As all others here I am concerned and worried about our
friend Don's eyes, and am sending him my & my family's
best wishes and greetings.
I am also grateful to Dan Shane for translating & forwarding
descriptions & bulletins about what goes on. There is no
reason to turn this forum into a technical discussion group
for ophthalmology, but I do have a mild protest to make
regarding one of Dan's statements:
<<Don's vision has been suffering for many years, and the level of detail he
puts into his long stories most certainly contributed to it. I have watched
him hovering closely over his work and was often reminded of the character
played by Donald Pleasence in THE GREAT ESCAPE. He portrayed an excellent
forger who also lost his vision when the constant hours of highly detailed
paperwork aggravated his myopia to the point of blindness.>>
My understanding -- admittedly from an amateur point of view,
but apparently confirmed by a senior expert I contacted -- is
that "straining one's eyes", by hard work, or watching bad
television in a dark room, or composing the Art of the Fugue
and the Musical Offering in 1748 and 1749 during late nights
in a badly lit room (as Bach did, with his deteriorating eyesight),
does *not* worsen one's eyesight per se. One's eyes may experience
deteriorating quality from a variety of causes, including advancing
age for persons in some risk groups (e.g. myopics), but not from
merely using them, regardless of long hours over laborious
details. (I hope I'm translating my expert contact's professional
opinion correctly.)
I briefly saw something a couple of months ago, relating to
a story run by the New England Journal of Medicine or
some similar High-Up professional medical literature, about
*ten myths about our health*, or words to similar effect.
The jungle out there *is* a dangerous place, and we might
suffer even more than we think, from even more reasons,
etc. etc., BUT there are some things we think might be
dangerous and that are [touch wood] not dangerous
after all. I think one of the points was approximately what
I referred to: straining one's eyes, even for hours & hours,
does not affect eyesight quality per se.
Nils Lid Hjort
Author
Topic: 200803
(34 messages)
Nils
Re Don & his eyes (cont.)
Message 31 -
2008-03-29 at 00:15:22
Jan Leeuw
Original disney art for sale
Message 32 -
2008-03-30 at 18:15:03
Hello all,
Not sure this is the right place for it, but I though this might interest some of you:
Some years ago, I aquired some great original disney art. In order to generate some cash for some original art, I'm willing to part with these very rare drawings by some of disney's greates artists now.
Anybody who's seriously interested, can contact me at:
leeuw59 at yahoo.com
Scans available.
JL
---------------------------------
Like movies? Here's a limited-time offer: Blockbuster Total Access for one month at no cost.
Not sure this is the right place for it, but I though this might interest some of you:
Some years ago, I aquired some great original disney art. In order to generate some cash for some original art, I'm willing to part with these very rare drawings by some of disney's greates artists now.
Anybody who's seriously interested, can contact me at:
leeuw59 at yahoo.com
Scans available.
JL
---------------------------------
Like movies? Here's a limited-time offer: Blockbuster Total Access for one month at no cost.
Georgios Balanikas MD, PhD
What causes the retinal detachment.
Message 33 -
2008-03-31 at 00:45:28
> Don's vision has been suffering for many years, and the level of detail he
> puts into his long stories most certainly contributed to it. I have
> watched
> him hovering closely over his work and was often reminded of the character
> played by Donald Pleasence in THE GREAT ESCAPE. He portrayed an excellent
> forger who also lost his vision when the constant hours of highly detailed
> paperwork aggravated his myopia to the point of blindness.
No, fortunately this is not true. I've explained the causes of the retinal
detachment.
Georgios
> Fortunately Don's condition has not reached that point, but it would be
> unrealistic to think that his vision will actually improve. The best we
> can
> all hope for is that his situation does not worsen. It is more likely
> that
> his vision problems can only be slowed. He has known (obviously) that his
> eyes are not what they used to be, and it probably helps explain the
> reduction in his output in recent years .
>
> I know everyone on DCML hopes that the coming weeks will see Don recover
> most of his vision so he can pursue either further work or whatever
> interests him. He has told me he genuinely appreciates the concern you
> have expressed and that I have relayed to him.
>
>
> Dan Shane
> (danshane at bellsouth.net)
>
> _______________________________________________
> http://nafsk.se/mailman/listinfo/dcml
>
>
>
> --
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG.
> Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.0 - Release Date: 24/3/2008
> 12:00 ??
>
>
> puts into his long stories most certainly contributed to it. I have
> watched
> him hovering closely over his work and was often reminded of the character
> played by Donald Pleasence in THE GREAT ESCAPE. He portrayed an excellent
> forger who also lost his vision when the constant hours of highly detailed
> paperwork aggravated his myopia to the point of blindness.
No, fortunately this is not true. I've explained the causes of the retinal
detachment.
Georgios
> Fortunately Don's condition has not reached that point, but it would be
> unrealistic to think that his vision will actually improve. The best we
> can
> all hope for is that his situation does not worsen. It is more likely
> that
> his vision problems can only be slowed. He has known (obviously) that his
> eyes are not what they used to be, and it probably helps explain the
> reduction in his output in recent years .
>
> I know everyone on DCML hopes that the coming weeks will see Don recover
> most of his vision so he can pursue either further work or whatever
> interests him. He has told me he genuinely appreciates the concern you
> have expressed and that I have relayed to him.
>
>
> Dan Shane
> (danshane at bellsouth.net)
>
> _______________________________________________
> http://nafsk.se/mailman/listinfo/dcml
>
>
>
> --
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG.
> Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.0 - Release Date: 24/3/2008
> 12:00 ??
>
>
Dan Shane
Stop it or you'll go blind!
Message 34 -
2008-03-31 at 17:28:51
GIORGIOS WROTE IN RESPONSE TO MY POST:
> Don's vision has been suffering for many years, and the level of
> detail he puts into his long stories most certainly contributed to it.
> I have watched him hovering closely over his work and was often
> reminded of the character played by Donald Pleasence in THE GREAT
> ESCAPE. He portrayed an excellent forger who also lost his vision
> when the constant hours of highly detailed paperwork aggravated his
> myopia to the point of blindness.
No, fortunately this is not true. I've explained the causes of the retinal
detachment.
AND I REPLY:
This is the second post where someone has "refuted" what appeared to be a
claim on my part that Don's retinal problem was caused by close work. While
I admit my comparison of Don's method of drawing to a fictional character's
similar physical attitude may have made it seem I was drawing the conclusion
that constant eye strain led to his current condition that was not really my
intent. I was simply sharing the mind picture I get when I watch Don
focusing so closely on the tiny and seemingly infinite details he squeezes
into every panel.
However, according to some eye experts the jury is still out over whether
constant eye strain aggravates already weak vision. I'm certainly no
ophthalmologist, but it's too early to say that focusing too closely over
long periods of time contributing at least in part to myopia is just an
urban legend or old wives' tale. (See
http://www.agingeye.net/visionbasics/visionmyths.php)
So while it has been known for decades that it the shape of your eye has
much more to do with how well you see now and in the future than how often
or long you have to strain to see what you're doing there is still support
for adequate lighting and avoiding prolonged close work helping to postpone
serious vision problems.
Therefore, when Giorgios kindly helps us understand what leads to retinal
detachment he is 100% correct and we benefit from that knowledge. But when
I compare a real-life situation to dramatic storytelling I need to make sure
everyone knows that I can distinguish fact from fancy, and I don't want to
keep ancient myths alive.
Sorry if I caused that confusion.
-- Dan --
> Don's vision has been suffering for many years, and the level of
> detail he puts into his long stories most certainly contributed to it.
> I have watched him hovering closely over his work and was often
> reminded of the character played by Donald Pleasence in THE GREAT
> ESCAPE. He portrayed an excellent forger who also lost his vision
> when the constant hours of highly detailed paperwork aggravated his
> myopia to the point of blindness.
No, fortunately this is not true. I've explained the causes of the retinal
detachment.
AND I REPLY:
This is the second post where someone has "refuted" what appeared to be a
claim on my part that Don's retinal problem was caused by close work. While
I admit my comparison of Don's method of drawing to a fictional character's
similar physical attitude may have made it seem I was drawing the conclusion
that constant eye strain led to his current condition that was not really my
intent. I was simply sharing the mind picture I get when I watch Don
focusing so closely on the tiny and seemingly infinite details he squeezes
into every panel.
However, according to some eye experts the jury is still out over whether
constant eye strain aggravates already weak vision. I'm certainly no
ophthalmologist, but it's too early to say that focusing too closely over
long periods of time contributing at least in part to myopia is just an
urban legend or old wives' tale. (See
http://www.agingeye.net/visionbasics/visionmyths.php)
So while it has been known for decades that it the shape of your eye has
much more to do with how well you see now and in the future than how often
or long you have to strain to see what you're doing there is still support
for adequate lighting and avoiding prolonged close work helping to postpone
serious vision problems.
Therefore, when Giorgios kindly helps us understand what leads to retinal
detachment he is 100% correct and we benefit from that knowledge. But when
I compare a real-life situation to dramatic storytelling I need to make sure
everyone knows that I can distinguish fact from fancy, and I don't want to
keep ancient myths alive.
Sorry if I caused that confusion.
-- Dan --