Imagine a different life. Imagine having to depend on others to drive you where you want and need to go. Imagine being unable to read, even with glasses, or see the television well enough to follow the action taking place. Imagine being unable to see the faces of your loved ones and friends. Imagine being unable to see beyond a small area about as large as a straw opening. Imagine moving through a very foggy world and being unable to see beautiful scenery or vibrant colors. Imagine living in a world of darkness.
Millions of people in the United States live with at least one of these scenarios, and of that number, several live in northwest Tennessee. The Northwest Tennessee Low Vision Support Group meets quarterly in Martin as a means of sharing information, giving encouragement, sharing frustrations, and sharing funny stories. The Sept. 26 meeting included representatives from Tennessee Low Vision in Nashville who brought devices for attendees to try to find help in their daily lives.
According to the National Federation of the Blind, approximately 1.3 million people in the U.S. are labeled “blind” or “legally blind.” The 2017 CDC report findings reveal around six million more living with vision loss, meaning they have visual acuity of 20/40 to just under 20/200 in the better eye while wearing corrective lenses. Visual acuity is the measurement of someone’s ability to see detail of objects. Normal vision is seeing 20/20.
To simplify the numbers, let’s say Malachi has a visual acuity of 20/2, meaning he has normal vision. His sister has a VA of 20/200. This means that what Malachi can see from 200 feet away, she cannot see it until she is as close as 20 feet from what he is viewing. Corrective lenses enable her to see normally, but sometimes corrective lenses don’t help. These people fall into the visually impaired community.
With more than ten million diagnosed in the U.S., age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 60. This condition tends to run in families, although it is not unusual for a sufferer to have no family history of AMD. Inherited conditions caused by genetic mutations, strokes, accidents, cornea problems, glaucoma, and diabetes are just a few of the other causes of partial or total blindness.
Members of the VIP (visually impaired persons) community will tell you blindness is a spectrum and unique to each person affected by vision loss that cannot be corrected with glasses or surgery. Estimates are between 10 and 15 percent of people considered blind live in a world of no light perception. The remaining 85 to 90 percent are identified as “legally blind,” a condition determined by various tests, including but not limited to field vision tests, scans, and visual acuity assessments. Someone who cannot read with their best eye and with glasses or contact lenses the “E” on the Snellen chart qualifies as legally blind. Notice the stipulation: with their best eye while wearing corrective lenses. People who can’t see the large “E” without corrective lenses but can do so while wearing them do not qualify.
October is Blindness Awareness Month, its purpose being to make the sighted community aware of what it is to be blind or legally blind. When an adult loses the ability to drive, read, and do some hobbies, the condition can be devastating. Frustration, anger, and depression are common emotional responses to the life-altering change in their lives. It can take months or years to adapt to a new normal, but thanks to tools like tactile (bump) dots, low vision cooking aids that can be purchased online, and assistive technology, they can learn to do old things in new ways and remain independent.
A resource in our area is the STAR Center located in Jackson. This non-profit group offers orientation and mobility training as well as assistive technology training. The visually impaired can learn how to use voice features on smart devices, use free apps, and more. Audio books can be accessed on a smart device by downloading the Libby app (Tennessee Reads) offered through a local library, and watching television may be as simple as moving a chair closer or using an iPad to watch favorite programs.
As devastating as vision loss can be, there is hope. There is also support. Anyone interested in the local support group may ask to join the West Tennessee Low Vision Support Group on Facebook or reach out to Pam Watts Harris via Facebook messenger.