Truly, I don’t mind getting older. It’s better than the alternative! I keep working out, working on cardiovascular health, flexibility, strength, mobility, balance and anything else I can think of.

About a week ago, I started to get some “flashes” in my left eye. I have had them before so I wasn’t too worried about it. This time, I started to see a “floater” on the left outside of my left eye. Weird! Of course, I googled it and found this is a normal occurrence due to aging. I had a really busy week and weekend so figured it had something to do with being very busy. By Monday, I still had this dark spot on the left side of my eye.

Talking to some people, they recommended to have it checked by an eye doctor just to make sure because a torn retina can be serious and even cause blindness. I called my eye doctor, Mark Brittain, and was so lucky that they had a cancellation Tuesday morning and he was able to see me then. He took pictures of the inside of my eye and diagnosed me with PVD, which stands for posterior vitreous detachment.

Is it because I don’t wear my glasses like I should? No, it’s your “calendar year,” he said. And no, I am not that old (57). As many “older” people have told me, getting older is not for sissies! But we can’t give up! I see people who stay active that do so much better than people who “give in” to their ailments and pains and stop any exercise at all. I am all for quality of life, not quantity. My amazing judo sensei told me to keep moving, no matter what. He was super active until 85, then cancer took a big toll on his health and died at 87.

Staying active is a must for me. So what in the world is PVD? When you get older the gel (vitreous gel) in the back of your eye becomes a liquid and shrinks due to age and normal wear and tear. With a slow (‘normal”) PVD, you might get some floaters and/or flashes. These symptoms most of the time slow down over the next few weeks. Now, if this process is very quick or only at one point of the retina, the PVD can actually tear the retina or retina vessel which actually can result in permanent vision loss. I think all of us know someone who have had, or have, an issue with a retina tear and need/needed care with an eye retina specialist.

The retina is a thin layer of light-sensitive nerve tissue that lines the back of the eye (called vitreous) cavity. When the light enters the eye, it passes through our iris to the retina where the images are focused and converted to electrical impulses that are carried by the optic nerve to the brain resulting in sight. All information is from the Foundation American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), retina health series and Dr. Brittain.

I asked Dr. Brittain if I needed to do anything else, he said no, it should subside within a few weeks. Now if it looks like a curtain starts to open and close over my eye, I need to see a specialist immediately. The risk factors are rare in people under 40. And since I have one in my left eye, the chance of getting one in my right eye within a year is highly likely. I am prepared this time, as long as no “curtain” closes over my eye. As many of you are thinking right now, it’s only one more thing we face getting older. If you do have them, check with your eye doctor to make sure it’s nothing serious and be patient for it to subside.

“Only in the eyes of love you can find infinity,” from “The Wisdom Collection: The Book of Wisdom,” by Sorin Cerin.

Ester H. Marsh is director of healthy living at the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA.