- N
- T
- J
Aspergillus is a type of fungus that can cause eye infections, known as aspergillosis, which can range from mild to severe and potentially lead to vision loss. So, in September 2024 I awoke to a normal day but while at work as a bartender in The Villages, FL I began to experience what felt like dirt in my eye. It persisted throughout the day and when I got up the next day it was worse in redness and also pain. This continued into a third day and the pain was so unbearable that I went to the emergency room. I did not have insurance at the time so I was hopeful that with that trip I would get the diagnosis and clear up the mess in my eye. I was sent home with several eye drops and told to contact a specialist that could figure out what type of infection was going on in my eye. It was swollen, red, painful and there was liquid draining so bad it looked like I was crying. Two days later I went back to the emergency room but a different hospital this time because I couldn’t afford an appointment with a specialist. They also had no idea what was happening to my eye but were seriously concerned based on its appearance and the fact that I explained to them I was prepared to rip it out myself because it hurt so badly. I was the taken by ambulance to Shanda hospital, over an hour and a half from my house. It was then that a specialist took a look at my eye and with a few tests diagnosed me with what she thought was aspergillosis fungus in my eye. It is a very rare and aggressive eye infection that can result in blindness or loss of an eye. There are only around 1500 cases a year and the medication that I needed was $1100 for antibiotic eyedrops. I did not have that kind of money so I was given a prescription for an oral medication that got rid of the infection but took a much longer period of time to do so and it was about a week altogether before I was able to get the test back and was medicated. My eye at that point never really improved for several months. During that time I kept it covered with my glasses that I painted black on one side because it was so painful, sensitive and stayed bloody red with fluid continuously dripping out of it. It still doesn’t look normal and I am completely blind in that eye. I missed about 2weeks of work but had to return because unfortunately, in my line of business, we do lot accrue paid time off but my employer has been great to me, very understanding and patient. Also, my regulars at the bar have been so understanding and supportive when I feel like I cannot continue on. It’s very discouraging to not be able to perform normal day to day tasks because of this unfortunate event. It has been difficult to learn to maneuver through life with only one eye. My depth perception was affected so that learning to pour a drink was a struggle when I returned to work along with running into door frames and my coworkers and I tend to knock things over because my blind spot is now my entire left side. I currently have insurance but I have a high out of pocket cost to pay to get a full diagnosis to find out if I am a candidate for a possible transplant so my vision can be restored. If the optic nerve isn’t damaged than I have a chance of a transplant. I appreciate any donations for a long road ahead of me including office visits, lab work and surgery. I also have bills from the 3 hospitals I visited during September and October that I would like to pay and they have discounted the total balance by half. I need help to restore my eye and vision and I’ve waited this long in hopes I could do it on my own but that has proved to be an unattainable goal. Thank you to anyone able to assist me on my road to recovery.
Organizer
