So I wake up everyday and look up at the ceiling. That is not unusual when you are lying on your back. I am always on my back at night and my carers turn me onto my side in the morning. I sleep on my back because I am paralysed and I have found it to be the least likely to cause pressure points and doesn't require me to reposition during the night. Being unable to move your body makes the world into a different place. Simple things get complicated. Just going to sleep is a lot of fuss and preparation. Typically half of an hour is needed for the important task of positioning the body and getting the bed covers correct. This is important because a badly aligned body is at risk of pressure points and pain. This lowers sleep quality and increases the risk of skin damage. So I do spend time getting setup for the night because it is so important for my sleep and health.
When I wake up and I look at the ceiling i see the light fittings. Actually I see each light fitting twice and so on with every detail in the room, everything is doubled. The accident which paralysed me also left me with optical nerve damage. So I now have an eye that looks sideways when I look straight ahead. Unfortunately the damage creates a large separation between what the left eye and the right eye see. It is literally like seeing everything twice which isn't like getting double payout but more like double the confusion. For a long time in hospital, when I first started to come round after 3 months I was convinced my room had 2 of everything. 2 doors , 2 cupboards and 2 lamps. Somehow I never noticed the 2 doctors and 2 nurses. It was a confusing time. I didn't know I was seeking double and the people around me didn't know. I suspect that people noticed my right eye staring crazily to the right as if it was looking at something in the background but nobody ever said anything.
To correct double vision is not difficult for minor deviation. When the damage is as bad as mine is the solution doesn't work very well and overall you still get some effect and deterioration of the eyesight. Another adjustment to my world as I have tried to work out the impact of my accident. So double vision is not double value but more like double trouble.
