High up on the list of "must" reading for ophthalmologists is, or should be, Javal's account of his own blindness.1 This is the introspective story of an ophthalmologist who, becoming blind from glaucoma, dedicated the later years of his life to an analysis of the thoughts and sensations of those who live in darkness. The bondage of blindness is dependence on other people. Javal points out some of the areas of dependence and describes the practical means he has found useful in avoiding them. For instance, articles of everyday usage should be kept in scrupulous order so that the blind will know exactly where to find them. A relatively stable environment is essential; a forced change in residence may be a catastrophe. To orient the blind in relation to their immediate environment and to their interlocutors, physical contact is of prime importance. The constant fear of the blind is