1983 Press Photo Harold Schmidlin, recipient of two cornea transplants, Calif.

The half-world of Harold Schmidlin lasted 44 years. Faces were shadows without features. People were shapes: short, fat, tall, slender reflections of slow motion within darkness. Schmidlin was blind, both eyes shuttered by corneal dystrophy. Then came surgery. Four decades of dependency ended with the first of two cornea transplants at St. John's Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

Photo measures 8.5 x 11.25 inches. Photo is dated 10-20-1983.

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