"Amazing Grace... I was once blind, now i can see" (with one eye)

For the past few years, I can’t even recall how many, my vision has been dismally poor. It turns out that I had cataract. How could anyone have guessed? Even the doctors were surprised. They had been accustomed to having patients over the age of 70; I’m not even a third of that age. It was like I was seeing through a cloud or an extremely dirty window. Much of the richness of life’s visual beauty was hidden from me. But even worst, things such as the subtle smile on a person’s face when they enjoy your company, or subtle signs of sadness shown by someone when they feel hurt almost totally went unnoticed by me. It’s sad to think that I may have inadvertently been callous with people around me because I ignored the cues of their discontentment and sorrow. Turns out that facial impressions and the noticing of their cues are crucial to building deeper relationships with people, especially with those who are less vocally expressive than they are with their body language. And then there was the challenge of being able to read and study. Graduate school is challenging enough as it is, notwithstanding the inability to read without enormous strain. Some may ask “Well why didn’t you do anything about it earlier?” Well first of all, a gradual loss of vision can be so subtle that one does not even notice it is happening to them. All of a sudden one just realizes that their life has become extremely difficult and that things they know should be enjoyable or at least easy to do become chores. The psychological repercussions of the ignorance of the extent of a handicap can also take a toll on one’s self-confidence and esteem. A few of my classmates and some professors believed that I was just making excuses and being lazy, but I was resolved not to let it affect me. Additionally, surgery is expensive and scary. I had to get to the point where I felt like I had nothing to lose, in order to go ahead and take the surgery regardless of its potential financial consequence and what I viewed to be its potential risks. My grades were horrible. With the help of what could only be god, as well as some sympathetic professors, I had lifted myself out of academic probation but I could foresee that I would never be able to finish my thesis with my condition. So I went ahead and planned the surgery for my worst eye; the left one. The good news, however, is that I underwent the surgery and not only everything turned out fine but I immediately saw a huge difference as soon as the patch was removed the next day. The nurse’s blouse was so bright and colorful. I was entertained for that whole entire day and the next, re-appreciating everything around me. I must have seemed like a tourist to the other auburn students on campus, the way I was looking around at all the things I hadn’t noticed on campus. Sometimes just for fun, I’ll alternate blinking my left eye then my right just to remember and laugh about how blind I was. Now I can’t wait to get the next eye done in about a month. If anyone has a grandma or grandpa (ha ha…) that has cataract, encourage them to get the surgery done, its relatively painless, it’s as dangerous as crossing the street when the walking sign is on, and will change their life. The only side-effect is that your near sightedness is affected to the advantage of your farsightedness, but that is nothing a good pair of glasses can’t fix ;)