Undergraduate / Blurred Vision among American adults - Common App Personal Essay [6]

According to the report for the 2012 National Health Interview Survey, 15.3 million American adults between the ages of 18 and 64 report experiencing significant vision loss. This was just a mere statistical average until it affected me in a way that transformed my entire life. It was a routine visit to the eye doctor. The wind was remarkable that day kicking up and blowing snow in such a way that it was hard for me to see. In some way this might have been foreshadowing, hinting into what was about to occur. You see, this wasn't an eye examination for me, it was for my mother; who had worn glasses, contact lenses and used a magnifier for as long as I could remember. This was the day we discovered my mom was going blind, with no possible way to stop or slow it down. We were at the Eye and Ear Infirmary at UIC. We checked in at the front desk and took a seat in the stuffy waiting area. Fast-forward 20 minutes later, we were ushered into a dark room complete with an eyechart plus all the latest tools and gadgets. Dr. Lim arrives momentarily and began the examination. During the course of the routine testing it was discovered that my mother could neither see nor move her right eye. Upon closer inspection it was discovered that she had a detached retina. I was stunned for a moment, but then began wishfully thinking that there was some way she could regain her vision back. I had heard of operations for the people born blind to be able to have a semblance of seeing again, so why not my mom? When I got home I began researching all about different types of treatments. There weren't a lot of options choose from which got me thinking, there should be more research on retinal detachment. There should also be more options for treatment but, it appears there are only 3 main types. From what I recollect she had an eye injury a couple weeks earlier but had brushed off her pain and sensitivity to light as a migraine. A detached retina is when part of the eye (the retina) pulls away from supportive tissue. The longer a retinal detachment goes untreated, the greater your risk of permanent vision loss in the affected eye. Dr. Lims plan of attack was simple, try and reattach the retina. Sounds easy, but it wasn't. Unfortunately my mother's eye was past the point of remediation, meaning vision in her right eye was unsalvageable. The only salvageable part was the eyeball itself. We scheduled an appointment for the minor operation which was the insertion of oil in and around my mom's right eye to save the shape and keep it from deflating further. The day of the operation was in January. The operation went smoothly and my mom's eye was preserved but included in her life were now, monthly eye checkups for a year which meant that I too would have to miss a day of school or more a month. After the operation my mom needed assistance for basic things around the house until she adjusted to being handy-capable. Which led to me missing lots of school junior year, the most important year for academics. Even with all the adversities I faced I still managed to finish junior year strong and this event in my life has inspired me to go into the medical field. These struggles generally go unnoticed in my academic life, but are important to me and have had a drastic effect on me. I want to help people, like my mom, have the ability to lead a normal, healthy life. I know I have the compassion, dependability and attention to detail to make that dream a reality.