Now to understand how this condition can lead to a detached retina we need to talk a little about the structure of the eye. The retina covers the inside of the eye at the back and around the sides. It contains the rods and cones that are the receptors that "see" the light that enters your eye. The inside of the eye is filled with a clear jelly like substance called the vitreous. The vitreous is surrounded by a thin sack called the vitreous cortex. When you are young the vitreous cortex is pressed up against the retina. As you get older the vitreous becomes more liquid and the vitreous cortex starts to sag and pull away from the retina. This occurs in about 50% of the population by 50, 60% by 60 and 70% by 70. If it adheres to the retina it can cause flashes as it pulls away and in some cases the retina can tear. Also, this can release material that floats around in your eye causing floating black lines or dots. People like me with Lattice Degeneration have a greater likelihood of the tearing. When there is a tear, most of the time with out intervention, the tear can result in the retina peeling away from the back and sides of the eye, a detached retina. Untreated this leads to blindness.
The key is to see an Ophthalmologist who can dilate your eye and examine the retina for tears or damage. If I had been seen soon enough, the tear probably could have been treated with a laser in the retinal specialist office.
The Fiesta is sponsored by the Fair Oaks Chamber of Commerce and its nearly 400 members. This is one of the events that helps define Fair Oaks, in the sense of getting everybody together working toward some common goal. I see fun as the goal of the Fiesta and so I would like to commend the Fair Oaks Chamber for bringing some fun to the thousands of participants.
Let me tell you a little about the Fiesta and then we can look at the results of the frog jump, parade and other events that made up the 1995 Fiesta.
The official activities started on Friday evening with the Miss Fair Oaks pageant. This year it was moved from the Amphitheatre into the Clubhouse due to the rain. It was followed by the Honorary Mayor Reception.
Saturday morning things began early as vendors stocked their booths with all sorts of crafts, food and merchandise to sell. The game booths were readied and manned or womanned as the case might be. The last ride, the one that makes people into human gyroscopes, was brought in to Village park and made ready. In Plaza park the Fire Department, the Historical Society, the Fair Oaks Theatre Festival, AT&T and many others set up their booths. While all this was going on people were enjoying the pancake breakfast and others were signing up for the parade. Promptly at 10:00 AM and after the traditional delay, the parade started. There was the Fair Oaks Fire Engine. If you didn't see it, certainly you heard it. Grand Marshall, Farmer Bob, was chauffeured down Fair Oaks Blvd on a tractor. Teacher of the year Mrs. Gail Dunham, a kindergarten teacher at Fair Oaks Elementary School, waved to the crowd as she went by. If the parade wasn't enough competition for you, then there was Racy's Toilet "Bowl" Challenge. Clowns, concerts, dancers, frog jumps and many more activities filled the rest of Saturday.
Sunday started bright and early with the Sun Run/Walk/Kids Run registration at 7:00 am. The Kids run started about the same time as the pancake breakfast. This day found Fair Oaks Blvd lined with vintage automobiles. Plaza Park and Village Park were still going strong with food, crafts, gifts, games, music, entertainment, demonstrations and more frogs jumping. All in all, a very fun packed and successful Fiesta 1995.
The signs went up in late April in front of the used car lot on Fair Oaks Blvd as you enter Fair Oaks Village from the South. The county puts up no parking signs where needed to make clear vehicle code violations or at the request of the property owner. We are researching the specific reasons for these no parking signs and some merchants are working on a petition to have the parking restored. We will bring you the results in the next issue.
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Mail to: The Fair Oaks Voice
8125 Sunset Ave. Box 257
Fair Oaks, CA 95628