The World: Now In 3-D!

Since I got a cataract in my left eye some time ago, my eyes have not tracked together properly.

In fact, my left eye turned outward, which you can see in some of my YouTube videos, though I’ve been filming them at an angle which somewhat masks the problem.

Before my second eye surgery, the surgeon informed me that because of this I was likely to have double-vision, which would take further corrective measures, either corrective lenses or even surgery on the muscles around the eye.

 

The Problem

The problem, he explained more recently, is that because the eyes weren’t tracking together, once the vision improved in my left eye, I was likely to have two crystal-clear images and my brain wouldn’t know what to do with them.

He also indicated that I was unlikely to ever have stereoscopic (3-D) vision again, even with surgery.

I had been looking forward to seeing in 3-D again, but it apparently was not to be.

I was still very grateful to have my vision substantially back, though it was disappointing to think that I’d never see one of the new 3-D movies with actual 3-D.

 

The Prediction Begins to Be Fulfilled

As I mentioned yesterday, my vision in the left eye has been improving markedly in the last few days. It’s still a little blurry, but through the left eye by itself I can almost read the words I’m typing, so there is dramatic improvement.

As the vision improved, I began to notice more and more “stuff” distracting me through the left eye, because it wasn’t matching up with what I was seeing–clearly–through the right eye.

It looked like everything was shifted to the right and tilted at an odd angle (1 o’clock being vertical instead of 12 o’clock), and skewed!

And I began to see a second, superimposed fuzzy image on top of the good image.

The prediction was being fulfilled. I was getting double vision.

To give you an idea of what it was like, I’ve done a photoshop of an Indian blanket that I bought when I moved out to California and stopped for the night in New Mexico. It currently hangs on the wall of my bedroom. (As you might imagine, I have a Texas/Southwestern theme going in my house.)

 

Fight The Future!

I decided to do what I could, though, to head off the problem.

Part of the problem would be getting my eyes to line up again properly, and since the left eye was turned out, that would mean something kind of like crossing my eyes.

Even before the second surgery, I was practicing crossing my eyes, though I couldn’t tell how successful I was since I didn’t have hardly any vision in the left one.

As my vision began to improve, I intensified the efforts. I would practice “crossing” my eyes in different circumstances–looking at the blanket on my wall, when I happened to be in front of a mirror, looking at a computer screen, etc.

 

“Drag and Hold”

What I would try to do was a “drag and hold” method whereby, through “crossing” my eyes, I would drag the bad, blurry image on top of the good image and hold it there, and think about the fact that it’s the same object I’m seeing through the two images.

Early this morning I did it in front of a mirror and got a really scary vision of two intense-looking eyes staring at me from the middle of a blurry face.

It was like something from a Bela Lugosi movie!

(Except, you know, that I’m not a vampire. I was, after all, seeing myself in a mirror.)

A bit later I was looking at the blanket on my wall, using the same technique, and my brain suddenly said, “Okay! This is the same object!”

The patterns on the blanket lined up and locked in so that I was seeing a single object, not two superimposed images.

And so the first thing I saw this way was the blanket:

I held the image that way for a few moments, then tried shifting my gaze to nearby objects, and I was able to keep the proper “lock” on them.

I held my hand up and looked at it, and realized I was seeing it in 3-D!

It was like looking through a View-Master, only without the View-Master!

 

The World in 3-D

I discovered that, although I’m not used to using my eye muscles this way yet, I can hold the “lock” for sustained periods of time.

It feels a little weird–a little like I’m crossing my eyes–but it works.

I may have some muscle strain and/or headaches as I get used to it, but based on my current experience I am very optimistic that this will become the new/old norm–without corrective lenses or surgery on the muscles around my eye!

And I no longer have my left eye turned out all the time! When I look in a mirror, I see myself looking straight back.

As a result, I am totally jazzed.

The first excursion I made was to a local church to go before the Blessed Sacrament and offer prayers of thanksgiving–including for God to bless all those who have been praying for my vision.

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks again, and ask your continued prayers as my vision now, hopefully, returns to true normal, including the stereoscopic vision they said I’d likely never have again. I will continue to keep you in my prayers as well!

I also plan to celebrate. I’m going to give myself a few days to get further used to holding my eyes this way. Then I’m going to go see Finding Nemo in 3-D.

Thanks again, everyone, and God bless you!