We all take so much for granted...

My Sister is blind...she has had her eyes removed due to the diseases in her eyes and well, now I am facing the same fate. I have been thinking about how I will cope ...I don't want to have any surgery because I don't want to lose my eyes like my Sister and have to wear prostetic eyes. It is a hereditary condition and I am preparing for the changes now.

and there is a lot of things that I will not be able to do.... internet and reading forums will be a thing of the past, why? because I cannot read it. ATS recaps if they continue are great for People who cannot read or have an eyesight problem...but People who were complaining about it obviously didn't think about the People in society who are visually impaired or blind and listening to summaries was there only option.

I am not allowed to drive anymore so that is another adjustment.

Now, I am thinking about security and I plan to move so that I am familiar with the surrounds.

I have cataracts and retinal degeneration (retinitis pigmentosa) so surgery is too risky:

retinal detachment

Cataract Removal for People with Retinal Degenerative Diseases

My Sister is so much braver than me... she rang me today and said she will be there to hold my hand ... that gutted me, cos I am the one that used to guide her, she would hold my arm and I was the one that would look after her...

That is really awful, and all the platitudes in the world will not mean much to you, I understand that.

But from someone who has a pretty good grasp of modern technology and whats in the pipeline, don't lose hope, you would be amazed the level of smarter systems that are in the works an on the way.

Siri is a good example of this, the things we see in scifi are coming faster and faster every day, I wont say you'll get your site back, but you may be surprised how manageable the condition can be, complete with ats access.

I had a friend growing up who was blind from birth, she used to tell me it would be nice to see, but she honestly didn't really know what she was missing, so I imagine it is considerably different having sight and losing it, but she manged a full life, and more importantly a happy one.

That being said, if its in your belief system my thoughts an prayers are with you man, thats rough.

One last thing, remember you can still look forward to dreams, people who have lost their sight after developmental years still retain the ability to see in dreams.

reply to post by benrl

thankyou... I know that there are a lot of stuff to help, like talking watches and it is better than what it was.

This isn't really a rant... I should have put it in the general chit chat area, I am not angry at all so I apologise. I have put this in the wrong section.

On the up side, I am lucky, I have a person that has been and done all of this before that can 'hold my hand'. At least I am not having to go through this on my own.

reply to post by Thurisaz


You might wana start researching things like rss readers, many sites in a similar format as ats (news blogs, forums etc) often have them, its basically a streaming news that updates, I know there is software you can get to read them outloud to you.

other resources I am sure you already have or considered, things like the local community center, often they have services and such for the disabled, many organizations (heritage for the blind etc) offer aid with acclimating to blindness...

I two face the possibility of blindness (both sides of the family have long history with diabetes, with blindness in atleast 4 family members) so a bit extreme, so i tend to keep up on the whole technology helping blind people topic for my own self interest just incase.

Just thought of this you may want to consider starting a video blog, if only for yourself as it may be therapeutic, chronicle your vision loss and experiences as they happen.

You may find yourself amazed at how much you could endure and how much you change through the process.

Chronicle your emotions and thoughts, observations etc, it will in some level give you a sense of empowerment and control on the matter.

I had a friend who did the same thing for her breast cancer, it was just a simple thing she started, she later told me its what helped her fight through it, being able to reflect on the experience as a whole gave her the ability to endure.

reply to post by benrl


thank you

I know there are programs to read out info but do not know much about them. I will definitely look into it.

I spose I felt hopeless when I considered how I would manage navigating pages on ATS or any forum, news or internet banking etc and then I was like.. oh well that is a thing of the past but maybe it isn't.. I just have to use aids but not sure how effective they are.

and then I was thinking about my typing etc... even though I type I still look at the keys and know where to place my fingers but if I have to rely completely on touch typing that is something else. i have to embrace all of this as a challenge.

I want to resettle into another house asap so I can be sure of my surroundings [I am renting at the moment) and even now i am using the remote on my tv and outlet hardrive to chose music etc. It is really hard but the more I do it the better I will be.

I think you are doing the right thing, especially with diabetes in your family..to prepare and maybe it won't happen but being prepared is a lot better than being caught off guard.

it was strange for me... I never even considered that I might be susceptible to the hereditary things and well, to have it handed to you on a platter is like omg... was I a complete idiot or in denial? never even considered that it could happen.

reply to post by Thurisaz


Honestly you might be surprised at the level of technical aids available, Honestly with a little set up before hand, I am sure you could rig a computer with all the things you would need to handle this, from programs directly designed to help to a little improvisation, short cuts on a very simplified desktop, there was even a mouse that logitech used to make that used hapatic feed back (it vibrated) when you moved the mouse over menu items, it allowed you to get a sense of the desktop with out seeing it, you can also set up windows to read outloud menus and warnings when you moused over it with that (it was along time ago, but I am sure they still make similar products).

I also made a thread a while back using SIRI on my ipad to type out a thread here on ats.

This post spoken not typed by Siri

In it I used my Ipad to type out most of the thread, with minimal editing, so again there are always ways you just may need to get creative, I would suggest going to the local center for the blind (or similar) and talk to someone there who was born blind, I am sure they will have a great list of ideas for computer access (i don't know how old your sister is) I would suggest a younger blind person to talk to.

I am sure they would be more than supportive of this new phase in your life

I also just thought of this, Have you seen the new windows 8, the interface is super simple, it almost looks like its going to have a tiled tablet mode like the new Windows phones (you may have seen the ads for the nokia one the lumia, the ones that act like all other phones where a beta test) I could imagine that OS will be fairly useful for your situation.

What is happening to you is horrible, and completely useless as it is, I am so sorry. You are so right that we take things for granted, Thank you for reminding me of this. So many blessings in our lives and we just don't stop to think it could be different.

I wish you calm seas on your new journey. How wonderful your Sister will be there with you. My heart goes out to you both.

Originally posted by benrl
reply to post by Thurisaz

 

This post spoken not typed by Siri

In it I used my Ipad to type out most of the thread, with minimal editing, so again there are always ways you just may need to get creative, I would suggest going to the local center for the blind (or similar) and talk to someone there who was born blind, I am sure they will have a great list of ideas for computer access (i don't know how old your sister is) I would suggest a younger blind person to talk to.

I am sure they would be more than supportive of this new phase in your life

I also just thought of this, Have you seen the new windows 8, the interface is super simple, it almost looks like its going to have a tiled tablet mode like the new Windows phones (you may have seen the ads for the nokia one the lumia, the ones that act like all other phones where a beta test) I could imagine that OS will be fairly useful for your situation

thank you so much... I am checking the thread out now and bless you!

bless you because you are thinking and posting about things that others have not even thought about.
and thank God for those who actually dedicate their lives to inventing these things.

Its true there is always someone worst off than you. Just look at this

www.youtube.com...

There is things your sister can do to see stuff but I would have to PM you as its a little wobbly. I personally am not strong enough to handle being blind so your sister must be an incredible person and highly developed soul. Please read Journey of Souls by Michael Newton I promise you wont regret it an will possibly gain a huge insight into your situation. I am sending you good thoughts for your up in coming events.

It's heartbreaking that you have to face this, but there are many helpful people here with advice, love and support. I wish you the strength and courage needed at this time. Hugs!

reply to post by Night Star


thx Night Star. I have had a good day today and am feeling surprised that I am not angry or crying. I feel really calm so that is odd. I feel really peaceful about it. Lucky for me because I have time to prepare and others don't get that luxury.

As for the Op, my Sister said not to have it, wait until I can't see then do it...yanno cos there isn't anything to lose and I am listening to her first and foremost now..

reply to post by AsuspiciousMANappears


thx for your reply... I would have to say there is some mystery about being blind, like my Sister dreams and has even rang me concerned about a dream she has had and describes things..like my kitchen... now how could she know what my kitchen looks like? She has never seen it. Things like that cannot be explained. She doesn't eve have eyes.... sure you could say, a memory might replay in a dream but if a person has never seen things then how can that be?

cheers

Originally posted by Iamschist
What is happening to you is horrible, and completely useless as it is, I am so sorry. You are so right that we take things for granted, Thank you for reminding me of this. So many blessings in our lives and we just don't stop to think it could be different.

I wish you calm seas on your new journey. How wonderful your Sister will be there with you. My heart goes out to you both.

thx for your well wishes

I actually dreamt of the sea last night. weird but cool. I was in the air on a plane and had to navigate my way from there onto a boat and the sea was icey cold and rough but I did it and then I woke up.