Q: Do you think they’ll ever find a cure for being visually impaired? A: Nothing is impossible, but it seems unlikely that a one size fits all cure would ever come about since visual impairment takes many forms and has many causes which are interesting things for doctors to study. …
Q: Is your social life awkward? A: I don’t think so, but I suppose it depends on who you talk to. I suppose the most awkward part of it is when I see someone I’ve met before but I don’t recognize them, even after they’ve recognized me already and I…
Q: What’s it like living day to day with low vision? A: I can try to describe it to you, but the truth of the matter is that you won’t fully understand unless you have low vision going on in your own life. The truth is that my life is…
Q: Would you ever consider getting laser surgery? A: Of course I’ve thought of it. However, laser surgery does not fix everyone’s myopic problems. Therefore my actual answer would have to be no. For many people who ask me this question, my answer surprises them. There are many variables to…
Q: What does it mean to be legally blind? A: The most understandable definition of the term legally blind is a person who’s vision acuity is 20/200 or worse with glasses.* This does not mean that the person in question cannot see anything at all. There’s a whole spectrum of…
Q: Can you cook? A: As much as it would make sense to start with a different question, this is invariably one of the first questions I ever get asked after people find out I’m legally blind. This first and then, something like what on earth does it mean to…
It’s always good to have more than one writing project going on. -22 will explore the interesting questions I get when people ask me about my vision. Since it’s both a Q&A I will also provide answers, and explain things to the best of my ability. This should be another…
It’s always interesting to see how people will react to my vision problems. Some ask stupid questions, while others while try to help me too much. I remember the first time I went kayaking. The well meaning instructor knew I was legally blind, however she did not understand the vast…
“I notice your glasses are thick,” she said as she passed by me in the lobby of my local library. “Do you have a problem with your eyes?” “Yes, I can see things close up, but as they get farther away it becomes more challenging.” I didn’t want to get…
For the record, I am what they call “legally blind.” I can still see, but my prescription is very strong so getting glasses becomes like an election campaign where I go to several different vendors to see who can give me the best deal. Now that you have all the…