Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a former NAVY SEAL who lost his right eye in Afghanistan, announced on Saturday that he had surgery this week for a problem in his other eye – and that “he will be effectively blind for about a month.”
Crenshaw, 37, a Houston Republican, tweeted a statement saying that a few days ago he had noticed “some dark, blurry spots” in his vision, “which seemed unusual.”
He sought medical attention on Thursday and an ophthalmologist told him the retina in his left eye was detaching.
“This is a terrifying prognosis for someone with one eye, and the nature of the injuries I sustained in Afghanistan,” wrote Crenshaw, who served in the US Navy from 2006-2016 and retired as a lieutenant commander.
He said the 2012 IED explosion in Helmand province gave him “half a good eye,” and that there was always a possibility that the effects of the damage would resurface.
“It looks like that’s exactly what happened,” he said.
The explosive injuries, which occurred during Crenshaw’s third deployment, initially caused total blindness, but he got sight in his remaining eye and then went on to do two more rounds.
He underwent emergency surgery at the VA Medical Center in Houston on Friday.
“During the operation, they put a gas bubble in my eye, which acts as a bandage for my retina,” he said. “This means I have to lie face down and not see anything for the next week.”
Crenshaw said he would likely disappear from social media except for updates on his health as he recovered at his Houston home with his wife, Tara.
“I’ve been through worse before, and I’ll get through it,” Crenshaw wrote.
Still, he added, “However, a few prayers that my vision will return to normal and that I will fully recover would not hurt, and would be much appreciated.”
Crenshaw won a second term in Congress in November, defeating Democratic challenger Sima Ladjevardian.