Downey shares a light moment with fellow commuters at his Piedmont bus stop. When he awoke from his surgery, the world had gone black. “That was a tough day, realizing that [blindness] is the new deal,” he said. “I’ve always been the outdoors type, loved sunlight, would run around and open up all the curtains in the house and let the sun in .... So first, oh, my gosh, no more sun.” (Robert Durell / For The Times)