Screenshots

Jeff Sparrow no more. I was elated to find out yesterday morning that, barely five days after the surgery, vision on the right eye has improved to 6/12 without optical aids, and myopia reduced from 900 to around 100... and stablising. The microscopic stitches should be ready for removal soon.

Calculated risk considered, that prepared me in time to personally host the CY Leow Photography Seminar at the National Science Centre in the afternoon. The quality crowd kept to punctuality -- a virtue deemed lost among Malaysians -- and it enabled us to start 10 minutes ahead of scheduled time.

Moriazi-san and I... Picture courtesy Edward Chan

The sifu and I... Picture courtesy Moriazi-san

Sponsored by Viewty / LG Mobile... Picture courtesy Paul Choo

I really have to thank Dr Azhar Zainudin and his team at Tun Hussein Onn National Eye Hospital. The consultant explained and answered questions well enough to enable me make that decisive move without any hesitation .

From initial diagnosis to surgery took me only five days of waiting time. Post-op care was good and smooth, and optometrist Puan Azimah is getting the supplier to custom-make a sample contact lens -- free of charge -- for my good eye, which is ironically in high myopia.

Both the ophthalmologist and optometrist recommended contact lens for me. I was a contact lens user until 2002. Given a choice, I still prefer glasses as I can power-up from bed to office at god-speed without having to go through the rituals.

For now, long vision is good but reading capability is still impaired. I can't research for blog, and I still can't drive as contrast of dark spots is still not yet optimum. In fact, I had lost two solid weeks of productivity since the problem got on me December 10.

One good thing is that, being away from Internet for two weeks -- -- and insulated from the disgusting and depressing news about this Abdullah Administration -- the family doctor said my blood pressure had never been this beautiful in the last four years.

Vision is...

Talk of vision, as if pulling a premeditated scoop on me, CY Leow started his photo talk with a quote from Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels, which says: "Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others".

That's a lot of wisdom for me as it came in a cathartic moment of satori. Abdullah should try experience that Japanese Decisive Moment for having made us suffering fools.

But really, there's absolutely no excuse for abusing the eyes now that I am given a second chance in life, thanks to modern eye-care technology. And thanks to my loving wife, too, who helped drip the antibiotics and washed my hair the one whole week. (She must be resenting sleeping in the stench of Bronyx back-alleys ;-)

Gotta cherish all these, folks.