On the 8th of February
the iris (a portion of it) was divided. The light became
offensive to her. She complained of its brightness, and was
frequently observed trying to see her hands; but it was evident
that her vision was very imperfect, for, although there was an
incision made in the iris, some opaque matter lay behind the
opening, which must have greatly obstructed the entrance of
light.
"On the 17th of February a third operation. The opening was
enlarged and the opaque matter removed. The operation being
performed at my house, she returned home in a carriage, with her
eye covered only with a loose piece of silk, and the first thing
she noticed was a hackney-coach passing, when she exclaimed,
'What is that large thing that has passed by us?' In the course
of the evening she requested her brother to show her his watch,
concerning which she expressed much curiosity, and she looked at
it a considerable time, holding it close to her eye. She was
asked what she saw, and she said there was a dark and a bright
side; she pointed to the hour of twelve, and smiled. Her brother
asked her if she saw anything more. She replied, 'Yes,' and
pointed to the hour of six and to the hands of the watch. She
then looked at the chain and seals, and observed that one of the
seals was bright, which was the case. The following day I asked
her to look again at the watch, which she refused to do, saying
that the light was offensive to her eye and that she felt very
stupid, meaning that she was much confused by the visible world
thus for the first time opened to her.
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