Recovery from disaster.

To the Editor. —With the increasing age of the population, many ophthalmologists have now undergone cataract extraction successfully and have returned to productive ophthalmic practices. Cataract extractions were not all that successful a few years ago. I was stunned when I was told I had a cataract in my left eye by my associate, Dr Tom Cloud, in 1958. The connotations were overwhelming. I had just been promoted from associate professor to professor and chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston. Could I successfully undergo cataract extraction and resume my surgical practice? Would I be able to carry on my academic duties? What if something went wrong with the surgery? Would I be able to support my family? I had every reason to develop a cataract in my left eye. At age 7 years, my brother shot me with an arrow, which penetrated the sclera