GOOD TO BE SEEN

Out of the blue someone recognized me in Chinatown the other day after which the entire subsequent conversation was in Cantonese. This was after a visit to the pharmacy, and just before lunch. When I left my favourite provisioners someone else recognized me. She was heading in so we simply exchanged greetings. And for the rest of it, I enjoyed my pipe in silence at the far end of an alley.

What does a Dutchman get at the pharmacy? Refills. Specifically eye-drops to keep me from going blind, which may take a few decades. Latanoprost slows down glaucoma by reducing eye-ball pressure. It's a prostaglandin analogue, specifically of prostaglandin F2α (dinoprost) that increases the sclera's permeability to aqueous fluid. Unlike two or three of the other things I take, the printed warnings, cautions, and possible side effects are a manageable readable font-size single page.

The irony of being able to see clearly in order to get it into my eyes does not escape me. Especially as I normally wear reading specs, the last ten or twelve inches, somewhere in which there very well might be a random floating coffee or tea cup at certain times, are usually a bit blurry. Let us try to focus precisely so. On a small plastic eye-dropper tip which is a neutral pale off-white, matte, and might not even be there, although my hand's position holding the bottle tells me it is, and must be within milimetres of the sclera (which is the protective white outer layer of the eyeball).

So, if everrything goes according to plan, in another thirty or so years when I finally kick the bucket, with my last breath I should be able to look my nearest and dearest straight in the eye. Because that's what everyone needs, right? The steely glare of a decedent, permanently stuck in their mind.

Might take considerably longer than that. Medical science is progressing at a rapid clip. In another five years there might be artificial eyes. I think I should choose a blue or grey one, with a "lifetime" warranty.

Now if only they can come up with something that tells me the names of people I recognize or who recognize me, life would be perfect. Seeing as we often never properly introduced ourselves, that might be miraculous. Difficult in any case.



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