Not Seeing Is Believing

                              Not Seeing Is Believing

     Jarod had struggled academically his entire life. Now, finally, he saw himself on the verge of a real future. High school graduation in his rearview mirror and a promising career in IT only awaited his completion of the three-month course--starting the following week.

     He had scoured the internet for every bit of data on the art and science of information technology his not-particularly-advanced brain could handle. 

      He wouldn’t just settle for waiting until his actual instruction began. He wanted to “hit the ground running” and come out ahead of every other person seeking, like him, to grab the golden ring of success and ensure a real future.

     Jarod completely believed all the ads for the International Online School of the Internet. He wouldn’t limit himself to one of the “thousands of unskilled jobs now available.” He aimed only for a real “skilled career in the high-paying field mapped out for the highly-educated professionals.”

     His tuition paid and his study materials in hand he headed for his first class in the Salisbury Professional Building. 

     Jarod’s instructor seemed like a humorless grump poised like a Marine drill sergeant to squeeze every bit of effort out of every “new recruit,” allowing only those with the brains of an Einstein and the unquestioning dedication of a robot to earn a pass through the obstacle-filled course.

     Nothing would stand in the way of this “newby”, however, and no hard-assed instructor or difficult course material would wear Jarod down.

     Throughout his lackluster elementary and secondary school careers he hadn’t exactly scored a touchdown in ambition and drive. This, he determined, would definitely end differently.

      Despite his seemingly slow motion train of ambition, however, Jarod never had thought his academic derailments had a physical cause--particularly his eyesight. Up to now he had easily passed every yearly exam.

      However, just as he waited nervously at “the starting line” to take off on his uber-promising IT studies something seemed out of whack.

      Halfway through his first class his vision began to get cloudy. He had trouble making out even the largest type on his computer screen and in his textbooks.

      The trouble didn’t clear up after the first day or second day or even after a week of class. In fact, after the second week, he barely drove home safely--unable to distinguish the lettering on a number of road signs.

      In order to save what now looked like his faltering “golden future in IT” Jarod made an emergency appointment with his optometrist.

     This time the test results showed a completely different result from those of the past. Jarod had early onset cataracts and needed surgery as soon as possible.

      He wasn’t taking any chances and opted for the most expensive operation from the top expert in the field on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

     The operation took four hours, but Jarod’s surgery looked like an overwhelming succcess. He emerged from the doctor’s office with vision that looked much clearer than he had in years. His doctor termed the operation “one of the best I ever performed.”

     After two weeks of recuperation Jarod enthusiastically returned to his studies and completed his IT studies at the top of his class. It only took him a month to get a well-paying job for one of the largest mortgage banking firms in Wicomico County.

     Everything seemed to fall in place for the also-ran, who, not long ago, believed himself doomed to failure.

     Also, aside from his occupational good fortune, Jarod’s social life also took a very positive turn.  He began dating Jacqui, an extremely attractive blond fellow IT technician at the bank.

     Things continued to move along positively and quickly for the couple, and Jarod eventually moved in with Jacqui.

      About six months after the move-in, however, something very strange began to happen with Jarod’s vision. Jacqui would begin looking at a livestreamed television series in their bedroom while Jarod tuned to a completely different series in the living room. Instead of seeing the show to which he tuned, however, Jarod began to see what Jacqui had tuned to. Whenever she changed to a different show he would again see what she had selected rather than what he had selected on his remote.

     Jacqui’s vision appeared to remain perfectly normal.

     In a panic, Jarod texted his optometrist for an emergency appointment.

     The doctor saw Jarod the next morning and emerged from the examination with a very quizzical expression on his face.

      “I have never heard of this happening before,” the optometrist said. “We saw absolutely nothing wrong with your surgery. Let me conduct a telemedicine conference with a colleague in Europe who is an expert in unusual reactions to cataract surgery. I will get back to you very shortly.”

       The optometrist called the next day to say his expert saw no visual reason for the strange change in Jarod’s eyesight. He did, however, suggest the condition might possibly come from a psychological problem.

     Jarod then went for psychiatric and psychological examinations at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

     The test results took another month to complete, but they also came back inconclusive.  However, an obscure psychological online report discovered by the Hopkins experts provided some hope.

     That report looked into a case similar to Jarod’s in England several years before. The subject of that case also had a number of sudden life changes over a short span of time after undergoing emergency cataract surgery. A very rare miscommunication between the patient’s optometric nerves and his brain had caused him to begin getting “visions” of data seen not by him, but by his brother, who lived in the same home as he did. 

      After a great deal of tests and several exploratory and followup procedures, the doctors determined they could not find a medical “cure” for the disturbance in the man’s vision. 

      Although it caused a great deal of inconvenience and heartache, the brother who had the visions, on the recommendation of his doctors, moved 200 miles from the family household to a separate home of his own in France. After six months of separation the condition disappeared. 

      The two brothers communicated for the rest of their lives via Zoom and smartphone. 

     Jarod had considered proposing to his girlfriend, but, unfortunately, his condition forced them to move 200 miles from each other. After six months his visions ceased and the condition appeared cured. 

      Even though the separation caused both Jarod and his girlfriend a great deal of sadness, they remained good friends for the rest of their lives and both went on to successful careers as international IT technicians, communicating frequently via Zoom and smartphone as the English brothers had.