Since she spent some time the other day talking about some of her experiences with the public as a blind person, Gill is back to tell you how much she can actually see. But contrary to what she says below, Carin does have some usable vision. It’s helpful enough that she’s able to do things such as sort laundry or mistake the occasional fat person for a garbage can.
Here’s another opportunity to get to know your friend Ms. Gillie. I am, like Steve and Carin, visually impaired. Unlike them, however, I do have some usable eyesight. I have a condition called Axenfeld Syndrome, which means that while I was in my mother’s womb something went wrong with both my eyes. My left eye is rather weirdly shaped, and my right eye basically didn’t form. I also have Nystagmus, which has rendered me with an inability to focus my good eye for any longer than a second or two.
What Do I See?
Well, here’s where the situation turns on its head. I can read the numbers on a digital clock or microwave, however when I was first learning to read I learned braille. I see better on cloudy days, and see buildings and large objects from further away than I can people. I can see colors and shapes, and can recognize people’s expressions if I’m close enough.
How Do I Feel?
It is what it is, we all have something that’s a royal pain in the backside. Sometimes I’ll even forget for a second or two and nearly leave my cane behind.
Haha this reminds me of getting scolded for “not being very good at being blind.” I have forgotten my cane at other people’s houses/vehicles way too much. Have gotten really good at scavenging tree branches when out in the country because I’ve lost my cane (easy to do when you can’t see it, I guess… and odd that I have forgotten my pocket knife less as often.) The upside–it’s hilarious to hear the story about how someone dropped off my cane at the local store, pale with worry that a blind person got eaten by a bear–why else would there be a cane in the woods after all.
To join in, I’ll share: I lost my vision entirely by the age of 17 after retinal detachments and a lot of complications that prevented the surgeries from being successful. Zero usable vision these days.
I’ve never had usable vision, but even I forget my cane in places sometimes. Usually it’s cars, but now and then I’ll leave one in a house I’m familiar with if I’m getting a ride home from somebody I know rather than catching a bus or a cab. Generally I keep a back-up cane at home for times like that, but there was one time when I left one in my mom’s car and didn’t have a spare. I did get it back, but not before I had to go to a concert theatre with a borrowed one. It was Carin’s. Carin, for the sake of the new or forgetful people, is a shade more than a foot shorter than I am. It was completely ridiculous and I was surprised when not many people commented on it. Usually the helpful sighted folks can hardly restrain themselves from telling you all about things you obviously know and are shocked and surprised when you fail to react with either shock or surprise, but I made more fun of me than anyone else did that night.
I forgot about the short cane at a concert thing. And hahahahahahahaha about the person being afraid that blind folks were being eaten by a bear.