Coming Into Focus.

Photo taken at 3 months old.

I was born totally blind from the birth defect called Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS for short). I have written the previous blog entry regarding the subject, which is labeled “My Eyes And My Ears”. There was only the concept that I cannot comprehend till I was given sight as a gift when I was 8 months old. I could see colors and shapes then with the help of very thick glasses. I wore those things and I have broken those thick lenses of the glasses frames. They didn’t last very long with me and my mother has used the bands to fasten those frames on my head to keep me from removing them and breaking them.

I grow up in the legally blind world of blurs and colors and large shapes. I could not read any prints for a long period of time. They say that my vision was over 20/600 at the time when I was undergoing about the third eye surgery to restore sight in my right eye where the previous eye surgery was botched. To restore my sight, the cataracts were removed and my lens were repaired. So I was able to see most things then at four years of age. I was taken to many houses with the Christmas decorations each year so I could learn colors and shapes.

Tracy at 5 years.

I continued to grow and my vision has slowly improved. I could see most large print materials. I was 12 years old when I had another eye surgery. This time to shorten the back eye muscles to strengthen my focus. So I would no longer have that “Cookie-monster” look, hence the sort of the lazy-eye syndrome.

Then, I was 18 years old when my vision greatly improved from the 20/400 that I had. I have a news article written about my eye surgery in 1984.

Then, my life went into focus as my vision improved till I lost sight in my left eye in 2000. I was able to see for a next 9 years till my vision in my right eye has deteriorated in 2009. Both of those vision problems stemmed from the juvenile glaucoma that I was born with. It has become unstable when I had the corneal transplant in 1983. It is the struggle to keep the glaucoma under control with eye drops and several eye surgeries. So far, the further loss of the vision is abated for now.

I pray that it would return and I would lift up God’s Name YHVH because He is worthy to be glorified. He is to be glorified in all things. Praise His Name! Now you see? I can see with my right eye and I am thankful for the vision that I now have. I won’t even take this for granted. Nothing is to be taken for grant anymore. That is why I am thankful every day.