What Steps Can I Take?

Here are some suggestions:

STEP 1: Grief

Be assured that all the emotions you are going through are normal. The depression, the anger, the rebellion, the denial, the frustration. Allow yourself to experience these emotions. Accept the fact that you must go through this process. Think of it as a grieving process. In a sense, you ARE grieving. You are grieving the loss of your vision. This is very real. This is very devastating. Everybody in the world can tell you that everything is going to be fine. Guess what? Everything is NOT going to be fine. All your sighted family and friends do NOT understand what you are going through. They mean well, but they just don’t understand. These feelings are very real and you are allowed to have them. This doesn’t mean you have to lash out at everyone. These feelings can be very private. The important point here is to know that it is OK to have these feelings. Accept these feelings as part of the process. Everyone who has been diagnosed with an eye condition that may cause vision loss goes through this process. Let it happen.

STEP 2: Gratitude

Regardless of whether you are at the early stage of vision loss and your daily routine has not been affected too much or whether your daily routine has been severely impacted by vision loss, focus on the vision you DO have. Be grateful that you CAN still see something. Any vision is better than no vision at all.

If you have lost total vision in one eye but have vision in the other, be grateful for the vision in your one "good" eye.

Even if you have lost all functional vision in both eyes, be grateful that you HAD vision. You know what colors are, you know what a sunset looks like. You can relate to all things visual.

The key to success is to have gratitude for what you have and not to dwell on what you have lost.

This process does not come easily. It takes constant effort. Get in a habit of saying, "Thank God I can ……." This sense of gratitude will move you quickly through STEP 1.

Another great tool to use in this step is the Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.

Read this backwards: Have the wisdom to know the difference between what you can change (which is yourself) and what you can not change (that means people, places and things); then you can ask for the courage to change the things you can (yourself and how you deal with your vision loss) and the serenity to accept the things you can not change (your vision loss).

STEP 3: Research

If your vision loss is not yet severe enough that it interferes with your daily activities, you probably do not have to make any major adjustments. But you can’t help but be wondering what’s going to happen down the road.

Consider yourself very fortunate and take this opportunity to learn about your eye condition and what steps others who have walked your path have taken to cope with their vision loss. For example, learn about assistive devices that are available to those who are visually challenged.

How?

Check the resource section of this web site to learn about organizations that provide information on various eye conditions. For example, the National Eye Institute’s website (www.nei.nih.gov) is a wonderful resource for different eye diseases and research that is on-going. Order catalogs from national vendors that sell assistive devices (again, check the resource section of this site). You will find optical aids (magnifiers, etc.) as well as non-optical aids (check-writing guide, talking watches, etc.) Learning about these assistive devices now will better prepare you for when they just might come in handy. Be convinced that if there is a task you want to perform, there is a way to do it--even if you are visually challenged.

STEP 4: Low Vision Evaluation

If your vision loss is at the point where it is interfering with your daily activities, such as reading a newspaper or setting the time on a microwave, then it’s time to consider a Low Vision Evaluation. This is an eye exam that is usually performed by an optometrist who specializes in rehabilitating patients with vision loss. This exam focuses on the functional impact of your vision loss. Through this exam, a low vision specialist can first counsel you on how your eye condition is impacting on your ability to read, drive a car or even walk around safely. You will have an opportunity to explore various strategies from glasses, magnifiers, and telescopes to environmental modifications and non-optical devices designed to maximize your vision functioning. Many of these optical devices will require a prescription and are not available "over the counter". In some cases, special technology like large print software and closed circuit televisions might be recommended. Or a customized visual aid built into glasses called bioptics or microscopes.

This Low Vision Evaluation will also provide you with other resources that may benefit your very specific situation. Referrals for state rehabilitation programs, vocational rehabilitation programs, and applications for resources for the visually challenged are also available through the low vision specialist.

Bringing along specific examples of the type of activities that you are having difficulty seeing is also helpful during a low vision evaluation. For example, samples of documents you need to see at work, manuals, sheet music, or even craft activities will help the low vision specialist more accurately assess your needs.

Your eye care professional who diagnosed your specific eye condition should be able to provide you with the name of a good Low Vision Evaluation specialist. This is what you should expect from this exam:

• An eye exam to check your current condition and observe any unique changes.
• Testing of your functional abilities, such as distance vision, close-up vision and field vision.
• Discussion of your current activities and what activities you particularly want to continue performing.
• Discussion and demonstration of specific optical devices recommended for your specific situations.
• Prescription and purchasing options for these recommended devices.
• Follow-up training on the use of these recommended devices that have been acquired.
• Recommendations and referrals to other resources that may be appropriate for you.
• Recommendation and criteria for follow-up visits. This would include events to be aware of that would prompt a follow-up visit.

STEP 5: Support Groups

Support groups are not for everyone. However, there are many different support groups for those who are visually challenged and it is suggested that you try out a few of them in your area.

In the resources area of this web site, you will find support groups for people with macular degeneration, support groups for employed or employable people who are visually challenged, groups for senior citizens, groups for all ages, etc.

These groups offer different benefits for different people. For someone who is in the early stages of adapting to vision loss, a primary benefit from a support group is realizing that you are not alone. It is comforting to hear and see others who are experiencing or have experienced what you are currently going through.

You will also realize that these visually challenged individuals who, in terms of visual ability, may be a lot worse off than you, are actually leading very successful and "normal" lives. You will witness living proof that it really can be done! Attending these support groups may provide you the tools to speed up your "grieving" process.

There are other benefits from support groups:

• Learning how others who are visually challenged adapt to their vision loss.
• Learning about the latest in technology and other assistive devices that empower those who are visually challenged.
• Learning the latest in medical research and what’s coming in the future.
• Meeting others with similar interests who understand your challenges.
• Discovering what you can do to improve the lives of others who are visually challenged.

If you attend one support group and find that it’s not for you, please try another one. Each group has its own personality and purpose and you are sure to find one that fits you, even if it’s only temporary.

STEP 6: Your Destiny

The one prerequisite you need in order to determine your destiny is the belief that you are no different from anybody else. This isn’t just an intellectual belief. You have to actually "see" yourself as no different from anybody else. You are not less of a person because you are visually challenged. You are not less intelligent. You are not less worthy. You are not less useful. You have to believe that the only difference between you and your sighted friends is that you have to do some things differently. Your participation in life can be just as intense and as active as you want it to be. But the key to all of this is viewing yourself equal (and maybe even better) than the rest of society!

This is not an easy process. This requires determination and persistence. This requires a belief that you have a power within yourself to successfully adapt to any challenges that come your way.

You have a very critical choice to make: You can either meet this challenge of vision loss and be willing to do whatever it takes to successfully achieve your goals; or you can resign yourself to a life of dependency and subsidy and not expect much in life. The choice you make will determine your future—it’s that critical!

Some of you may say, "Why should I bother?"

The answer is, "Why not?" Your choice is to either really live or essentially die!

Society generally views those who are visually challenged as pitiful, in need of subsidy, in need of "charity" jobs and certain benefits. All this is done in the name of society feeling they are being compassionate and offering those who are visually challenged an opportunity to be "productive members of society". Many who are visually challenged feel this is the best they deserve or can expect. They truly feel that they should be grateful for whatever job they can get. They feel that society is being "kind" to them by providing subsidy. They may even feel society owes them. They are grateful for the services many agencies provide as generous. All of these things are provided in the name of "improving the quality of life" or "maintaining independence and productivity". Many visually challenged people feel that, because of their disability of vision loss, that they are entitled to these "benefits". What visually challenged people do not realize is that they themselves are often reinforcing society’s view of them as "helpless".

OUTA Sight’s philosophy is that those of us who are visually challenged have the same level of intelligence and skills as anyone else. We just do some things a little differently. We do not want to be treated or viewed differently or less capable. We want to be judged by the same standards as anyone else. Yes, we may need certain special accommodations in certain specific situations, but in reality, all of us are provided with accommodations that make our lives easier. All of us have gadgets that make performance of various tasks easier. Assistive devices for the visually challenged is nothing more than another gadget.

It is OUTA Sight’s experience that those who view themselves as equal members of society, in turn, are viewed by others as equal and treated no differently. Those who expect equal treatment get equal treatment in return. How we view ourselves determines how we are viewed by others.

Because of this positive attitude towards ourselves, we find ourselves in a position to achieve whatever goals we desire. This does not mean that it’s easy, that there are no obstacles. But the obstacles and challenges we have to face are actually no different than the obstacles and challenges anyone else has to face.

Even though vision loss may appear to be an insurmountable obstacle, there are too many examples where visually challenged people have overcome these challenges. Each of us has the power to do this. In the OUTA Sight newsletters to members of this web site, you will be reading about the many visually challenged individuals who are proof that determination and persistence are the ingredients that empower those who are visually challenged to achieve their destiny.

Want to know how to do this? A great suggestion is to read Anthony Robbins’ Awaken the Giant Within. This book provides you with a wonderful step-by-step process to learn about yourself and the power you have within yourself to determine your destiny. If you really want to develop the determination and persistence needed for success, this book will be a great starting point! Go for it!

No matter what age you are, do not think of your life as being over. All of us have observed individuals who have overcome extraordinary obstacles. There is no reason why you can’t do the same. Again, it takes determination and persistence and the willingness to do whatever it takes. You will feel much better about yourself, and others will appreciate your special, unique gifts and talents.

OUTA Sight provides a toll-free Information and Referral Service (1-800-499-OUTA) Right now, our referral service primarily covers the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. But gradually, we will be expanding this service nationwide.