As many of you know, Tom has been experiencing vision problems for going on two years. Since this past February he has been pretty much unable to drive (unless it's a very gray day, the light is flat, and he's going somewhere close and familiar) and I have to drive him everywhere.

After a confusing bunch of testing by ophthalmologists, more tests by vascular surgeons, etc. the most recent conclusion has been that the damage in one eye is probably permanent and the result of a stroke Tom didn't know he had. But he's also not getting enough blood to his eyes. Unfortunately, his arteries are heavily calcified, which might make a carotid stent (to bring more blood to his head and eyes) iffy -- both as far as how dangerous the procedure would be as well as how much good it might do.

Tom saw his primary care doctor yesterday, who is making appointments for him with a neurologist who has experience with stroke victims and with another vascular doc for a second opinion.

Yesterday, which was the second anniversary of Tom's biopsy and vocal cord cancer diagnosis, Tom's primary care physician pronounced him officially legally blind.

AFGO...

Linn