I think that I could definitely live without my hearing, but I think I would freak out if I lost my sight. I just don't know if I could handle that. Anderson Cooper was filming a report for 60 Minutes in Portugal and had sunlight reflecting in his eyes off of water for most of the day. He sunburned his retinas. The same kind of thing can happen when sun bounces off snow and burns your retinas. Anderson says he woke up in the middle of the night and his eyes were on fire. Guess he will wear sunglasses in the future. The problem is that when you are filming, you can't wear them so then it is a matter of putting them on and taking them off between takes.
Thanks for the tip Enty.
ReplyDeleteI don't wanna go any deafer, either!! ;(
ReplyDeleteTake care of yourself, Andy! Gotta keep those beautiful eyes!
I love that guy. that must have been really scary and painful.
ReplyDeletehe is a fantastic journalist and seemingly intrepid. I'm glad they cancelled his talk show because it was beneath his talent level and he should be doing serious stuff.
he could be a waste just like alot of the children of wealth, but, he is just awesome. hope he recovers soon.
His retinas or his corneas? Hopefully his corneas, as they heal quickly.
ReplyDeletePoor Anderson. That looks really horrible. I guess I shouldn't be jealous that he was in Portugal at the beach. Eye stuff is so painful! He'll be wearing those grandma wrap around shades for a long time. What is worse - the actual pain or the pain of wearing those dorky glasses?
ReplyDeleteLOL @FSP! That's Enty. Always the public servant.
"Halfway through filming both Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt were temporarily blinded by bright electronic lamps used to get the exposure down to make the sky behind the two actors look dark and stormy.
ReplyDeletePaxton remembers that "these things literally sunburned our eyeballs. I got back to my room, I couldn't see". To solve the problem, a Plexiglas filter was placed in front of the beams. The actors took eye drops and wore special glasses for a few days to recuperate."
I can't imagine how scary that would be....
As much as this sounds like I'm one-upping, I have to share that decreased or compromised vision can be a sign of diabetic onset as well (obviously not for AC or others mentioned here with another, obvious cause). Just a little public service announcement. The More You Know and all that. My brother had fairly sudden type I onset at 30, and he lost most of his vision for a time. Crazy scary stuff!
ReplyDeleteJesus, the poor man. Eye injuries are so intensely painful. Hope he is feeling better soon.
ReplyDeletePoor anderson!! Heal fast and well, silver man.
ReplyDeleteI have a progressive eye disease called pars plenitis, I can never restore my vision, only keep what I have so I see a retina specialist every 3 months. I would rather lose any other sense than vision, it is very scary.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather be blind than deaf though. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't hear music.
ReplyDeleteMaja, I hear you on that. I'm now 75% deaf and losing more and more hearing all the time. I'm very choosy about the music I listen to, as I want to listen for a good long while. I also have lousy vision and just found out I have forming cataracts. But, I'd rather go blind than not hear.
ReplyDeleteReeses and kpist - Thanks for sharing your stories. Most people take their vision and hearing for granted, myself included. Thanks for the reminder to take care of these precious gifts.
ReplyDeleteHugs to you both!
I'd rather be blind than deaf. Losing your eyesight sharpens your other sensory organs. When you're deaf non of that happens. Well, maybe the sense of touch. And I could just imagine the feeling of isolation even if you're in a large crowd because you can't hear a thing. I wonder how the deaf feels every time they close their eyes. That's like being buried underground. And if they scream because they are terrified they can't even hear their own voice.
ReplyDeleteHe talked about this on his show yesterday--did a call with an eye dr who scolded him for not wearing sunglasses.
ReplyDeleteI have always been so afraid of losing my vision--it is definitely getting worse as I get older. I rarely drive at night because I don't see as well anymore. I think I could tolerate loss of hearing easier because most things I love to do--reading and sewing--depend on my eyes.
Poor Anderson. If it looks that painful, I can only imagine how it feels.
ReplyDeletenothing can keep the silver fox down for long!
ReplyDelete@Reesespieces - I developed cataracts when I was around 52. I was terrified, as I had always had VERY poor vision (20/1200 and 20/1400). But now they implant artificial lenses that bring your eyes back to 20/20! It's a freaking miracle!!! Now they even have lenses that can work with people with presbyopia (old age vision) so you don't need reading glasses (this was after I got my artificial lenses). Don't let cataracts upset you - the lenses in my eyes now are a gift from God and I thank Him every day for the person that invented these lenses.
ReplyDeleteThe surgery was kind of creepy though, but well worth it.
SusanB..thanks for the reassurance re: cataracts. I was freaking for about a week as I recalled my G'ma after she had surgery way back in '70. I'm not ready for the *getting old* shit. lolol I'm gonna be 50 on the 12th and up until yesterday, I was okay with it.
ReplyDeleteSusanB: are you human to the royal kitty in your pic? Such a beauty!
ReplyDelete@ReesesPeace - yes, she owns Mr. B and me. Her name is Esther and she's a lilac Siamese we inherited.
ReplyDeleteThe surgery creeped me out because I have a "thing" about eyeball stuff. Just reading the literature made me throw up. So I just went into it without a lot of research. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to wake up in the middle of the night and look at a clock and actually be able to read it without fumbling for my glasses. Or not having to fumble with my contacts every day. There's very little pain with the surgery, only some mild bruising, for a few days you can't lift anything over 5 pounds and after that you're home free! Don't hesitate to get the surgery - if you have poor vision now, you'll love it!
kpist, my mom has retina pigmentosa, a rare degenerative eye disease (it's genetic, but so far, no one else in our fam has developed it). She has been legally blind since she was 34 years old; she's 53 now, and very active with Lighthouse for the Blind. She has gained SO much independence through volunteering and attending classes there. The woman is an internet whiz. She now teaches iPod/iPad classes. She also qualified for some computer equipment through the State of Florida (computer program called JAWS that reads everything to her; giant magnifier so she can still see her recipes; stuff for books on tape, etc.)
ReplyDeleteI would highly encourage anyone with an impairity to check out what their local city/county/state offers. My mom was never much of a hermit before; always active, but since she's been working with Lighthouse, she is literally an unstoppable superwoman who is LOOKING for ways to challenge herself and make the world more handicap accessible.
Apologies for the long post. I'm very passionate about this stuff. :)
I'm another with cataracts at a fairly young age. The eye professionals make it sound like I won the lottery, I'm not impressed while waiting to get my eyes carved open in the next year or so.
ReplyDeleteLike really blind, or he'll be fine in a couple weeks?
ReplyDelete@cornbread your mom is just incredible! Talk about making lemonade out of lemons and then some! I'm the same age as your mom and could not imagine losing my eyesight @34. (though I guess she had warning). You're lucky to have such a courageous, dynamo for a mom. Thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteI have had this happen, skiing without goggles....burned both eyes....SO PAINFUL!!
ReplyDeleteFull recovery though!!
People who weld without eye protection suffer the same effect.
ReplyDeleteWelders also get this a lot (that's why they wear those darkening helmets but it can still happen). If you ever "sunburn" your eyes take a raw potato, cut it and lay it over your closed eyes. Do this over and over. It really helps. The doctors have even said to do it.
ReplyDeleteOh and I think I would rather be blind too. I'm already completely deaf in my right ear (spinal menengitis at 10 months old). I like music way too much.
I can't imagine never hearing my kids laugh.
ReplyDeleteI also can't imagine being blind. Too many people would take advantage of you.
Don't think I would be able to pick between the 2.
My husband developed hearing damage a few years ago. Not fun when you have a newborn.
tracynator, thank you! Yes, she started losing her vision at 17. She was a single mom, and worked hard to take care of us. I am inspired daily. :)
ReplyDeleteCornbread - your mom is amazing! Thanks for sharing! I love inspirational stories.
ReplyDeleteCongrats again on your little cornbread!