IMPRINTING

“You’ll Probably Go Blind Someday”

Words that affected me all my life

Photo by author. My eyes.

Fifty years ago or so, an ophthalmologist told me that I had severe astigmatism and then added, “You’ll probably go blind someday.” As you might expect, his words shocked and frightened me.

The fear stuck with me. Every now and then I remember sitting in the chair while that doctor peered into my dilated eyes with a painfully bright light.

“You’ll probably go blind someday.”

I never forgot it. Who would? Damocles sword wasn’t hanging over me, it was pointing straight at my eyes. Those eyes also added to my worries by sometimes giving me spectacular optical migraines, a light show that strongly matches what you’d get from a retinal detachment.

I asked an eye doctor how to tell the difference: he said if it lasts more than a few hours, it’s likely a detachment.

And if it was my retina parting ways with me? Then I’d need to get myself to a hospital as soon as possible! But the hospital likely couldn’t help me, what I’d really need is laser surgery and weeks of uncomfortable recovery. And if I couldn’t get to that in time? The doctor shrugged. “You’d probably go blind.”