West Hollywood Councilmember Lauren Meister says she’s on the mend after a sudden vision scare that cut short Monday night’s City Council meeting.
About an hour into the session, Meister appeared uncomfortable, prompting Mayor Chelsea Byers to call a brief recess. She left the dais and later explained what happened in a candid post to her Facebook page. “After we sat down, I experienced a crazy floater in my left eye. Looked like a giant spider coming up behind me,” she wrote. “At first I thought it was a practical joke — as Halloween is around the corner! However, when I turned around, no one was there and this crazy spider was following my eye as I turned my head.”
Meister said she tried to push through the meeting after Vice Mayor John Heilman suggested it might be a retinal issue, but the symptoms got worse. Her vision blurred and she felt as if something was “jumping around” inside her eye. Concerned it could be a detached retina, she left the meeting and sought medical care.
Her first stops — urgent care and the emergency room — turned into a long night. “No ophthalmologist in sight, literally,” she joked, later advising anyone with eye emergencies to head straight to UCLA.
After just a few hours of sleep, Meister saw her ophthalmologist and was quickly referred to a retina specialist. The diagnosis: a retinal tear, not a full detachment. Doctors treated it with cryotherapy, a freezing procedure that seals the tear. “Note the word ‘cry’ — it’s extremely painful,” she said. “Although they numb you, you feel it. Believe me, don’t try this at home.”
Keeping her humor, Meister compared her swollen eye to Robert De Niro in Raging Bull and quoted Kramer from Seinfeld — “look away, I’m hideous.”
Doctors told her to take it easy for now. “I’ll miss a few City events and Gold’s Gym,” she said, adding “You may not see me around for a few days, and I definitely won’t be seeing you!”
She thanked city staff, her sister Debbie Meister, and close friends who helped her through what she called “a scary and exhausting night.” Thanks for all your love and support,” she wrote. “I’m grateful it wasn’t worse — and that I’m in good hands.”
