We've just returned from Austin where we met for another check-up with the surgeon who performed the second surgery on my damaged eye. He was all smiles, and was quite pleased with the progress. Additionally, I have been able to perceive color when holding a lens up to the eye. The gas bubble that is holding my retina in place is obscuring my view, but as it dissipates, I can perceive shapes surprisingly well. While we haven't been scheduled for any more surgeries, they are still expected to take place within the next year. I think that the next procedure will be a corneal transplant, followed by a lens implant. Today we learned that the cornea does two-thirds of the job of focusing, and the lens does about a third of the job. The doc went ahead and removed two of the sutures (of which there are still more than a dozen) that may have been causing some undue irritation. I think that the pain is indeed dropping as a result. Thank you all for checking in and for the wishes of support and recovery. Evidence of the injury will almost certainly remain, but that is not even a concern of mine. I only mention it here because someone brought it up. I honestly don't care how my face looks, if I can see.