Bring your karma
Join the waitlist today
HUMBLECAT.ORG

Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2016 - 03 - 20 - ID#4ba2z7
4
Hello! My mom seems to be losing her eyesight and I don't know what to do as a son (self.Blind)
submitted by HelloPlzHelpMe
Hello Reddit!
I hope everyone is having a good day... Just like what the title said, my mom is going through a very tough time these days. Doctors cant really tell her exactly what the problem is but all we know is that it is a functional blindness where she can't really control her eyelids. Our entire family is having a hard time accepting this fact and no one really knows how to react to this... Any advice from the experiences or kind words would be helpful. Thank you....
romanj35 4 points 7y ago
You probably weren't asking the advice I'm about to give you but I can't stress it enough. As much as she might need to hear it, don't tell her she can't do x, y, or z again. The most important tool anyone can offer is support, not criticism. I used to love video games. I never hung my head and cried because I thought I'd never to get to play them again. Instead, my wife and I found ways to make it work. Turn based role playing games, older ones and some newer ones, from my past are one emulator or backward compatable device away.
I'll never be fully able to do the crossword puzzle ever again, or be a medical doctor. But there are things I can do, still do, or make work enough to make myself meet those goals again.
Support, loving support. Start with that, the rest will hopefully fall into place.
stereomatch 1 points 7y ago
She can't control her eyelids ? But she can see if the eyelids are kept open i.e. nothing wrong with her vision ?

If it is drooping eyelids - it may be indicative of a different condition (myasthenia gravis/ocular myasthenia) - related to thymus gland etc.
geoffisblind 1 points 7y ago
I'm sorry to hear that. I can offer a little bit of advice, but first if you don't mind offering your country, that often helps since suggestions can vary wildly based on where you are located in terms of getting support.

 

I am US based, so I'll let you know what I do here. The first thing is to get in touch with your Department of Social Services Rehabilitative Services for the Blind. They can set her up with a caseworker who can provide training and technology which can be helpful. The training you want to get her right away is Orientation and Mobility Training (O&M). This will be the fundamentals of traveling on a white cane which is absolutely (I cannot stress this enough) crucial to her maintaining independence. In addition to that they can work with her on using computers with screen readers like NVDA and JAWS as well as provide said software and equipment.

 

You can also look into non-profits in your area which may be able to supplement what the state can provide. The rest just comes down to maintaining composure. I'm sure your whole family is going to make it through this, it's an adjustment and it takes time to figure this out. I was born with my condition and it has taken as many years as I've been alive to get the whole legally blind/ low vision thing sort of figured out and I'm still learning. Your mom will figure it out though, the best thing you can do is be patient and help her through this. Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions.
epik_flip 1 points 7y ago
I agree with the above, although the timing of getting O&M training might have to come *after* some emotional support or therapy to deal with the grief of vision loss and the anxiety of not quite knowing the cause. I would highly suggest looking into family and individual therapy or a support group for your mother. This is a hard time and sometimes even offering white cane training or other classes might not be quite right just yet. Best wishes to OP and family.
This nonprofit website is run by volunteers.
Please contribute if you can. Thank you!
Our mission is to provide everyone with access to large-
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
©2023 HumbleCat Inc   •   HumbleCat is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Michigan, USA.