Sunday, June 26, 2005

Blinded

Yesterday as I got off the train at Waltham, I noticed a blind man who was in serious need of help. The train platform is very narrow and on one side has a metal railing and the other, the tracks. I offered my help which he gratefully accepted. He needed to cross the street to get to the bus stop.

We talked about where we were both going, what we do for school and work, the usual stranger conversation. He's 20 years old, a mathematics student at Boston Univ. and was on his way to teach a computer class--all that, while not seeing, now that's impressive!

I asked him if he was totally blind or sight impaired and sadly it's the former and then he told me how he became blind, which is tragic: as a 3-year-old in Vietnam, a doctor put the wrong eye drops in his eyes and he went instantly blind. I'm no doctor, but doesn't it seem a bit strange that a (presumably) approved eye medication could be so damaging?

In any case, it was nice to be able to help someone out. Although I'm glad I no longer teach, I do miss feeling like I'm making some sort of positive contribution, so this was a nice opportunity.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

what is the connection to lasik in vietnam?

Anonymous said...
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