Devon Marshall and Ron Fisher
One of Ron Fisher’s greatest fears became a reality in January 2016.
Fisher, who has lived the majority of his life with sight in only one eye, woke up blind.
The 62-year-old lives just outside the village of Bremen with his wife of 40 years, Susannah. An accident in his youth had cost him nearly all sight in his left eye.
“When I was 16, a steeple ricocheted off a fence post I was working on, hitting me in my left eye. At that time, there was no treatment to save my eyesight completely,” says Fisher. “The doctor stitched my eye as best he could, but I would never have normal vision again. I see some shapes, but mostly, it’s like looking through several sheets of wax paper.”
Though it was an extremely painful recovery, having monocular vision didn’t present many limitations for Fisher growing up. He found success in competitive sports and went on to lead a normal, active life.
“I enjoy golfing, hunting, drag racing and trips to Amish country with Susannah,” says Fisher. “I love playing with my grandkids, taking them on four-wheeler rides and walks in the woods. … I love the outdoors.”
Having worked in an oil field for the entirety of his adult life, Fisher spends most of his time outside and in the elements. Nearly 45 years after his accident, another work-related injury forced Fisher to seriously consider the possibility of complete blindness.
“While at work, I was walking a gas line when a low-lying branch caught me in the eye – my only functioning eye,” says Fisher. “I felt something in my eye that was both irritating and painful. I could not get it out, and so my wife and I went to the emergency room.”
Initially, the couple went to Fairfield Medical Center’s emergency room, where Fisher received an eye exam, a prescription for eye drops and pain pills. The physician said the irritation would probably subside within 24 hours.
The next day, Fisher woke up in pain and in the dark.
“I was terrified. I woke my wife and we immediately went back to the ER to be checked. Only this time, my wife had to drive and then lead me into the building like a blind man. My whole world was gone,” says Fisher. “On this visit, we saw Cathy Goforth, a physician assistant. After her examination of my eye, she immediately called Dr. Deepa Reddy for help.”
Reddy, an ophthalmologist at Fairfield Medical, was able to determine that there was a piece of organic material still present in Fisher’s cornea. Fisher was surprised to learn organic material is more dangerous than a metallic foreign body because it causes a very toxic reaction in the eye.
Reddy knew she needed to remove the material and treat Fisher for any associated infection it could have possibly introduced in his eye. She took a culture of the cornea where the material had been and covered him for both bacterial and fungal infections. She assessed the treatment plan as she would with any patient, but she was sensitive to the fact that Fisher already had monocular vision.
“I approached the situation with calmness and quiet confidence to alleviate their fears,” says Reddy. “I did, however, express extreme caution at the same time, given that this was Ron’s only eye that provided him with useful vision. I counseled them that this may be the start of a long road ahead.”
The Fishers began alternating between various eyedrops every two hours, even setting alarms throughout the night, to treat the inflammation and resultant scar. Reddy wasn’t sure how Fisher was going to react to the drops or if the residual scar would impact his vision in the future.
With every checkup, Fisher’s vision continued to dramatically improve, and with zero signs of infection. In one week, he was able to recover all vision in his right eye.
“There was a time that I worried my wife, my family, and my friends would have to be my caregivers instead of my companions, that my world would come to a very dark end,” says Fisher. “There are no words … to describe the gratitude we feel toward Dr. Reddy and Cathy Goforth.”
Goforth died in 2017, but her memory lives on at Fairfield Medical. The center now gives the Cathy Goforth Caregiver Award to recognize caregivers in the emergency department who personify Goforth’s values: unconditional caring continued perseverance, positivity, and humor.
“Cathy will always be one of my angels,” says Fisher. “Dr. Reddy is my other angel, and I can’t say enough about her dedication and commitment to me. Thanks to her, I have my sight and my life back.”
Did You Know?
- Leading cause of blindness in the U.S.: diabetic retinopathy
- Leading cause of blindness worldwide: cataracts
Jenny Wise is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
