Tracy Stine - Navigating Life with Low Vision: Adjusting and Coping with Vision Loss

By

Tracy Stine

Copyright 2017 by Tracy Stine

All rights reserved. This book or any portionthereof

may not be reproduced or used in any mannerwhatsoever

without the express written permission of thepublisher

except for the use of brief quotations in a bookreview.

Published by Tracy Stine

You, or someone you know, has been diagnosedwith Low Vision and dont know where to start? Youve come to theright place. I have been Deaf and legally blind with low visionsince birth. What better place to learn than from someone whos hadover forty-five years of living with it?

Ive had severe myopia since birth, first with20/400 vision and then, as a teenager, I had cataract surgery whichcorrected it to 20/200. But the strongest prescription glasses canonly correct my vision to 20/100. Now in my late 40s, Ive beenhappily married to my husband and have two children, a boy andgirl, who are now teenagers. They all can see and hear fine, or arehearing/sighted as we call them in the Deafblind world.

Most of the advice and tricks in this e-book aretried and true as I have used these myself. I think theres nobetter learning resource than from someone whos been there - donethat.

Youll find more resources and my storieson my website - Confessions of a Deafblind Mother at www.deafblindconfessions.com .

You can contact me through my website orby e-mail at withany questions you may have, or any specific information you arelooking for.

Low Vision describes any visual impairment thatcannot be fully corrected with glasses, contacts, medication, orsurgery.

These include:

- Corrected visual acuity of 20/70 or worse.Which means that glasses cant fix it any stronger than 20/70.

- Vision field loss, which includes: loss ofperipheral vision (tunnel vision); loss of central vision; nightblindness; and blind spots.

- Contrast Sensitivity, not being able to detectdifferences between objects and their backgrounds, such as a whiteplate setting on a white table.

- Trouble recognizing people, especially thoseof family and friends.

- Light sensitivity, rooms seem darker, are toobright, sensitive to glare, or it takes longer for your eyes toadjust from light to dark or vice versa.

To sum it up, its a loss of eyesight that makesit difficult to do everyday tasks such as reading, writing,close-up work, and a multitude of other situations.

Causes of Low Vision are varied and can befrom:

- Cataracts

- Macular Degeneration

- Diabetic Retinopathy

- Glaucoma

- Retinitis Pigmentosa

- Disease (such as Stargardts, albinism, andRetinopathy of Prematurity)

- Medication

- Injury

- Genetics (such as Ushers Syndrome, OpticNeuropathy)

Ok, so you think its just bad eyesight andyou think you can just get a magnifying glass and youll bealright.

But having low vision challenges so much morethan just the occasional bumping into things and squinting at smallprint.

Losing some of your vision has such an emotionalpunch and your may have a variety of reactions and thoughts suchas:

Losing my independence. I feel that I wont be able to do the most basic thingsanymore and everyone will have to do things for me.

Losing myprivacy . I feel that someone else will have to do mybanking and pay my bills and theyll know everything about menow.

Losing myself-confidence . Ive never had to depend on someoneelse before, Im a burden on others now.

Losing my job .With low vision, Ill have to quit my job, now how will I supportmyself or my family?

Losing lovedones . I feel that Ill lose family and friends becausewho wants to be around me now.

Also consider the fact that family andfriends may feel this way too and want to take over and doeverything for you. My advice is DONT let them! The more you do things foryourself, the better youll feel about yourself. Sure, itll befrustrating at first, but the sense of accomplishment afterwardswill feel so great!

Believe me, it once took me over 15 tries tohang a picture with a keyhole hanger onto a tiny nail. At first, mydad wanted to take it away from me and do it for me but I balkedand persisted at it until I got it! Yay me!

Some people, not everyone, will go throughvarying stages of grief. Its understandable; youve lostsomething youve known all your life - your vision.

These stages can include:

Denial - Thedoctors wrong, Ill get better.

Anger - lashingout, either at objects or at people.

Regret - if onlywe saw the doctor sooner, maybe we couldve saved myeyesight.

Depression -refuse to accept the circumstances

Acceptance -finally accept it and move on with your life.

These cycles can repeat themselves as youmay encounter a new set-back. So please consider these emotions,take them seriously, and discuss them with family and friends. Doseek out local agencies that serve people with low vision. Many ofthese organizations have meetings and support groups where you canmeet others coping with the same thing. You can find some agencyand group listings on the VisionAware website. If the emotionsare severe and you feel overwhelmed or feel that youre headinginto a depression, please seek counseling!

Im here to tell you that as a person withlow vision we CAN doeverything independently and MORE ! We'll do it a different way, and it maytake longer to do it, but well get it done! Sure, we'll need alittle "help" once in a while, but we can still be independent,adventurous and have a great time.

This chapter will cover several ways of gettingaround - on your own in your home or someone else's home, using asighted guide, using a white cane, and other options for gettingaround outside your home.

Getting Around Alone

There might be times where youll bealone in a familiar or unfamiliar place. For instance, entering adark room, or during a power blackout.

First thing to do is to shuffle your feet, thislessens the chance of tripping. Hold one arm out horizontally athead height to protect your face from objects, and then use theother arm to make a slow sweeping motion at waist level to findobjects. Slowly walk to where you need to go. Just remember to goslow and use gentle movements.

Maybe its just walking down a dimly litcorridor or hallway. I use whats called trailing a lot. Itsbasically a technique where youre parallel to a wall; touch thewall with the back of your hand and slightly ahead of you. Walkslowly, feeling the way as you trail along your walk. This helpsfind doorways, objects, keeps you going straight, and gives a senseof place and security too.

Using a SightedGuide

You mayfeel more comfortable walking with someone who can see and guideyou around. This would be helpful in the beginning of your visionloss when you're uncertain of your skills yet.

Hold your sighted guide just above the elbow, orif you prefer, hold onto their shoulder. That way youre half astep behind and can feel the direction your guide is moving.

The rest if this chapter is directed to yoursighted guide and how they can help you get around.

Stairs - Whenapproaching stairs or curbs, inform the person whether they go upor down, and then inform them when its the last stair. Also, youcan put your guiding hand on the handrail for them to use andswitch sides, but dont lose physical contact with them. Aftertheyve grabbed the railing, slide your hand across their back anddown the other arm gently to let them know where you are and thenoffer your hand to their free hand on the other side.

Narrow Spaces -If the space is too narrow to walk side by side, pull your elbowbehind your back, if theyre holding your arm, that signals them tostart walking behind you, then pull your arm forward when itsclear to walk side by side again. If theyre holding your shoulder,just inform them to move behind, then tell them when its clear towalk side by side again.