Cut From Steel

HE LOST AN EYE. THEN HE FLEW THE WORLD ALONE.

Wiley Post was working on an Oklahoma oil rig on October 1, 1926, when a piece of metal pierced his left eye. An infection followed, and the eye was blind for good. He wore a patch for the rest of his life.

Post could have treated the injury as the end of any dream about flying. He took the settlement money, about $1,800, and bought his first airplane.

Post knew a pilot needs depth perception to land, and one eye gives you less of it. So he trained himself to judge distance through practice. He used the height of telephone poles and two-story buildings as his yardsticks. In other words, he rebuilt with practice what the accident had taken.

Post took off alone from Floyd Bennett Field in New York in July 1933. His plane was a Lockheed Vega named the Winnie Mae, after his daughter. He landed back at the same field on July 22, after 7 days, 18 hours, and 49 minutes. Nobody had flown solo around the world before him. The one-eyed oilman was 34 years old.

Wiley Post never pretended his eye was fine. He learned exactly what his vision could do, then he worked with the truth. You cannot fix what you refuse to look at. If the road blurs on you after dark, find out what your eyes are doing.

Oxford Found Why Vision Loss Predicts Heart Attacks

They scanned 12,000 people and found something terrifying

Everyone with vision loss had clogged micro-vessels in their eyes.

Not just an eye problem. A whole-body problem.

The same blockages dimming your sight are cutting oxygen to your heart.

Hazy vision lately? That’s your warning about cardiac risk.

Most doctors never make this connection.

Oxford researchers did. Then found a red root technique that clears the blockages.

→ Watch the 2-minute explanation

Vision restores. Heart protected. Some see results in 48 hours.

THE HEADLIGHTS THAT TURNED INTO STARS

You are driving home after dark on a two-lane road. A pickup comes around the bend, and its headlights burst into starbursts. For a second or two, the lane in front of you disappears.

You squint, slow down, and tell yourself every driver hates oncoming lights. Lately, though, you plan errands so you are home before sunset. Your wife has noticed that you hand her the keys after dinner.

I know that habit well. First you blame the new LED headlights. Then you blame your glasses, so you buy a new pair, and the glare comes right back.

IT'S NOT AGE. IT'S A CLOUDY LENS.

You have a clear lens behind each pupil. It focuses light the way a camera lens does. When that lens turns cloudy, doctors call it a cataract. Three facts explain why the glare deserves a visit.

01 / It starts earlier than you think

Mayo Clinic says aging changes the tissue of the lens. Its proteins and fibers break down, and the lens slowly clouds. Cedars-Sinai says most cataracts are age-related and can begin as early as 40. By age 80, more than half of all Americans have a cataract or have had surgery for one, according to the National Library of Medicine.

02 / Night glare is a common early sign

Cedars-Sinai lists halos and starbursts around headlights and streetlamps as a classic sign. Mayo Clinic adds trouble seeing at night, faded colors, double vision in one eye, and frequent changes in your glasses prescription. A cataract also grows slowly, so many people do not notice it right away. In other words, the road may tell you before your mirror does.

03 / Fixing it may make the road safer

Cedars-Sinai says cataract surgery takes about 15 minutes. The surgeon removes the cloudy lens and puts in a clear artificial one. In a Western Australian study of 2,849 drivers aged 60 and older, crashes fell by 61 percent after surgery on the first eye. A Canadian study of more than 500,000 older patients also found fewer crashes after surgery.

GET THE LENS CHECKED

You should book a dilated eye exam if night driving has started to rattle you. A cataract is easy for an eye doctor to see, even when it is hard for you to describe.

You will get more from the visit if you describe the glare in plain words. Tell the doctor when it happens, which eye bothers you more, and whether you have stopped driving after dark.

You may not need surgery right away. Early on, new glasses, brighter lamps, or anti-glare sunglasses may help. Doctors usually suggest surgery once the clouding gets in the way of daily life, and driving at night counts.

I would also protect the lenses you have. Mayo Clinic says no study has proved a way to prevent cataracts. Its experts still suggest UV-blocking sunglasses, no tobacco, and good control of diabetes. They also advise less alcohol and plenty of fruits and vegetables.

You did not lose your nerve on the road. A cloudy lens can be fixed. Book the exam.

— Travis

Insider Member's Corner

6 free habits that keep your eyes sharp on the road:

You earned clear eyes. Spend them on something worth seeing.

01 / Camera · Leica Q3

Leica introduced the Q3 in May 2023. It puts a 60-megapixel full-frame sensor behind a fixed 28mm f/1.7 Summilux lens. You cannot swap the lens, and that is the point. Instead of fiddling with gear, you start looking. A clean used one is a smart way in.

02 / Style · A Harris Tweed jacket

Harris Tweed must, by law, be woven by hand by islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The wool is dyed and spun there too. An inspector checks the cloth, then each length is hand-stamped with the Orb mark. Buy one in your fifties and you may still wear it at 80.

03 / Drink · The Mint Julep

Churchill Downs has promoted the mint julep alongside the Kentucky Derby since 1938. By one 2009 count, the track poured about 120,000 of them over Derby weekend. You need four things: bourbon, fresh mint, simple syrup, and crushed ice. Serve it in a metal cup and hold it by the rim so frost forms on the outside.