Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Looking for input on my blind fantasy-fiction character (self.Blind)
submitted by Naposie38
Hi all! I was so pleased to find that this reddit and read through some posts. I have looked at other 'writing a blind character' threads but I did not find the answers or opinions I was looking for.
My character (let's call him Bob because he doesn't have a name just yet) has been blind since birth. But, he's not completely blind in the usual fictional sense. I think he can make out general shapes, like say someone's head but maybe not their features. (I could be wrong in my thinking there so tell me if I am!)
Mainly Bob is very light sensitive. He would certainly need protective sunglasses in the sunny fantasy world in which he lives. I could find little information on the pain associated with extreme light sensitivity, like what it would feel like if he forgot his sunglasses. I assume yes and that he would keep the lights low in his home but I'm not sure.
Also, I am curious about the 'enhanced other senses' bit that I came across while clicking through Google. As an example with hearing, Bob lives in a communal town that is largely inhabited by musicians. Would this mean that he is able to hear more than his sighted counterparts? Google gave me a lot of answers and I am not sure what to believe.
In all honesty, Bob is really just a normal guy who does normal things. Actually, not really. He's quite brilliant, the best academic mind my world has so he's awesome. I just want to make sure, in those couple of times that his sight comes into the narrative, that he is portrayed correctly. Thank you for any input you may have.
My character (let's call him Bob because he doesn't have a name just yet) has been blind since birth. But, he's not completely blind in the usual fictional sense. I think he can make out general shapes, like say someone's head but maybe not their features. (I could be wrong in my thinking there so tell me if I am!)
Mainly Bob is very light sensitive. He would certainly need protective sunglasses in the sunny fantasy world in which he lives. I could find little information on the pain associated with extreme light sensitivity, like what it would feel like if he forgot his sunglasses. I assume yes and that he would keep the lights low in his home but I'm not sure.
Also, I am curious about the 'enhanced other senses' bit that I came across while clicking through Google. As an example with hearing, Bob lives in a communal town that is largely inhabited by musicians. Would this mean that he is able to hear more than his sighted counterparts? Google gave me a lot of answers and I am not sure what to believe.
In all honesty, Bob is really just a normal guy who does normal things. Actually, not really. He's quite brilliant, the best academic mind my world has so he's awesome. I just want to make sure, in those couple of times that his sight comes into the narrative, that he is portrayed correctly. Thank you for any input you may have.
KillerLag 2 points 6y ago
Is Bob a drow?
It sounds more like your character is low-vision. The enhanced senses thing isn't a natural phenomemon, it occurs because someone uses their other senses more. Children generally pick it up easily because that is what they were presented with at birth, but older adults may need training to teach them what to focus on and how to interpret that.
For someone living in a town that is largely filled with musicians, they may not even need vision loss to be able to pick out details such as what instrument is making what music, simply because of exposure.
It should be noted that while the white cane was introduced after the First World War, people had been using shepherd's staves and sticks for to help find their way since biblical times.
It sounds more like your character is low-vision. The enhanced senses thing isn't a natural phenomemon, it occurs because someone uses their other senses more. Children generally pick it up easily because that is what they were presented with at birth, but older adults may need training to teach them what to focus on and how to interpret that.
For someone living in a town that is largely filled with musicians, they may not even need vision loss to be able to pick out details such as what instrument is making what music, simply because of exposure.
It should be noted that while the white cane was introduced after the First World War, people had been using shepherd's staves and sticks for to help find their way since biblical times.
Naposie38 [OP] 2 points 6y ago
Sadly he isn't. There are no elves in my world. :(
Low-vision would be the best way to describe him now that I'm reading more. Photophobia in particular seems to describe what I've been thinking of in particular. After reading some AMAs of those who have been blind from birth, many mention that they think the reason they may be able to hear better is simply because more attention is focused on it, which makes a lot of sense really.
I hadn't considered a cane actually but that could be an interesting detail to his character. A shepherd's stave is particular is a very striking image for a reader. Thanks for your thoughts!
Low-vision would be the best way to describe him now that I'm reading more. Photophobia in particular seems to describe what I've been thinking of in particular. After reading some AMAs of those who have been blind from birth, many mention that they think the reason they may be able to hear better is simply because more attention is focused on it, which makes a lot of sense really.
I hadn't considered a cane actually but that could be an interesting detail to his character. A shepherd's stave is particular is a very striking image for a reader. Thanks for your thoughts!
KillerLag 2 points 6y ago
Photophobia is fairly common with many eye conditions, as the eye has trouble regulating how much light enters the eye. Historically, the solution to that was squinting and large brimmed hats (or staying inside). However, sunglasses have been used since the 12th century, and possibly even earlier (similiar to snow goggles).
One thing to that may matter is contrast. When there is strong contrast, it is easier for things to visually stick out (imagine a black dot on a white wall, as opposed to a light grey dot on a white wall). That works both ways, too (the green grass strongly contrasts next to a grey sidwalk, but after a bit of snow, everything is white and it becomes much more difficult to identify the sidewalk). Another common travel issue is misinterpreting what they can see. When someone is walking on the sidwalk and see a large black shape on the sidewalk, it may look like a hole to them, or it may just be some asphalt used to patch a hole.
One thing to that may matter is contrast. When there is strong contrast, it is easier for things to visually stick out (imagine a black dot on a white wall, as opposed to a light grey dot on a white wall). That works both ways, too (the green grass strongly contrasts next to a grey sidwalk, but after a bit of snow, everything is white and it becomes much more difficult to identify the sidewalk). Another common travel issue is misinterpreting what they can see. When someone is walking on the sidwalk and see a large black shape on the sidewalk, it may look like a hole to them, or it may just be some asphalt used to patch a hole.
ravenshadow2013 1 points 6y ago
as a Visually impaired person who is light sensitive i can tell you that being in bright light makes my eyes feel like they are going to explode there is a sharp searing pain as my eyes try to adjust to the light , to long in it and i get screaming migraines. As for other senses i seem to be able to hear a little better than other people and i can see better at night than most of the people i know
Naposie38 [OP] 1 points 6y ago
Thank you for your response. That really helps me know how it would feel for Bob to go out into the world. I have read about increased hearing but I didn't see anything about night vision. That's really interesting! :)
ravenshadow2013 1 points 6y ago
yeah thats what my eye doctor said as well but in very low light i do very well even better than some of my sighted friends if you want to do a little more research you might look up ONH on youtube there are some great vids (optic nerve hypoplasia)
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