In the film the Tramp, after many mishaps, manages to raise money for an eye surgery for the blind flower girl. In the film she appears to be totally blind. After the surgery her eyesight seems to be fine. Was there a surgery that could totally restore eyesight in 1931 when the film was made?
It’s not stated in the film what was wrong with her eyes. My first guess would be cataract, but wouldn’t she had had some vision before the surgery even if it was just sensitivity to light? According to Wikipedia the first lens implants was performed in 1949 so her eyesight would probably still had been impaired to some degree after cataract surgery.
The only thing I can think of that comes close to this criteria is cataracts, but rarely do they happen to young women with movie star looks. In both eyes.
A list of conditions causing congenital cataracts is here on the National Institutes of Health website.
Annie Dillard refers to a book called Space and Sight (1960) by Marius von Senden in her books of essays: A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Some of his patients’ experiences are awe-inspiring, and some are heartbreaking. Here is a link to the passage describing Senden’s experience with restoring sight to those blind since birth:
(I’m not familiar with this website, click at your own risk)
