Quadriplegic savors joy of no more eyeglasses: Free surgery clears his vision, leaves him with one less worry

It was a week before Thanksgiving, and Eric Johnson, a 31-year-old quadriplegic, was in the Loop office of ophthalmologist Colman R.Kraff, reflecting on God's gift of sight.

"Sometimes it's hard to describe to people what it's like not tobe able to see without glasses. Everything is pretty much just ablob," said the Chesterton, Ind., man, who was partly paralyzed in adiving accident at the age of 22.

But Johnson, who has worn eyeglasses since elementary school, wasto receive the gift that day through a new national program sponsoredby the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Started by academy member Dr. Robert Maloney of California -- theexclusive eye surgeon on ABC-TV's reality show "Extreme Makeover" --Gift of Sight offers free Lasik vision corrective surgery toquadriplegics nationwide.

It's available to patients over the age of 18 who have suffered atraumatic spinal cord injury and lost the use of their hands and/orarms, making it difficult or impossible to put on or take off glassesor contacts without assistance.

PARALYZED SINCE '96

"I was reading this disability magazine, and there was this ad,'Free Lasik for Quads.' My heart jumped. I've wanted it for years andyears," said Johnson. "For the longest time, people were putting onand taking off my glasses. As for contacts, getting them out was farworse than getting them in, and painful, too."

According to the academy, 130,000 Americans are quadriplegics.Johnson, who is married and has a 9-year-old stepson, broke his neckwhen he dived into a shallow lake in 1996.

"Wearing glasses is an inconvenience for anyone. Just think howit's magnified if you don't have full use of your hands and/or arms,"said Kraff, a partner and director of refractive services at KraffEye Institute, 25 E. Washington.

'THIS IS JUST A MIRACLE'

"They can't adjust them, clean them, put them on or take them offwithout help. When [Dr. Maloney] approached me about the program, Iimmediately said yes," said the ophthalmologist, who is also on staffat the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

It is now almost two weeks later, and Wednesday, a very excitedJohnson returned to Kraff's office for a checkup.

"Look up. Look way up," Kraff tells Johnson, whose eyes arepressed against a slit lamp microscope for examining.

"It looks great, Eric. It looks just perfect. How do you feel?"Kraff asks.

Johnson beams from ear to ear. "That very first morning afterward,I woke up and just started giggling. It was like, 'Wow! I can see!' Idon't have to worry about how to get my contact lens on because mywife works and she's not always around. It takes me long enough toget ready in the morning, and now it's one less thing I have toagonize over.

"I've wanted this for years, but I'm on disability and the expensewas a barrier. This is just a miracle," he said.