Dee, Maryland

“I found my sight at Wills Eye.”

“I was diagnosed with high myopia in the first grade. As a child back in the Fifties, I recall going to Wills Eye Hospital periodically to track the deterioration. Funny, after all these years, it was at Wills Eye that I regained my sight.”

Dee is a retired elementary school teacher. “I didn’t go to movies or plays because I couldn’t see the screen or stage. I don’t even own a camera. I’m not sure I was legally blind, but I was close to it. I couldn’t see road signs until I was on top of them.”

In 2015, Dee’s ophthalmologist told her she was developing cataracts, but that the surgery, even if successful, would probably detach her retina and would certainly result in her total blindness. It was something she’d have to accept.

“I was angry at being given no hope. I remembered Wills Eye Hospital. Dr. Mark Blecher is the man who prevented me from going blind. After a Wills Eye Retina Specialist confirmed my retina would cooperate, Dr. Blecher removed the cataracts and implanted IOLs in both eyes. It was miraculous. I recently went to a play and sat in the balcony. I could see polka dots on her dress and buckles on her shoes. Never give up hope.