Ten years ago, I struggled to see normally. Cataracts clouded my eyes’ natural lenses, and macular edema leaked fluid into both retinas. In July and August 2016, John Bokosky (Eye Care of San Diego) performed the surgery that gave me artificial lenses and partially renewed vision. Fane Robinson (San Diego Retina Associates) treated my retinas to health over a period of six years. Dramatically changing my diet—for starters, reducing carbs and mostly eliminating added sugar—played an important role, too.
Dr. Robinson retired on Aug. 30, 2024. Dr. Bokosky passed away, suddenly, on Oct. 22, 2025. My last appointment with him, for an annual checkup, was two weeks earlier. His death stunned me, and I am not alone. He was highly respected and amazingly competent. The doctor that other doctors see for treatment is a professional’s professional. I saw several of them coming in for appointments during that final visit.
The last treatment for my left retina was February 2020. The right, 12 months later. Thank you, Dr. Robinson. On this fine Spring Wednesday, Bradley Jacobsen examined my eyes for the first time in five months. Vision tested 20-20 in both eyes, and both retinas are normal (no lasting signs of macular edema). I will see Dr. Jacobsen again in about six months. It’s all routine that I can hope stays that way.
I am grateful to these ophthalmologists who not only restored my eyesight but largely improved it. Well, with one caveat: My memory retention changed following the cataract surgery. I didn’t have a photographic memory per se but something along the spectrum, nevertheless. That quality disappeared with my natural lenses, and the effect on what and how I remember anything and everything was immediate. A decade later, the attribute hasn’t returned, and I expect to never recover the visual memory acuity that made learning easy and writing even easier.
Call me blind in a different way that disappoints, but the benefits are greater: I can see. Ten years ago, March 2016, I mentally prepared for functional blindness. I can’t complain about the outcome.
The Featured Image comes from Nikon Zf and NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens. I saw the broken glasses on March 22, 2025. Vitals: f/13, ISO 200, 1/500 sec, 115mm; 9:46 a.m. PDT. Composed as captured.