.  I was told to pull out straight and then when almost all the way in the street to start to curve the car back.  That seemed easy enough, but there were no cars around to hit either.  I managed to shift the gears correctly back to drive.  Now we were off to work again.  Then the shocker came.


She told me to take the "expressway" back.  OK I barely was comfortable going 30, taking the expressway.....was she crazy!???  It was good to get this experience because near my home there's this really crazy intersection where about 6 streets all meet in one location.  Oh yes, I'm lucky enough to get to navigate that mess every day.  First of all, the traffic was really busy and I had to get the guts up to dart out in front of traffic after being sure I had the all clear in both directions.  There was no light at this juncture.  I did dart out fast...too fast.  Had she not grabbed the wheel I could have darted straight into the ditch.  So onto the expressway we crept.  I approached this huge curve where you merge into expressway traffic.  My foot instinctively let off the gas as I turned the curve.  She told me not to because I had to be moving fast on the freeway.  Ok, be careful what you wish for.  


Before I knew it she had grabbed the wheel acting as my eyes helping me change lanes.  It did seem a little much and she said we'd focus on lane changes later, but for now she'd do all that.  I was kind of in shock at this point because as I glanced to my right I could FEEL this 18 wheeler on the side of us and another car on the left.  I was wedged in.  This all seemed so unreal...even more unreal I WAS THE ONE driving!  I tried my best to keep focused before someone honked because I was going so slow.  We let one person around me.  Then we found a quick route to work.  We did a huge U turn by the hospital and went straight there.  The traffic lights downtown are sideways.  I never seem to see the ones hung sideways going home, just coming to work.  I accidently told Jenn the wrong street my workplace was on.  I keep getting it mixed up because we changed locations recently.  So then some pedestrians cross in front of me.  Crisis avoided, lucky fools.  Then I noticed something else.  The light was green, BUT if I did not stop I was going to hit the car in front of me who had his brake lights on.  I don't know why he had them on.  I think because traffic in front of him moved slowly through the green light.  This made me think that it's more important to look at the car in front of you then the traffic light.  After all the light won't kill you, the cars will.  


We took a right on red and dodged a vendors truck before swerving into my workplace's drop-off area.  I was running late and cut our appointment shorter than Jennifer planned.  She hopped out and agreed to meet me in the coming weeks for more training.  She seemed more comfortable this time.  Hopefully we're building some trust in each other.  My feet hurt after this.  I think I didn't know how to properly rest them WHILE driving.  If you have any tips on this please let me know.  All in all, it was a great trip and as always I learned a lot.  I'm going to need to improve on my blinker knowledge, backing up, and parking abilities before the next drive.  Hopefully I can meet with my boss soon to iron out a driving schedule that can be consistent, yet work for all parties involved.  I'll keep you posted on those developments.   

Shifting Gears!

My Bioptic training has officially shifted gears.  Today it was finally time to for me to sit in the drivers seat.  My appointment was a 1:00 but it ended up being pushed up to a partly sunny Monday at 12:10.  I was so busy at work today I had no time to feel nervous or excited.  But one thing was for sure, I definitely was not forgetting it!  I had been thinking about this day all weekend.  Hoping and praying nothing would mess it up if it's meant to be.  


When I arrived outside Jennifer and I battled my new velcro attachments.  I didn't realize they would make it hard to push the bioptic through my red filter.  (I just put the velcro on today.)  Once that situation was resolved we went to a empty parking lot where the real work would begin.  She asked me if she should assume I know nothing.  I told her I have driven with family a few times in my life, but just assume I knew nothing because it's the truth.   She laughed and we parked.  I got in the drivers seat and she showed me the break, the gas, and the gears.  Then we spent some time adjusting the mirrors electronically.  She got out of the car to demonstrate where my blind spot is and told me to be sure I was not seeing the side of my car in the side mirrors.  Once everything was lined up she showed me how to look at them and said it would be most important when changing lanes.  She then taught me how to backup looking backwards, over my shoulder, to the right.  This seemed awkward.  My neck hated it.  But she and I both knew this would be on the driving test, so I best get used to it.  Her car seems very quiet, you can barely even hear the engine running.  She also did something that may help a lot of drivers.  She put a black cloth over the dashboard to obscure sun reflections.  Nice touch.  


I got a little frustrated that I could not see the gear shifts well at all.   Her car had a stick shift attached to the wheel.  The gear letters are on the dash and have a tiny square that appears around them when selected.  The wheel was at times in the way when not straight and also the gear display was just so tiny on her dark dashboard.  Red filters do not help when trying to read a shadowed, unlit dashboard.  The newer cars have gears like the ones like pictured above, so these are much easier to read.  In fact, I got into a friends car tonight and was delighted with how big everything was and his backlighting and special placing of the speedometer was really awesome.  I love technology.  It was big enough I could see the speed from the passenger seat.  Anyways, on Jennifer's training car, teeny tiny everything.  There are some things you can do to enhance the dash like buying a sheet magnifier and cutting it to fit your dashboard.  See www.maxiaids.com if you're interested.  I will decide if I need one if I ever get my own car depending on the display style.  


After adjusting the mirrors I took the car out of Park and we began to roll forward.  Then she told me to turn.  I immediately brought up the problem I have with using the wheel is not knowing how far to turn it to straighten the wheels back out.  She acknowledged this is something that is not natural that I must get used to.  I also made an instant mistake;  I put my left foot on the break.  WRONG!  She said I better not make her tie my foot down.  She said my left foot will not be useful.  After that, Jennifer showed me how to pivot my right foot from gas to pedal.  I never knew any of this.  I always assumed people used whatever they were comfortable with.  I also never knew until this past week that signs exist just under bridges to let you know what street/bridge you're driving under.  I was then instructed by Jennifer to do a few circles around the parking lot.  Once I was comfortable with that, she instructed me to drive to a parking spot to see how well I could park between the white lines.  I did so, forgot to put the car in park, she reminded me, and got out to assess my accomplishment.  Well no accomplishment here...I failed to line it up.  The car was way to one side and crooked.  With that she got her "doo-dad thingy" out of the truck.  It was something she stuck in the middle of the hood to help me judge my ability to center park.  This bought to my attention that the middle of the car was in fact far to my visual right.  With some practice lining it up visually, it was time to try parking again.  This time I got out to examine my work I was happier with the results.  I was lined perfectly straight with the lines and just a tad too far to the right.  


What next?  I drove around a little more and was now gliding along trying to make sure I stayed on "my side' of the road, not veering from lane to lane.  This seemed to come easy, but then again there was no oncoming traffic to my left I could judge by.  Next she told me to give it some gas.  I did and started going faster then I was comfortable with and began hitting the break.  That was not what I was told to do.  She encouraged me again to let off the break and give it some gas.  I did and again did so apprehensively, slowly and gently.  At this point she pushed my leg down some to force me to go faster.  Sneaky, but effective.  I was still scared.  lol  Good thing I did not know what was going to happen next.  She was pretty happy with my handling of the car and told me to keep driving to the end of the parking lot toward the road.  Then her next words were "I probably shouldn't do this but you're doing so well, why don't we take a right onto that road."  Now I KNEW I'd be sick.


She just told me to take this car into REAL traffic on a REAL used road, in a downtown area with ONE ways and tons of red lights and idiots crossing.  NO WAY.......yep.  We looked for oncoming traffic.  I was so slow to turn my curb I like to have never gotten out of there.  She said most people are going too fast when they turn a curb anyways.  I felt so inadequate being in the midst of the traffic chaos.  But then something happened or didn't happen I should say.  I started driving and didn't run into the other lane.  i did not hit cars parked on the side of the road.  I also ran no red lights and proceeded on green.  I even remembered to brake slowly and learned how to use my turning signals attached to the drivers wheel on the left side.  Wow....I was having an out of body experience almost.  I couldn't grasp what was going on.  She helped me turn the wheel a few times to ensure I did it far and fast enough.  I also managed to stop the correct distance from traffic in front of me.  Well before I knew it we had ran into some construction.  We had to go an alternate route and around all these 18 wheelers parked horizontally in the road.  WHEW  Now this was getting nuts.  I managed to navigate through that with Jennifer's help.  My next challenge was realizing I needed to yield to traffic when making certain turns.  I don't grasp it all because so many lanes were involved, but will study that more.  OK...now for the part I couldn't wait to tell you.


I got on the next road and notice I'm getting closer to work.  There is red lights about every block I'm driving, but today more were green.  Well, I see a car brake in front of me and notice the light had just turned green. I start slowly rolling forward and suddenly this insanely lucky pedestrian J-walks in front of me and my green light.  He went 3 steps in the road.  I slowed to a stop but he then realized his error and stepped back to the curb.  Oh my gosh yaw, if he only KNEW who was behind that wheel! lol  Maybe my filters got the message across and alerted him to how unfortunate crossing in front of a bioptic user could turn out.  Well today he was lucky and Jennifer was pretty happy I think that I saw it all happen and responded accordingly.  We drove a few more blocks, turned a curb, and I saw my workplace.  Wow, was this for real?  I drove into my workplace parking lot to drop MYSELF off?  I was in shock I guess.  I put the car in park.  Jennifer gave me my bag I stored my bioptics in and said she couldn't believe I was not more excited.  I told her I was just scared.  A scared me is a quiet me.  She was very encouraging about todays testing.  We said goodbye and the workplace security asked where I had been.  I said, you wouldn't believe it, but I drove here!  He laughed and said nope, he didn't believe it.  But he knows I'm using bioptics and helps me watch for the bus each and every day, so he was just teasing.  


I walked back into work with it being the most further thing from my mind.  That's kinda bad since this is a new job.  But who can blame me?  I've waited all my life for this day.   I really had fun learning to drive today despite being a little scared.  Being scared will get you no where.  It's healthy to have some fear, but not to the point it prevents you from accomplishing your goals.  Today fear was put aside with sheer reserved shock and joy.  Every time I drive things should get a little easier.  I can't wait to try it again in a few weeks. 

A Little Red Magic

It's official.....I'm seeing RED!  As of 11/10/09 I'm the proud owner of these trendy red filters!  


Jennifer called me on the 11/09/09 and delivered them on the 10th as tropical remains of Ida stumbled through our state.  The first thing I noticed was how she had a hard time getting the bioptic situated inside the filter opening she cut.  Apparently she fixed it so there was only one way to slide my bioptic inside the filter opening.  On my bioptic, I must slide the left side in first.  It's a tight fit.  I was mortified to see this had already scraped my bioptics some.  Even worse, she explained she accidently scratched the red filters when cutting them, so she will have to get another pair for me.  For now I can use these.  I was in a rush to get back to work.  So I briefly tried my bioptic on with the red filter.  We had to loosen the bioptic because I could not see enough through it.  This prompted me to realize my screwdriver was missing out of my bioptic case.  Jenn realized it was in her car and scurried out into the windy weather to fetch it.  I stood quietly in the lobby contemplating what in the world would come out of her mouth next.  I was hoping it was the news I wanted to hear.  But after so many setbacks, I really just forced myself to keep expectations buried.  Now on to the good news.


After a brief minute or two, Jennifer scurried inside with the screwdriver.  She adjusted them standing up, which seemed a bit awkward for her, but non the less, she succeeded in helping me see out of my bioptic more clearly.  It wasn't perfect, but better.  So once we got that settled,  she told me in a matter of fact way that I can go get my permit.  WAIT!   What did she say?  "You can go get your permit" is what I think she said.  My smile said it all.  There it was, all out in the open, the news I had anticipated so long was now a verbal reality.  This made my day, my week, my month!  Jenn then followed up with me about the necessary paperwork that was needed by the State Department of Transportation.  She asked me if I had it,  I said yes.  She explained she'd look for it at her place first and then fax over what's needed before I show up to the DMV for my permit.  That sounded good to me.  Do you know that she actually did it within a days time!  I know she's been busy, but this turnaround time was nothing short of a miracle.  I was shocked to hear from her Wed. morning with news that everything was taken care of with my paperwork.  Wow, kudos to her.  I'm elated at her new zeal to help me.


With all the excitement came the real test, the road.  I took my new filters with bioptic out for a spin with the city transit service.  Wow, they are magic!  These red filters not only made the red lights and break lights jump out at me, it also helped in seeing the street lights at dusk.  Another major bonus is the red filters greatly shield me from the brazen fall sunlight with the broad arm side protection.  It was so good to feel so confident about seeing what was in front of me.  I never ever would have that level of confidence without the red filters.  They are nothing short of amazing.  


So now for the downfall I've noticed.  With my vision, there seems to be a hardship seeing the stop signs with the red filters on.  You'd think they'd jump out at me right?  But this "jumping out"  only occurs with backlit objects, not solid non lit objects.  I actually could see the stop signs better with my own vision.  This troubles me, but I think we can find a workaround.  I also think my bioptic is not fitting correctly in the filters.  I honestly just would rather have the red contacts now that I see how cumbersome the adjusting is of the red filters with the bioptic.  I've seen other states where drivers use red contacts for bioptic driving.  My doctor asked I not do that because I could never see any green lights.  This makes great sense to me.  At least with the bioptic unfiltered I can see green lights.  Red contacts would filter out everything, including sight through my bioptic.  I am working to contact others who use the red contacts to see how their doctors justified them not seeing green lights.  I'll keep you posted on that project.  


So with all the good news and slight mixed results, I'm still overall very happy and may possibly try to get my permit on black Friday.  As promised, the attached photo at the top is of my new red filters and bioptic fitted together.  Let me know what you think.  I should go, time to hit the books and study to get my permit.  Next stop: DMV!

Confusion Causeway

I got a surprise message on my machine yesterday morning.

Here's some back story:

I was trying to get my red filters ordered by my driving specialist, but after months of being distracted by my new job training, we lost contact. Upon being recontacted this month, she referred me to a occupational therapist to order the filters. The occupational therapist seemed somewhat out of the loop, but said she'd take care of it. After not hearing from anyone in over a week, I was planning to call back the occupational therapist on Sept 29th. Instead, I got a message on my machine from Dr. DeCarlo.

She told me they have no red filters ordered! Now keep in mind, she has my chart and can see how insane it is there has been such little progression since my last visit with her in June! She said now that she's aware of what's going on, they have placed an order for some. Due to the confusion, I was asked to contact her directly concerning these matters. Another potential problem is they are having a hard time contacting the person helping me pay for things at vocational rehabilitation, as he's on extended sick leave. (I wondered why he never returned my email last week.) Dr. DeCarlo gave me her personal number if I had other questions. Of course, I did. I wanted a time frame. I was shocked I actually reached her on my first call attempt. That was a miracle all on its own. She explained that it would take one to three weeks for the red filter order to be filled. She ended up apologizing for the people I was trying to work with pointing me different directions. I told her it was not a big deal because a few extra months of waiting compared to 31 years of not driving was nothing. I was also told they plan to keep a pair in office so people don't have to wait on delivery to be filled. I thought that was a smart idea. I explained I'd be happy to pay for them if that meant things going faster. She said we'd wait and see how long it takes and maybe my vocational rehabilitation counselor will be back in office by then.

What a bunch of confusion over something that should have been simple. That is life. I accept it. (see photo above) I finally feel progress is happening again. Let's hope the filters come soon. They still have to cut them before I can test drive/spot with them. Then if all that goes well I can start trying to get my permit!

My New Diagnosis: Cone Dystrophy: 04/30/09

I was not on pins and needles too long before Dr De Carlo called me with the Electroretinogram results. I got a voicemail saying she could not leave this information on the phone and must reach me directly to discuss my case. I understood her ethics but lamented some about the phone tag. I got off work and still no call. I sat waiting on the bus while staring at my phone as if that would help it ring. I checked the volume because I mute it out of habit at work. I checked the battery. I checked the voicemail. Finally at the very late end to my doctor's exhausting work day I got the call! My bus still had not arrived so I talked to her with quiet enthusiasm in my employer's lobby.

She told me I have what she suspected: Cone Dystrophy

Dr De Carlo stated by doing this electroretinogram test we ruled out the possibility of other optical diagnosis. I asked her several questions about the symptoms. It all added up! I have light sensitivity problems during daylight hours, I can see well at night, I have color blindness, and I have problems seeing fine details. She was so professional and kind. She assured me that the diagnosis itself would not hinder my pursuit to be a bioptic driver. I was relived. The thought had actually never crossed my mind. I never once thought she may find something that will inhibit my ability to try bioptic driving. She went on to tell me that cone dystrophy can be genetic. She said that more family background may help shed light on this issue. She said there's no cure at this time as it's all a brain centered problem. But, with more advanced genetic research there is hope.

Another thing I learned during our conversation was that if it was inherited there is a 50 percent chance I will pass this on to my children. Scary.....I never EVER thought about this...I know I want kids, but would this prevent me from having any with my DNA? The short answer is NO. I believe in God before science. Plus, if I can do this, I'd have no problems teaching my kids to deal with it. Science is good, God is greater. He has a plan for each and every one of us from conception to infinity. If He want's me to have a child I will.

If you remember, in the previous blog about my "2nd Passenger Evaluation," I said that my only hope is to see if my doctor can give me tools to see red lights better in the daylight hours. I also stated that Dr. De Carlo's office had no appointment till June 18th. We touched on this subject and she graciously and sincerely apologized for the long wait to see her again. I told her it's no big deal, I've waited 30 years to do this, what's a few more months of waiting going to matter? haha So the waiting begins......again.....for the next exam and my last hope of continuing this dream. I pray it is not the end.

BY THE WAY:

If you want to learn more about what Cone Dystrophy is check out this link: Cone Dystrophy

My Old Diagnosis: Optic Atrophy: 04/22/09

Many of you may be wondering what exactly my eye problem is. Today I'm going to address this topic. Most doctors have labeled my eye problem as trauma at birth. Optic Atrophy is usually accompanied by color vision loss. Optic Atrophy commonly develops during early childhood. Since the optic nerve runs to the brain, there is currently no cure for this eye problem. On the other hand, since it's not a physical eye disease my vision should not deteriorate further. For years my eye doctors have shrugged shoulders and said anything from he's undiagnosed to he's got Optic Atrophy due to trauma at birth. I was 2.5 months premature when born. My lungs were underdeveloped so it's possible there could have been a lack of oxygen to my brain that may have caused this condition. The doctors actually told my mother I'd never live. hahaha They're SO smart aren't they?

Not only am I classified as legally blind, I'm also partially color blind. Now lets get this straight, I DO NOT see in black and white! Oh sorry, touchy subject. Yes, I detest that question as much as the "how many fingers am I holding up question", even though I fully understand why someone would ask. Bright colors are more easily discernible in bright lighting conditions. When colors get close to the same value is where my problems lie. At that point, confusion sets in. When I open my eyes very wide and more light gets in the bright colors jump out at me. But this is useless because I can't walk around with toothpicks prying my eyes wide open daily.

With these things in mind, my new specialist, Dr. De Carlo, took great care in providing me with any diagnosis. She didn't rush to any decision, nor did she buy into what other doctors had told me. After looking closely with some really bright lights around my eye, she had an idea. She said she has a hunch that I have a different eye problem, but we will not know for sure unless I agree to undergo additional testing. I told her to sign me up. I agreed to have a Electroretinogram done. I won't bore you with the medical definition unless you want to click the different links.

On April 22 2009 at 8:30 am I went to the Eye Foundation for my Electroretinogram. I had forgot my insurance card that day, but God takes care of fools and blind people. lol Anyways, this nice lady with a (I'm guessing here) German accent tested me. The electrodes were placed on me, I was dilated, the lights turned out and the fun began. Well that doesn't sound right in print. After dilation was complete, (Dr De Carlo says I'm a fast dilator) my testing began. I stuck my head in this thing pictured above that looked to me like a space helmet with a red light in the middle. We did a spot test where I looked and a tiny light flashed soft to bright. The ERG machine measured the electrical activity of my retina in response to light stimulation. It's actually a pain free test of my rods and cones. I tested with the lights off and on. After testing I walked out with those fashionable dilation shades to meet with the ERG doctor who would examine the results. This guy looked at my eyes extensively with more bright lights. Are we having fun yet? After all that, I noticed him flipping though my test results. When I asked, he stated he thinks he knows what I've got, but doesn't want to say until he examines my results more extensively. No shocker, I know how these people work. Now the waiting game beings again until Dr De Carlo gets my Electroretinogram results back from the ERG specialist.

The Ganzfeld Electroretinogram machine I was tested on looked exactly like the one pictured at the top of my blog. They had it connected to a laptop and my eyes to the electrodes. It was painless and a extremely simple test.