Ram Runner

Blind Learning

Three weeks ago, my dog, Van, went blind. The surgery to remove his eyes happened only a few days after his first birthday.

He awoke on a Thursday morning with his left eye swollen shut. When it did open, the pupil was an eerie shade of bluish white. Since he had a nasty run-in with a pricker bush the day before, the vet suspected a minor corneal ulcer (read: scratch on the eye), and prescribed minor antibiotics. I was traveling for business that week, and so Van was staying with my parents. The next Friday, my mother awoke early in the morning to the sound of Van walking into the walls of her bedroom. His other eye had gone bluish white as well, and this time the Veterinary Optometrist diagnosed it as double Primary Glaucoma. Van’s optic nerves were crushed by the pressure in his eyes, his sight had gone completely in both eyes, and the doctor recommended surgery immediately to remove the eyes and to stop the pain.

The past three weeks then, haven’t been particularly pleasant. When you toss two midterms, three 55+ hour work weeks, a $400 breakdown on my car that’s already broken down twice in 2012, and getting broken up with on top of a newly blind puppy and an expensive surgery, you might think the past three weeks have been downright miserable.

2 months ago -

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