As a child, he was hit in the eye with an arrow. He lost his sight in
that eye, and was troubled by vision problems for years, which kept him
out of the military. He was totally blind for the last 26 years of his
life, but was able to continue writing by dictating to a secretary.
Thurber's memory was so strong he could compose a 2,000-word story in
his mind, remember it overnight, and dictate it to his secretary the
next day.
