The world through my eyes

I get asked a lot on what I do and don’t see.  I guess it is kind of hard to really describe low vision in terms people can visualize.  For all that I can’t see I do see quite a bit.  Here is an example.  I was at the grocery store yesterday buying soup.  I stood under each aisle marker that hangs from above, like a menu at a café, until I located the soup. I no longer can see these signs from afar; I pretty much need to be within a few feet to read them.  I can see the sign, just not the writing on the sign. Then I make my way down to the shelves of soup. I can tell by the colors and labeling that there are Progresso and Campbell’s soups.  I cannot read any of the labels on the shelves or the cans that tell me the flavors of soup.  I either have someone help me, get out my magnifier, or get within a few inches of the cans. My overall field of view is quite large, it is just all the fine tune reading and detail vision that has been most affected. I don’t like to buy produce because of my blind spot; it makes all fruit look like it has bad spots on it.  There is a grayish black spot where the vision is gone.  Driving is the other common question I get.  I can see the street lights, I know what the traffic signs say from years of driving, and I can see cars and all things large.  Movement is a wonderful indicator to me as well.  I have stopped for two squirrels and one prairie dog since my vision tanked, so not to worry I will stop even though I can’t recognize you. I can’t see street names, license plate numbers, or faces of folks in their cars, on their bikes or out walking. I see colors and contrasts, however if there isn’t enough contrast I can miss things.  I can’t find a black stapler on a dark desk top.  There are certain things that are just too small in my world; one of them is my cell phone.  Anything about the size of my cell phone or smaller can get lost for months at time until I come across them again. It all has to do with distance from the object. For example if my cell phone is right in front of my keyboard on my desk, I see that it is there. Looking at a table top across the room, I may miss the phone all together. In the grand scheme of things, I can’t see anyone flipping me off, looking at me funny for a misunderstood comment or hair out of place, or any other visual cue that gives me a pulse on the general public’s mental state.  However, it can be downright maddening when I need to see something fast and don’t want to take the time to work at seeing it. Hopefully, that gives you a glimpse of my world through my eyes.