I often wonder how I would behave were I in my patients shoes. In Spanish, the saying is the same: “caminar en los zapatos de otro.”
How would you react if you were suddenly blind? Suddenly couldn’t walk? Suddenly were completely dependent on others for the continuation of your existence?
Today, we were in the optho clinic.
One case that’s been on my mind is a young kid that went blind from an infection called “Toxocara canis.” A farmer, never harmed a soul, completely didn’t deserve such a fate. This was the back of his right eye:
The worlds’ most common causes of preventable blindness in children are infections: Trachoma, Toxocara, Measles.
I often wonder what I would least be able to handle: to be born blind or to become blind?
The former constitutes a never-knowing; the latter, an abrupt event requiring adaptation and perpetual emotional courage to cope with the psychological aftermath.
For me the answer is simple: I would rather be born blind. To see the beauty of the world, the perfect asymmetry of the natural environment, gaze deeply into the eyes of another, and suddenly have that privilege permanently removed. I cannot imagine. But I am continually inspired by the ability of the human race to re-invent themselves and move forward despite great loss.
With deep respect for vision, and for those who have learned to love life without it.
Your doctor A squared