Out of focus

I underwent orbital decompression surgery on Monday, and it's been quite a journey. My face resembled a rough night at a fight club, especially around my eyes. This past week has been all about rest, ice packs, and pain medications, but finally, I can see out of both eyes. Although I'm still on various medications, including in-eye and whole-body antibiotics, I'm hopeful about my recovery.

I developed double vision post-surgery. The doctors say it might resolve on its own, or I might need further surgery. I'll have a better idea at my post-surgery appointment on Monday.

Interestingly, amidst my recovery, I hadn't thought about participating in [Frank's Photo Challenge]. But today, with a patch over my left eye, I stumbled upon a response to the challenge while browsing the WordPress Reader. The theme was "Focus," which struck me as humorous given my current situation.

I've had cataract surgery on my left eye in the past, and I chose a lens for distance vision. Subsequent laser surgery on my right eye allowed me to focus on nearby objects. My brain cleverly combines both images to give me stereoscopic vision, enabling me to do various tasks easily.

Now, with post-surgery diplopia, I can't focus on objects ahead of me unless I cover one eye. It's not ideal, but Bhavna gave me an eye patch to alternate between eyes. However, this means I lose my stereoscopic vision and depth perception.

Nonetheless, I was determined to participate in the challenge. Covering one eye long enough to type took some energy, but I submitted two images. Both were taken with my Fujifilm X-T2 using manual focus 35mm film lenses, one with the help of the focus-peaking feature and the other by relying on my eyesight. I suspect one of the images is sharper than the other due to my vision limitations.

I used Luis Costa's monochrome film simulation recipe, discovered via Ritchie Roesch's post. It brought back memories of my college days when I used to shoot monochrome 35mm films. Though I can't recall if it's precisely like Tri-X, I genuinely like how it looks.

Here's one of the images I captured.

Participating in this challenge has been a bright spot during my recovery, reminding me of my passion for photography despite the challenges.

Author: Khürt Williams

Gen X-er near Princeton University in Montgomery Township, New Jersey, with a passion for aquariums, terrariums, technology, and photography. I love hiking in the woods, and my eclectic musical tastes span soca, Afrobeat, calypso, 1990s rap, grunge rock, and alternative genres. View all posts by Khürt Williams