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Doctors hopeful Falk vision loss is temporary
June 17, 2010 – When the documentary about him returns to the Siskel Film Center next month, Vincent Falk is hoping he will see it. The Marina City resident experienced a complication following eye surgery on May 24 that left him at least temporarily blind. Another operation was performed on Falk’s left eye on May 27 to drain fluid from behind his retina, the light-sensitive layer of nerves in the back of the eye. Falk was born with glaucoma in one eye and is blind in the other eye. On May 28, he was moved from the University of Illinois Medical Center to Warren Barr Pavilion, a nursing facility in River North. He was back at Marina City on Monday. Doctors believe his condition will improve. They are waiting for pressure in his left eye to equalize and relieve a buildup of fluid behind the retina. Jennifer Burns, whose documentary on Falk won praise from film critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper, says she was told that while “there has been no permanent damage to Vincent’s retina, it may be several weeks before his vision returns.” According to Falk, doctors at UIC believe the original surgery to drain fluid from his eye was successful. He will learn more about the new issue when he meets with a retina specialist on Monday.
Meanwhile, the film about Falk is doing well. Burns announced last week the Gene Siskel Film Center has invited the documentary back for a weeklong screening next month. Vincent: A Life In Color is scheduled to be shown 15 times between July 23 and July 29. The film ran at the Siskel Film Center from May 7 through May 13, longer than originally scheduled because many screenings were sold out.
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