Morequack wrote:

This is from Dan Shane from the DCML (Disney Comics Mailing List) dated Mar. 26, 2008:

It was discovered that his "good" eye was developing some tears that foretold the same retinal detachment  he experienced in his left eye, so he again had an immediate operation - this time laser surgery to mend the tears.

Dans text may be a bit confusing to people who don't have English as their mother tongue. AC Sivebæk has told me that in this context the word "tears" doesn't mean the liquid coming from the eyes when we are crying, but rather small rips in the retina.

The eye reads it both ways and the mind processes it correctly once the whole sentence is read—all this in a second or two. The point is, Mr. Rosa's predicament is a rather scary one, and is a somber lesson that we should all make more of an effort to lift our heads up from our reading and computers and scan the other sights of the world. Wishing Don all the best.

Roger North wrote:

I guess he won't be writing any new stories any time soon.

I very much doubt he ever will again. But his eyesight is more important. I hope that through rehabilitation his vision could return to what it was prior to his problems.

This is such sad news. We all sincerely love Rosa's comics, so I'm sure I speak for everyone who visits DCF that we wish Rosa and his family the best.

>laser surgery to mend the tears.

If you are nearsighted, I HIGHLY recommend you read this.

The more nearsighted you are, the more susceptible you are to retinal detachment.  It's much more common than people realize. There are at least four treatments for retinal detachment (and I have had three of them). 

1.  Your retina covers the back of your eye. If it comes up at the edges and/or develops a rip in the middle, then fluid can seep behind the retina, causing major problems.  To prevent this, a laser is used to "tack" the retina to the eye.  This is a relatively simple procedure, and is the one that will be used if the problem is caught early.  I have had both of my retinas "tacked" down with a laser.

2.  If the retina detaches from the eye, the surgeon can inject a gas bubble into your eye and "push" the retina back into place. The gas bubble disapprears after a few weeks, but until then it will appear as a large spot in the bottom of your field of vision.  The bubble is really floating at the top of your eye, but you'll "see" it at the bottom.  I've had this done to one eye.

3.  If the retina detaches more (or detaches in another spot), the surgen will wrap a plastic band around your eye (and leave it there permanently) to apply pressure to your eye.  This forces the fluid in your eye against the retina, keeping it in place. Unfortunately, this elongates your eye, and makes your vision worse. I've had this done to one eye.

4.  If fluid seeps behind your retina, the surgeon can open your eye up, scrape the fluid out from behind your retina, and then cryrogenically freeze the retina back to your eye.  I have NOT had this done.

The moral of the story is that if you are nearsighted, you need to have an annual appointment with an optometrist and have your eyes checked for retinal detachment.  They will do this by shining a light in your eye and doing a visual examination, looking for stretching and rips. 

HERE'S THE REALLY IMPORTANT PART:

If you EVER see "fireworks" or flashes of light, that's a sign of retinal detachment.  This may only last a few minutes, and then it will go away. You may have blurry vision for a few hours, but that will go away, too.  Don't wait -- go to see an optometrist IMMEDIATELY.

LL

i'm  nearsighted and it get worse, thanks for the info Louis Lane
hope Don get better

You are so right Lady Quackly.  I would like to see some of those Fan Fiction stories. Of Course I know they have a few at Fan Fiction. Net in the Duck Tales section.

Roger North wrote:

You are so right Lady Quackly.  I would like to see some of those Fan Fiction stories. Of Course I know they have a few at Fan Fiction. Net in the Duck Tales section.

You would enjoy them, believe me.  Quite a few Don Rosa fans over there!   Some of our stories are
in fact based on (or inspired by) his works.  I'm working on one right now that's very much inspired by
LTo$ and "Letter From Home".

I've been keeping up with this and its incredibly sad. Even if Don decided on down the line that he wanted to do new material, he wouldn't be able to do so for several years thanks to this injury. It really is a terrible shame. I imagine the bedrest and situation in general must be enough to really get the guy down. I wouldn't wish such a fate on any artist, but alas. =\

He'll be in my prayers.

Roger North wrote:

That is so cool Lady Quackly.  I would like to read it once you get it into the Fan Fiction Archive.

I've completed six chapters already, but I'm not sure if this is the right place to post the link, since it
might seem off topic. 

I wonder if there are any fanfic threads on here?

Roger North wrote:

Maybe you could start one Lady Quackly.

Yes, please DO start one here.  We have one on mcdrake.nl (Dutch Disney Comics Forum), and we have had a lot of interesting and very well done drawings and written stories.  It would be nice to see that on an international forum, as well.

Robb_K wrote:

Roger North wrote:

Maybe you could start one Lady Quackly.

Yes, please DO start one here.  We have one on mcdrake.nl (Dutch Disney Comics Forum), and we have had a lot of interesting and very well done drawings and written stories.  It would be nice to see that on an international forum, as well.

Sorry I haven't been here in awhile, everybody...it's been a really busy April.     

Thanks for your encouragement about starting a thread about Don Rosa-related stories.  I'll do that,
very shortly, if there isn't one already.