Viewpoint, FROM THE CHIEF MEDICAL EDITOR

An Ophthalmic Valentine's Tale

Larry E. Patterson, M.D.

As a small child I remember Valentine's Day as a time to exchange cards and hard little heart-shaped candy with classmates. Later, the little candies evolved into larger heart-shaped boxes with significantly more expensive candy within, but with the recipient having been narrowed down to one. Yes, there were flowers too.

This year, I decided to read up on how Valentine's Day got started. While there is disagreement among scholars on the most accurate version of the history, I'll share with you the version that most appealed to me.

Back in the third century, the Roman Emperor Claudius II decided that single men were more likely to enlist in the army than married men. A priest named Valentine was secretly marrying young lovers, and when this was discovered, he was imprisoned and subsequently beheaded on February 14, 269 or 270 A.D. However, while in prison he was rumored to have fallen in love with his jailer's daughter, who was blind. Before his untimely death, he wrote her a love letter and inserted a yellow crocus inside the envelope. Opening the letter, his love was able to clearly see the flower inside and read the letter, which of course was signed, "From Your Valentine."

Love Isn't Always Blind

So why am I relaying this tale in this publication, you may wonder? Well, for two reasons. One is that I thought it interesting that the legend of St. Valentine involves an individual performing a task that would represent the most successful of any case we, as ophthalmologists, could ever handle — curing the blind. And the second is that it fits in well with a situation that occurred in our center recently.

A longtime patient presented with a moderate case of recurrent iritis. I had treated her for iritis in her right eye seven times over a 10-year period. The work-up had been negative. However, what we saw through the slit lamp was nothing short of amazing. We've all seen distorted pupils due to posterior synechiae, but most likely nothing like what is shown here (see inset, above). The resolution isn't great, as it's a 20-year-old film camera.

Despite our best efforts, the synechiae persist to this day, leaving her with a permanently "lovestruck" eye. She is happy about it, and now considers it her trademark. If it's true that the eyes are the windows to the soul, this patient certainly doesn't need to wear her heart on her sleeve. But seriously, how many specialties offer opportunities to share this type of case? Imagine — a side effect that is actually appreciated by a patient.

And yes, this is real. Trust me, I have no idea how to use Photoshop. Happy Valentine's Day!