live without them: EYEs {Final seQuel}

I haven’t written about my vision in some months so allow me to expand on the condition of my eyes. I still cannot believe it’s been over 10 months since my eyes were improved through the application of the wavefront PRK procedure. I elected this procedure as I wanted the ability of looking through camera viewfinders.

Of course, I had fears..... many fears! At one time in my life, I had the best eyes in my family; then I grew up and due to bad habits around the television and drawing in near pitch-black rooms, my eyesight simply deteriorates till I needed glasses, and began wearing glasses when I was about 15 till last year. All glasses I've ever wore/used were of the photogray type, darkening in sunlight and clearing indoors. I have never used ever clear glasses and can never understand how others can buy just clear glasses for outdoors. Now glassless, I've been in bright sunlight without sunglasses and am blinded by how bright it is out there! WoW!!

if I lost my Vision ~ could I see such delights?

I used all the post-operative medication and followed all instructions to the “T”, me who short-cuts everything. I never follow anything to the letter till now and with my so-important eyes. After all, my vision is probably the most necessary item contributing to my photography, aside from my mind. I’ve know several people who have had the lasik procedure, even in Spain, and when I decided on my surgery, asked them and they just wished me luck and not one advisory or cautious word. I researched the procedure online and talked to others who have had the procedure done, and they didn’t say anything negative about their procedure except for the halo effect afterwards.

Without my eyes, how could I possibly capture this cloudy sunset?

Little by little my eyes has improved and am confident it will improve even more in the weeks to come. I expected this and discovered my poor night vision was so bad that driving at night due was out of the question almost immediately for the first three months after the procedure, but it’s improved now to the point I don’t even think of it. I use little signs and scenes seen everyday to judge my vision healing process, and it’s so improved since those earlier months. One first test each day is a small digital clock located with a black background, about 11 feet from my bed. When I started with my new eyes, I couldn’t see the bright thin digits indicating the time. Each day as I wake, this was and is the first thing when I start my day and eventually the last object I see at the end of the day. During the day I can see it perfectly, but as the light disappeared and dark dominated, I discovered I couldn’t see the numbers against the dark background. In daylight, it’s perfect but come night, I could not distinguish the numbers sharply. Starting at about the fifth post-op month, the numbers started to be slowly clear and become sharper. Today – as it has been for a few weeks now – it’s been so perfect. Sharp in the daylight and remaining sharp throughout the day till night and beyond!

It’s amazing how eyes play such an important role in one’s life. Unless one loses their sight, one cannot take something so simple and taken for granted as is breathing, but it is so important that without it one is more than “blind”, and I shutter to think what if…..

I can now see and read a USA corner street sign from about half a block away. In some cities such as SF where supplemental GREEN street signs are added in addition to the normal signs, I can see these green signs as far as a block away. I can easily read speed limit signs on freeways, highways and streets as far as a block away depending on my vehicle speed. hahahaaa I cannot wait till I return to southern Spain where the tiny antique street signs are located on the corners on the building/home walls. Much smaller than here, that will be a real test!!

Highway informational signs in blue, green and brown I can read as far as three truck lengths away, depending on truck length. Billboards on and off the highways, painted on city downtown buildings or atop roofs, I can see clearly from blocks away depending on size.

My sight is great and I know it will continue to slowly improve and give me even better vision than last week and last month. My biggest fear of this whole event was my possibly losing my eyesight, or even ending up with poorer vision than I originally had with the glasses. Can you imagine me, who lives behind the viewfinder, without sight?

I looove living and seeing without glasses! Now I’ve purchased sunglasses to shade my eyes against that brightness…. Life is very cool without those “other” glasses!!!
How can I possibly enjoy the color, the flash of lights, and the wonder of fireworks if not for my Vision?

Update 29 July 2019: Well,, all things must come to an end. About three years ago while in Spain, I had an situation while on the street where my left eye apparently did not work correctly. I had just crossed a very busy street, turned left on the sidewalk and after a few steps, in my left eye I start THREE of everything! Luckily, I had reached a corner, and there was a street sign, which I walked slowly to and held on for dear life! I closed my eyes and blinked a few times, but the condition remained. Leaning against the post now, I closed my left eye and found my right eye was still good. Closed the right eye and the condition was still there in threes. After a few minutes, both eyes were back to normal again but it did scare the film outa me! Luckily, there was an office off the street where I knew the people. I went there immediately while my vision was "normal". I explained my situation to my office friend and asked to use their bathroom so I could splash water into my eyes, and to check for anything in my eye that may be causing this. A few splashes was nice as it was a hot day in southern Spain, but nothing visible in the eye, but the vision was still good. I thanked my friend and continued home, and since that scary blind event, it has NOT occurred again. A few months later, I found an old pair of glasses and started wearing them again. My "new" fixed eyes weren't as they were before, and I had to wear glasses again. Before I departed Spain, I had actually found an old pair of glasses in my Rota apartment that worked quite well enough, and worn those till I got a new pair while visiting San Francisco in late 2016, and again another new pair of glasses on a new prescription, just a few weeks ago in western New York (WNY). Strangely but with little surprise, I was told my left eye is close to blind while my right eye is still good and correctable. Now with a NEW update pair of glasses I am able to see a lot of wildlife that Sheila would point out to me but I couldn't see, and would miss entirely! It was kind of my sister to get me new eyes, and they did last for several years, but at least I DO have eyes that function, and I can wear glasses to correct my vision.

day three test with the new eyes

Well, things are progressing well. If you see any typos, it may be due to my hunt & peck with two fingers (or it could be toes now), my inability to see very close, or my new eyes not focusing well still, or a combination of all the above.

During day two, I had really red and swollen eyes; so bad were my eyes that I thought: booooy, you look more asian now than you ever did in your life! Now, that's having really really swollen eyes! This would happen everytime I applied the lubricating eye drops, which had me thinking: I must be allergic to these eye drops. But I was assured that was virtually impossible.

Due to the clear protective contact lenses, I can't keep my eyes open, which I was told is a normal reaction. I had scheduled my mandatory first follow-up appointment on Friday, two days after the surgery because I wanted the eyes to heal as much as possible so I could drive myself the one hour, 15 minute trip one way to the San Jose clinic.

Imagine this during day three and day of this follow-up: Driving down the freeway toward San Jose, unable to keep my eye lids open, and following any bright big vehicle in front. This worked for a while until that vehicle took an exit... then I had to find some other target to guide me well. The freeway signs passed overhead but I couldn't read them till they were well-past and too late. So, I used the GPS to warn me and that worked great. I arrived at the clinic ahead of time even and there were a LOT of people in the waiting area.... I jad left the apt wearing dark glasses found inside the apt and glad I used them; the bright sunlight was very annoying! I was comforted in seeing all these people waiting were also wearing dark glasses!

For my vision measurement I flunked that right off; I couldn't see anything with either eye but nobody seemed worried. I explained the problem with the tear drops and they said to continue using them. Then I was seen by the doctor and was informed the cuts were healing well, and that was comforting to hear.

The drive home was the same, fighting the traffic with my eyes half-way open. Then the boredom of being at home and resting my eyes ~ trying to keep them shut as much as possible... I never realized how boring it is to sit in bed and listen to CSI reruns instead of watching, but I had to keep my eyes closed. I also lost six pounds so I'm really content at this unrelated change of "lifestyle". hahahaha

As I type this it's a cloudy gray day in San Francisco and I just returned from a short walk of about half a mile. With dark glasses again, I wanted to see how well my eye lids would be while I tried to see in a normal situation. It's been three days since the surgery and I wanted to exercise those eye lids and see how long they would stay open ~ I didn't want to repeat that nightmare half-blind drive to San Jose again! My eyes were okay... the left eye is cut to be far-sighted and would be the eye I've used for viewing through the viewfinder, and the right eye would be for seeing close. But when I closed the right eye, the left eye couldn't focus on anything... while the right eye saw very well. That said and typed, I just turned around and picked up a camera and though the diopter had to be adjusted, I could see well through the viewfinder with my camera eye: the left eye. Now that is a big relief!!

At this rate, I should be able to drive to San Jose to my next appt on Monday without problems and get my new vision into shape soon. I won't take a chance shooting a sunset as that involves looking toward a very bright object, but next week I'll go out and start shooting as a test.

On the other hand, I purchased a copy of the book of Oregon's Lane County because, even if none of my images are featured, it's still a great area that I enjoyed living in, and want a memory other than my many images. I'm also planning to attend the pre-publishing party they are scheduling at a well-known bookstore in November in Eugene... I'd love to meet the other people who contributed ~ there are a lot of gorgeous images displayed at the site and which we all hope will be included in the book!

Months ago I described the opening night of a fitness center where a few of my San Francisco images are framed and displayed there; I just got an email from the owner stating one might be sold soon and to start thinking of bringing by a subsitute. Selling any of my images is good news for me!

One of the greatest things I love about the internet is not only the means of realtime communications between people and the ability to be inside the world's largest library, but for me to listen in realtime the soccer games of the Spanish league, which I am doing now. I don't need eyes to listen to this and it's great to keep in touch with my spanish side... the game is just starting in a few more minutes so.... I and my new eyes bid you adios for now!

UPDATE 2pm: WoW!! I'm looking out the window at some guy illegally parked in my driveway, and I can see he has papers in his hands, and while I cannot read the text in his papers held in his hands, I can SEE the lines of text on those papers from three stories up, and my vision is still blurry!

Is it real or virtual (Eyes)

Well, it's done. I was there at 12,45pm in San Jose to get my eyes done. It consisted of more waiting than the actual operation required. My brother drove me to the center, killed time and came back to pick me up at 2pm. Starting out, I had to watch a DVD explaining the whole procedure, plus definitions of the various type of surgery of the eye. It also explained the risks of having such types of corrective vision procedures and how it might not work, and even in the most rarest cases, destroy your existing vision. I decided to go ahead and do it.

After some waiting, I was finally explained some procedures, and started waiting in a separate waiting room which quickly filled up. The came my turn.... I was first asked to take a small Valium pill and allow it to dissolve in my mouth under the tongue. I never realized how difficult it is to put anything, let alone a small pill, under the tongue! Then came some preparatory eye drops to numb the eye and others. After a few more minutes, I was escorted to a large FREEZING dark room where the procedure would be conducted. More eye drops then lie down. One eye covered while the right eye was prepped: marking of certain points of the eyes then laying down and being subject to a red and green light into the eyes. I guess that was the method in which my eye was to be reshaped, then the eye was rubbed then a slight sensation of scrapping. Not a bit of pain was felt throughout this whole procedure! Once that was completed, as the red light shined into the eye, I could smell the slight odor of burning flesh.... it didn't bother me; I have smelled worst in my life. Another slight movement on the eye surface and that was it. The application of a clear contact lens to protect the surgery then the same procedure was done on the other eye, with the doctor holding my head tightly.

I think the whole procedure took less than five minutes!

I walked out without assistance though was told many were a bit floozy after the procedure. I collected my things then went to meet with my brother who was kind enough to act as my taxi this day.

Enroute SF, bright scenes began to annoy my eyes, though shaded areas gave me relief. I just closed my eyes and kept blinking... Still a few hours later there is NO pain and I can see, though the general sensation is bothersome but not painful, and my vision is like I am wearing glasses that are very oily and smeared. I was surprised right off that I could make out words and freeway signs at several feet away that I wouldn't be able to see in other circumstances, and without glasses.

He had to pick up a computer at a MAC store, and after we arrived, I actually got on a few terminals and left my site of imagery on the screens. I had no problem then seeing the keyboards, the screen or anything. The only thing that bothered me was bright sunlight or points of reflecting light.

My first follow-up is on Friday, then the following Monday and I expect to be driving down to San Jose myself.

I'm happy with the results!!!!

DISCLAIMER: ANY TYPOS ARE DUE TO MY "POOR" VISION ONLY THREE AND A HALF HOUR AFTER THE SURGERY!

Note: I just looked through the viewfinder of my camera and can see adequately well!!! :-)

well, perhaps TWO firsts?

A friend in Eugene, Oregon emailed me about a site where images are being requested for possible inclusion in a nice photography book for the area where I lived for almost a year: Lane County.

I have a lot of images from that area so for the past day have been looking for images from that area; I'd love to have a few of my images in such a nice book about an area of the world that I have really grown to love and miss.

I've already sent out some SPAM emails to Eugene friends to vote for my images. Of course it's a system that requires members of the website to vote for those pictures they like best. The best and most-voted images gets into the book. Probably by next week I'll have all of the images that I want to be considered and voted on, uploaded by that time.

So if you're interested in helping to getting this photographer's stuff into a book, please go by the site and register. Once registered, just drop by my profile and click on the pictures displayed at the very bottom. You can click on each or any of the pictures shown and that opens up to its separate page. On that page, you can comment if you feel like it, then looking to the right margin, you can "love" the image, or (above right) you can "DIG IT"(green) or you can "NIX IT" (red).

Aside from my images, there are some incredible images there, including some of the Northern Lights with great detailed descriptions, and some great stargazing pictures!

On the other hand, I am now preparing to go under the "knife". Next Wednesday, I'll be driving to San Jose to get my eyes operated on, and hopefully I'll be able to begin seeing through the viewfinder of my camera without glasses.

Yes, I say "hopefully" because no matter how many people you might have heard of, or know those who have undergone this type of surgery... each case is unique and what happens is also unique to them. It's like ordering a cake. I might see the cake at a party, I will order them from a album of generic designs, but MY cake is unique and no matter how much people say and how many pictures I'll see, my handmade cake is mine alone, and it's uniquely mine!!

The prospect of seeing without glasses - due to my age I'll still have to use reading glasses for very close distances - will be an interesting experience. I've worn glasses since I was 15 or so, and can't remember too many days where I walked around without glasses and still see clearly.

like my newest bumper sticker?