San Diego Comic-Con 2016, I was functionally blind—and the realization how much came during Preview Night 10 years ago this evening. My daughter accompanied me to the Convention Center, where she received a complimentary companion full-event pass as the helper for a disabled attendee—a status I never imagined myself as being.
Crippling cataracts clouded my eyesight, and I saw how severely when scanning the show floor and realizing I couldn’t read any of the large numerical signs hanging from the ceiling. Disheartened, I walked into the crowd, blindly pointed iPhone 6s, and shot the Featured Image, which essentially is the only photographic record I have of the event. Vitals: f/2.2, ISO 80, 1/15 sec, 29mm; 6:41 p.m. PDT.
The next day, I was scheduled for surgery in the right eye. Dr. John Bokosky, who unexpectedly passed away in October 2025, performed the operation. He replaced my natural lens with an artificial one that partially restored my vision. Full restoration followed with surgery on the left eye a few weeks later. I will always be grateful to Dr. Bokosky for his decency, professionalism, and surgical skill.
So, Thursday, the first full day of Comic-Con, was surgery. Friday brought me back to Eye Care of San Diego for follow-up visit and an all-clear to spend the weekend at the Con, and did I. I could see! Well, I could see well enough.
In three days, I return to the Con for the first time since 2017, and I expect to capture many more photos to share with you.
The post title plays on words, in that I shot the photo in the dark, so to speak, because of poor eyesight. Additionally, I pay homage to a movie of the same name— second in the Pink Panther series and released in 1964.