THE GIFT OF SIGHT

HIS MUZZLELOADER NAME IS "NEW EYES": Art Creson, a successful muzzle loader hunter who has made his own equipment for years, was known as Deadeye before his accident. Today he has a nickname that is more fitting: New Eyes. ().

By Dick Mason

Observer Staff Writer

Working with painstaking precision, Casey Eye Institute ophthalmologist Larry Rich carefully removed the bandages covering the right eye of his patient, Art Creson of La Grande.

A gift was being unwrapped for Creson — the gift of sight.

Creson, blinded months earlier in an accident, had just received a cornea transplant. There was no guarantee that it would be successful. As the bandages were removed from the eye at Oregon Health & Science University's Casey Eye Institute in 1998, a feeling of heightened anxiety prevailed.

Once the bandages were off, Creson and his wife, June, knew instantly that the transplant was a success. It was as if a thick veil had been lifted from Creson's world.

"I could see my wife's new glasses. That was the first thing I saw,'' he said. "It was quite a moment.''

Next Creson wanted to get back home to view something else — new photographs of his grandchildren that everyone in his family had seen but him.

"When he got home that was the first thing he wanted to see,'' June Creson said.

They were photographs which Creson would have had no hope of seeing decades earlier.

"I am glad that we live in this day and age,'' June Creson said.

Her husband concurs.

"It is a miracle,'' he said.

The miracle Creson speaks allows him to read regular-sized print and work as a machinist at Eagle Carriage and Machine. Prior to the cornea transplant, Creson could read letters only if they were 3 or 4 inches from his eyes and 1 inches high.

"It seemed like I was looking through frosted or steamed-up windows,'' Creson said.

March 9, 1997, is the day that the course of Creson's life was drastically altered. An accident that day in his garage involving cleaning chemicals damaged both his eyes.

"Our life was turned upside down,'' June Creson said.

Creson had his first cornea transplant five years ago. Today Creson's vision is not perfect. Things gets blurry when he looks at objects more than three feet away, he is bothered by glare at dawn and dusk and he cannot read for more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time because his eye gets tired.

Still Creson's story is a source of inspiration to everyone who knows him.

Creson's recovery is a testament not only to the miracle of modern medicine but also to unwavering support of family and friends and a spirit that never yielded to adversity.

"He never once has asked, ‘Why me?,' '' June Creson said. "Many others might do this, but he never has.''

She added that his perspective never changed throughout his trial.

"He never lost his sense of humor. He accepts things as they are,'' June said. "He has always looked at life this way.''

Creson always reminded himself, even during his most discouraging moments, that things could be worse.

This philosophy helped Creson overcome the disappointment of an unsuccessful effort to transplant a cornea on to his left eye in 2000. His body rejected the cornea. No more cornea operations will be conducted on Creson's left eye. Doctors fear more operations would jeopardize the limited vision Creson has in the eye. Creson's vision in his left eye was not improved at all by the cornea transplant.

The vision Creson has in his right eye today is a credit not only to the doctors at the Casey Eye Institute but also to the care provided by La Grande ophthalmologist William Pettit and Creson's family. Doctors told Creson that their care meant that two-to-three fewer operations had to be conducted on each eye.

Pettit saw Creson daily during the months following his accident.

"This community is awfully lucky to have someone with the expertise and dedication of Dr. Pettit,'' Creson said.

Creson's family provided round-the- clock support. For example, for the first two months after the accident, drops had to be be put in Creson's eyes every two hours to keep them moist. June administered most of the drops.

"We had our alarm clock set to go off every two hours,'' June said.

The Cresons' three children, Martin of Portland and Julie and Ray of

La Grande, provided support beyond words.

"We never had to ask (for help). They were just right there,'' June said.

The support the Cresons received from the community also was instrumental in helping the family cope with the hurdles they faced.

"People were amazing. We found out how many friends we have,'' June said.

Many of those friends are members of the La Grande Eagles Lodge. Creson has been the organization's secretary for about 14 years.

She shares the upbeat and optimistic attitude of her husband.

"(The accident) changed our life but I don't think for the worse,'' June said.

A cornea transplant is a major procedure but it is not a taxing one for the patient. A cornea transplant takes only 1 1/2 to two hours and patients leave the same day because they are given only a local anesthetic — eye drops.

"There are no beds at the Casey Eye Institute,'' Creson said.

Following each operation Creson could not sleep in a bed for two months because he couldn't not rest his head on the side in which his eye had been operated on because of the danger of tearing. Creson had to sleep in a recliner.

"I've spent 1 1/2 years sleeping in a recliner (over the past six years),'' Creson said.

He has had a total of seven operations since the accident, two on his right eye and five on the left. Two of the operations were to remove cataracts and another was performed to relieve pressure caused by glaucoma. The cataracts and glaucoma were caused by the accident.

The cataract in his right eye continued growing after the successful cornea transplant. A year following the operation Creson's vision was as poor as it was before the transplant. Fortunately his vision was restored following the removal of the cataract.

Creson is a successful muzzle loader hunter who has made his own equipment for years. He is a member of the La Grande Rifle and Pistol Club's muzzle loading group. All members have nicknames that are given to them by fellow muzzle

loaders.

Creson was known as Deadeye before his accident. Today he has one that is more fitting: New Eyes.

Creson, who has a personable and relaxed nature, has never been given information about the donor of the cornea for his right eye. Still, he feels a debt of gratitude and a lasting bond.

"The person has shared their sight with me,'' Creson said.