My imaginary birds

My first daffodil in bloom. Will have lots of them in the next few days

I go out into the bright light and see a sky full of hundreds of blackbirds. I close my right eye and they are gone. I've been seeing black snakes writhing across my field of vision; imaginary hair blocking my view; flashes of light. It makes my head hurt though I notice, in the middle of the night (assuming I don't look at a computer screen), the headache is gone.

Over the past week, the images are not as intense as my brain is slowly learning to ignore them and restrict my vision to my left eye. Bright lights set the whole mess off again especially yesterday as my doctor stared into the bad eye to see what he could see.

This has been worrisome to say the least. It seemed to start more than a week ago as I was driving to my cooking class. I was having trouble seeing. In the past, if I am very dehydrated like running ten miles in temps above 80, I will feel faint and see flashes of lights. All goes away once I drink. Could I have become dehydrated on a cool, misty day? I stop at a store where I know there is a drinking fountain and drink up. At the class I drink 2 full glasses of water chased down by herbal tea. I am fully hydrated yet the visions slow down as I am in poorer light and return when I am outside.

I consult the internet. Possible causes:

1. Mild case of flu in which the only symptom is a headache that somehow affects my optic nerve. This year's vaccine did not protect fully against the most common strain and people are getting very mild cases of it. In some cases, they have no symptoms but can spread it around.
2. Detached retina though things would get worse before they got better
3. Brain tumor; maybe I didn't escape TNBC afterall. But things would get worse, not better and would not be light dependent. And my headache is about .5 on a scale of one to ten, not the worst pain ever associated with a brain tumor.
4. Carotid artery disease. My doctor added that one to the list and did some tests to rule that out.
5. Cataracts.

The probable winner is: cataracts!!!! My doctor could barely see through my clouded lens (does not look cloudy to me). I was told more than 2 years ago I had the beginnings of them. The abrupt onset of symptoms does not fit nor does the weird things I see. Cataract victims see halos and weird colors. Their night vision is reduced whereas I don't think mine is. I will consult an eye doctor soon and get this straightened out And I could possibly receive a lens much better than the distorted one I've had since I was 7. I could lose the glasses.

Today will be the warmest day yet. Will bike and run and see what blooms. Back at the MoneyPit, I noted that the rabbits have attacked my tulips. I should dig them up and put them in my raised beds well away from them.