{"id":6568,"date":"2017-03-25T13:21:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-25T12:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/bibliotheek\/there-were-all-sorts-of-things-floating-around-in-my-eye\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T17:14:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T15:14:36","slug":"there-were-all-sorts-of-things-floating-around-in-my-eye","status":"publish","type":"library_pt","link":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/library\/personal-stories\/there-were-all-sorts-of-things-floating-around-in-my-eye\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;There were all sorts of things floating around in my eye&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2017-03-25T13:21:00+01:00\">25 March 2017<\/time><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He gave me different eye drops and an ointment. That should clear up the irritation. I was supposed to come back to see him every six months. \u201cIt looks good,\u201d the ophthalmologist would always say, to which I invariably replied, \u201cBut I can\u2019t see anything with it.\u201d So at some point, I just stopped seeing this doctor.    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Painful<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Until, in 1958, I finally made another appointment. It was mid-November, and I was able to see a doctor right away. My eye was painful. The ophthalmologist examined my eye with a slit lamp. He immediately arranged for a bed for me in the pediatric ward. There, I had to lie flat right away, without a pillow, and both my eyes were patched. It turned out that all sorts of things had become dislodged inside my eye. By lying flat with both eyes closed, they hoped that everything would settle back into place. In January 1959, I underwent surgery. Afterward, I was told that I would lose all vision in that eye, but that they had managed to save the eye itself. I didn\u2019t need a glass eye\u2014hurray! The fact that I could only see with one eye didn\u2019t really matter. After completing my studies in cultural work at the Social Academy, I began my career as a policy officer in Utrecht. While working there, I took evening classes in psychology at Utrecht University. After a few years, I became director of a consulting firm specializing in construction for the nonprofit sector in Amsterdam, then director of a social services agency in Geleen, and later in Den Bosch. In 2007, I was able to take early retirement because a number of mergers had created a surplus of managers. So losing sight in one eye has never held me back. Although\u2026                <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I had to take the practical driving test four times before I got my driver\u2019s license. I didn\u2019t have to take up ball sports. But judo is a sport where depth perception isn\u2019t that important. So that became my sport. I started training in Geleen and earned my black belt in judo and jiu-jitsu there. Later, I became president of the judo club. Around the age of sixty, I stopped actively practicing judo due to breathing problems (I\u2019d smoked too much for too long).      <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hobbies<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve had\u2014and still have\u2014various hobbies: I used to own an antique Volvo and volunteered at the Volvo Classic Association\u2019s parts shop, and I went fly fishing. When it got too cold to fish, I\u2019d make my own artificial flies. \u201cFlies\u201d can mean all sorts of things\u2014worms, larvae, small fish, actual flies, or even mice. Eventually, I gave up this hobby because my eyesight was getting worse and worse. Every time I had to tie a new fly to the line, I found myself needing help from another angler more and more often.      <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">New Activities<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since I\u2019ve always been interested in history, I began to delve into the history of the fortified town of Heusden. I\u2019ve lived here with my wife since 2000, and for the past eight years or so, I\u2019ve been one of the city guides for the Heusden Tourism Bureau. In addition, I serve on the boards of several foundations in Heusden that focus on art and culture in the broadest sense. I also go for a lot of walks with my two dogs: an 11-year-old Heidewachtel and a 2-year-old Spanish mixed-breed dog. We walk for a total of 1.5 to 2 hours each day.    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eye problems, after all<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While I was working in Geleen, my vision in my (good) left eye began to deteriorate. It turned out I had cataracts. Fortunately, I didn\u2019t have to wait long, and my ophthalmologist referred me to the Rotterdam Eye Hospital. There, I received a new lens, and the fog cleared instantly! Still, my troubles weren\u2019t over yet. On my way to the Volvo club, my vision suddenly became very blurry. A colleague drove me home, because I couldn\u2019t drive anymore. The retina in my left eye (yes, the good eye) had completely detached. Well, that means you can\u2019t see a thing. Back to the Rotterdam Eye Hospital, where they reattached the retina by injecting gas into my eye and securing the retina with silicone glue. The expectation was that I\u2019d regain 60 to 70% of my vision. Then, after a few weeks, once the gas had cleared from my eye, it turned out I could see 90%!           <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now that I could finally see well again in my left eye\u2014with the assurance that I would no longer develop cataracts (a synthetic lens does not cloud over) or suffer a retinal detachment (it is firmly glued in place)\u2014my (blind) right eye started acting up. It was getting paler and smaller and was often inflamed. After consulting with the ophthalmologist in Den Bosch, I decided\u2014six years ago now\u2014to get a <a href=\"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/eye-prosthesis-or-orbital-prosthesis\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"762\">prosthesis<\/a>. That\u2019s when my right eye was removed. It was pretty nerve-wracking, because I thought, \u201cSurely they know the difference between left and right?\u201d For the first few weeks, the eye socket remained swollen and teary. I went to Rotterdam for a second opinion, where they advised fitting a temporary eye socket. The <a href=\"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/ocularists\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"843\">Hague Artificial Eye Laboratory<\/a> then made my first prosthesis. I looked a lot better right away.        <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Almost perfect<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m now on my third prosthesis. This one is practically perfect. People can\u2019t tell that my right eye is \u201cfake.\u201d When I tell them, they always have to look closely to figure out which eye it actually is. All in all, I\u2019m very happy with my prosthesis. I look better, I no longer have any infections, and I have no trouble at all cleaning it regularly.     <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Strategy<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ve been seeing with only one eye for 60 years now. I don\u2019t remember what it\u2019s like to see with two eyes. You compensate for the lack of the second eye using all kinds of strategies. Can I perceive depth? Yes, depth also consists of closer and farther, front and back. But it does help when objects move in relation to each other\u2014or when I move myself. Still, pouring a drink works best when you place the neck of the bottle on the rim of the glass.       <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With just one eye, only about half as much light enters. So I don\u2019t see as well in the dark. But after I had surgery for my cataract, I experienced firsthand that your brain compensates a great deal. You\u2019re only consciously aware of a fraction of the images projected onto your brain via your retina. If you could see everything, you\u2019d go crazy. That\u2019s exactly what happened during the first few days after the surgery. I saw way too much\u2014not a lawn but individual blades of grass, not a sidewalk but individual pavers. And everyone had wrinkles, pimples, and imperfections.       <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That does make life with only one eye more tiring. So I always make sure to rest. Whenever I get the chance, I take a nap in between. I don\u2019t need to sleep, but I do keep my eyes closed. I had to attend a lot of meetings during my working life, and I quickly learned to sit in the right spot so I could see as many participants as possible. At a rectangular table, I sit at the head. And if someone else is already sitting there? Then I ask if I can sit there and explain why.       <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Driving isn&#8217;t a problem in principle, as long as you&#8217;re aware of your limitations. Especially in the dark, judging distances is a bit more difficult, so don\u2019t cross the intersection until you\u2019re sure it\u2019s safe (and don\u2019t let others convince you that it\u2019s okay\u2014just wait calmly until you\u2019re certain yourself). Merging to the right? Only if I\u2019m certain it\u2019s safe to do so (for people who are blind in their left eye, passing other vehicles is more difficult).   <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Not disabled<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve never felt disabled. There are limitations, but I wouldn&#8217;t have been a match for Epke Zonderland anyway. I&#8217;m too stiff for that.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I regularly read stories from people who have very recently lost an eye. To me, that seems like a traumatic experience, especially later in life. \u201cNow I\u2019m getting an artificial eye.\u201d \u201cWhat\u2019s going to happen now?\u201d \u201cWhat can\u2019t I do anymore?\u201d I often try to be reassuring in my responses.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019ve lost an eye due to illness or an accident, there\u2019s nothing you can do about it. You\u2019ll just have to learn to live with it. But there are worse things. At least you can still see! You can walk, you can ride a bike, you can read, watch TV, and read the newspaper. And you can learn to work around the challenges by developing strategies. \u201cSorry, I didn\u2019t see you. I\u2019m blind in that eye.\u201d When you bump into someone again.       <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And with your modern artificial eye, no one can tell. Yes, you can see it, but you know that\u2014just like everyone around you. But if you don\u2019t say anything, no one else knows or sees it! Jules Deelder wrote a poem for his daughter Ari.   <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Poem by Jules Deelder<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Dear Ari<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Don&#8217;t be afraid<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The world is round<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>and that&#8217;s been the case for a long time<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The people are good<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>People are bad<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>But they&#8217;re all going<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>the same way<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The longer you live<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The shorter it takes<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>You come out of the water<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>and goes through fire<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>That&#8217;s why, dear Ari<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Don&#8217;t be afraid<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The world keeps turning<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>and it&#8217;ll keep doing that for a long time.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let\u2019s start at the beginning. In the very hot summer of 1947, I was born in Heerlen as the fourth child in a family that would eventually consist of seven children. In the summer of 1955, we were playing soccer in the street with a few neighborhood boys. While making a simple pass, the ball hit me in my right eye. Ouch! After using eye drops prescribed by the family doctor for about ten days, he decided it would be better to refer me to an ophthalmologist.       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5013,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_daextauttol_enable_tooltips":""},"library_cat":[113],"class_list":["post-6568","library_pt","type-library_pt","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","library_cat-personal-stories"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/library_pt\/6568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/library_pt"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/library_pt"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"library_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/library_cat?post=6568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}