“Can you get that last pile of branches?”

That question changed my life for the next 72 hours. Kristin asked me to finish our morning long task of weeding, pulling down vines and cutting down limbs from our back yard. The little pile got me when a palmetto branch stuck my into my eyeball. It was pretty painful. After finishing the last bit of work, Kristin took me to the doctor’s office and it was not good. The penetration scratched the eyeball and made it feel like sandpaper every time I opened it. Doc put some antibiotics in the eye and said it heals quickly but I will have to keep the patch on it for a day. It ended up being a two and a half day journey like I haven’t experienced before.

Here are some random thoughts from the journey:

– It is hard to keep one eye open when one is closed.
– I am not sure if I am awake when both eyes are closed.
– I was worn out from trying to keep one eye opened – too much light, to much focusing.
– I had to hold my patched eye closed to see clearly.
– The sound of rain without sight is amazing!
– I can get around my house with my eyes closed really well – the benefit of waking up at 4am almost every day.
– I love listening to my wife talk with my eyes closed.
– I know the dog was giving me funny looks the whole time.
– Weird being driven around without site – scary every time someone brakes.
– What a joy to see my family without blurry vision.

I was blessed to experience temporary blindness. I spent just as much time with my eyes closed as I did with one eye open. I see things in a new way!

Doctor Cromer has been my doctor and great friend for over 16 yrs. We laugh a lot!