Life being what it is – a temporary experience – insightful readers will be familiar with the question that arises when visiting a doctor. ‘Is this it?'
And anyone who has sat in the waiting room for a first visit to the ophthalmologist will know the inner voice which asks, ‘How am I going to face the possibility of going blind?'
Both anxieties, while reasonable, tend to exaggerate the likelihood of catastrophe. When it comes to eyes, the exaggeration is greater. As far as we know, everybody, in the end, gets an interview with St Peter, but very, very few people become blind, at least in the sense that the word is generally understood.
The distinction between properly blind (unable to see) and technically blind is worth making. The difference between them is great, and the scope for unnecessary worry and distress equally great.
Blind means blind. It means you cannot see – the lights have
