He went blind 14 years ago, but now he can see again.
The Rev. Phillip Dunn was diagnosed with cataracts in 2003, when he was 45 years old. At the time, the doctor told him not to worry about because it “probably won’t give you trouble for years,” he recounted to WCHS-TV.
The optometrist was wrong. Just a few months later, Dunn said, he started seeing black dots in the center of his vision — a symptom he later learned was the beginning stages of macular degeneration, a condition for which there is no known cure.
Dunn’s vision problems soon turned to complete blindness.
“For the next 14 years, you know, my vision just dropped out,” he said.
How did he react to blindness?
Rather than allowing the devastating developments get him down, the southern preacher continued to deliver sermons at his church, Valley Christian Assembly, only now he was using an audio version of the Bible instead of reading Scripture to prepare for his messages.
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A series of good things happened to Dunn and his family while he was unable to see. He and his wife walked their daughter down the aisle to get married and now they have four grandchildren.
His life was good. Then things started changing once again.
How did his vision return?
Dunn said he “knew in my heart I was going to be able to see again,” though he wasn’t sure when it would happen.
In August, the pastor finally started to see again — a development he believes is nothing short of miraculous. It all started with a severe headache behind his left eye.
After going to the hospital, he learned one of his cataracts had ruptured. Since that could cause irreparable damage to his optic nerve, Dunn was rushed into surgery to have the cataract removed.
When he opened his eye, the doctor was hoping he would see light and shadows. But he ended up seeing much more than that. Standing in his kitchen after the surgery, Dunn saw someone he hasn’t seen in 14 years: his wife.
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“I went in the kitchen, my wife said, ‘Honey, you took the patch off.’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ She said, ‘What do you see?’ I said, ‘I can see you!’ She was the first face I saw in 14 years,” the pastor recounted.
What has he done since his sight came back?
Shortly after his vision was restored, Dunn was finally able to see the father-daughter wedding dance he and his daughter made up when she was little and he got to see what his four grandchildren look like.
He was also quick to start driving again. Just three weeks after his vision returned, Dunn was behind the wheel of a car, traveling to Florida and then on a road trip to California in his 1998 minivan.
The pastor continues to make the most of his renewed vision, though it remains uncertain how long it will last. For now, he is simply grateful to God for the unexpected gift.