Let's start with a little joke.
A blind man walks into a drug store with his seeing eye dog. Suddenly, he starts swinging the dog around and around his head. The pharmacist says "Excuse me, sir. Can I help you?" The blind man replies "No thank you, I'm just looking around."
Lest you think I am making a mockery of those with visual disabilities, let me first explain that,
1: I am one of those with a "visual disability" and therefore have been granted license to laugh at jokes about blind people, and,
2: I got great news last week at my annual optometrist appointment, which I thought I'd share.
The Good News is: My eyesight has not worsened in the past year. Many may find this a trivial thing, but for me, trivial it most certainly is not!
Ponder these numbers....
With contacts, my eyesight is: 20/150 in both eyes
Without contacts, my eysight is: 20/400 in both eyes
Legal Blindness: 20/200
As you can see, I'm mighty close to legal blindness. I figure, the longer I can avoid that inevitable number, the better! Thus, the good news!
I have had multiple comments, questions and humorous observations about my visual abilities (and the lack thereof) lately, and there's no time like the present to do a little explaining...
Time to slay the myths! Dispel the rumors! Rid confusion FOREVER!
THE FACTS ABOUT EMILY'S EYESIGHT
THE SITUATION: Stargardt's Disease--a retinal disease and form of Macular Degeneration that affects my central vision. In order to get this lifelong friend, one has to have 2 parents who carry the gene.
Thanks, Mom and Dad! :)
It usually starts becoming a pain in the ol' rear during late teendom, early adulthood. My body can't metabolize Vitamin K, so instead it makes fat deposits on my macula, which is responsible for central vision.
Yes, you too have a macula! May it stay lipid free!
( But I bet you can't say you have fat in your eye. Maybe I can blame this for any unwanted, hitchiking pounds? If only.)
There are only about 25,000 peple with Stargardt's worldwide.
(Hey, when you're lucky, you're lucky.)
DIAGNOSED: April 2001, 2 weeks before I got married (Christopher felt sorry for me and still married me ;)
WHAT MY FRIEND STARGARDT'S DOES TO MY EYESIGHT:
1. It is currently providing my car with nice, leisurely driving--nothing over 40 mph, no freeway or nighttime driving
2. It is currently asking that I read large print books, as normal 12 point font is much too small. I receive many comments about the close proximity of reading material to my face. :)
3. It is currently making you all a little fuzzy if you are farther than 5 feet away from me. I bet you wonder what you would look like fuzzy. Only the chosen few get the privilege of knwoing... :) (Don't worry, I won't make fun of you. Ha!)
So, if I happen to not recognize you right away, you can laugh and tell a good blind joke. I'm always looking for new material.
4. It makes my eyes ultra-sensitive to the sun. I don't wear sunglasses all the time because I think I'm a superstar.... ;)
5. In summary, my good friend, Stargardt's, has decded I don't need to read words on the largest of movie screens, clearly see menus at restaurants, notice details of anything or anyone from a far distance (far being defined as approx. 5 feet!), and read aanything but the first 2 lines of the eye chart.
For added visual interest (note: attempting a pun), the world as I see it will look something like this:
How likely is it that I'll lose my eyesight completely? Hmmm...hard to say. Like anything else, only time will tell. As it stands right now, I am "scheduled" to hit 20/200 in both eyes and stabilize. There's a possibility of color loss, since Stargardt's can affect the cones of the eye.
(See future post on painting of the basement. You can decide for yourself if I've completely lost it.)
Most popular question: Is it treatable/is there a cure. Answer to both: a simple, yet resounding, no. :)
And there you have it.
The story behind my squinting, books practically perching on my face and my inability to travel about as I please!
Phew. Now it's all out in the open. Well, most of it, anyway. There is ONE little thing....
I have supersonic hearing.
No, really.
You know what they say....one of the body's senses drops the ball and the others pick up the slack. My hearing has stepped up to the task, jumped into overdrive and overcompensated. I am like a bat or an owl...or some other kind of creature with superb auditory skills.
If you need any eavesdropping done, call me. :)
5 comments:
I had no idea Emily! I have bad eyesight too but as far as I know nothing more than that.
And I'm sure Bennett will love that you have supersonic hearing when he's a teenager. He won't be able to get away with anything!
Wow. Goes to show you never know what someone is going through.
I, too, have terrible eyesight but don't have to suffer from such a difficult disease. I only know that I measure a -15.75 (no idea what that number means) and that my glasses are Coke bottles. However, my eyesight seems to have stabilized. Just don't ask me to identify anything without my contacts/glasses. It's a blurry world under those circumstances.
I hope your eyesight stabilizes and you don't have to struggle further sight loss.
And sorry. I don't have any good blind jokes. Congrats on the supersonic hearing. That's awesome!
I know what poor vision is like, but terrible vision...I have no clue. Mine was fixed with Lasik. So sorry you can't have a quick fix!
Hopefully I look really skinny and fetching to you!
"I see," says the blind man as he pees into the wind,"it's all coming back to me!"
Emily, you crazy girl. I knew you were special but being one of 25,000 out of 6 billion people is pretty amazing. Now you really have some explaining to do about why your house is decorated so cute if you have such bad eyesight. Whose your designer? Spit it out. Are you just making this up for attention? Teasin'. You are so great Emily, I hope the condition doesn't worsen.
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