Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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What do I do if I wake up blind? (self.Blind)
submitted by southpawRED
Apologies if this is already a FAQ or if it comes across as insensitive to ask but it just occurred to me that if I were suddenly blind I don't know what my first move would be. Like probably getting to an eye doctor...but let's say I live alone and can't necessarily shout for help getting there? Some people have emergency plans for most situations but what about this one? How would I suddenly go about adapting to no longer having sight?
Vaelian 2 points 6y ago
Hey Siri! Call mom on speakerphone!
southpawRED [OP] 1 points 6y ago
Oh for crying out loud...
Yeah, obviously. But what if you can't find your phone because, you know, BLIND?
Yeah, obviously. But what if you can't find your phone because, you know, BLIND?
Vaelian 1 points 6y ago
That's why I'd say "Hey Siri" instead of pressing the home button. All iPhones since the 6S and including the SE respond to "Hey Siri" without needing to physically press the home button, and all iPhones since the 4S respond to "Hey Siri" while charging as long as that option is enabled in settings.
awesomesaucesaywhat 1 points 6y ago
This was my first thought too! Calling mom is the answer to almost any crisis.
SoManyShades 2 points 6y ago
My childhood self says you should occasionally put on a blindfold and walk around the house knocking things over and when your mother asks why, tell her you're preparing in case you go blind.
Common sense says that this is incredibly unlikely to happen, but if it did, you could probably just use voice to navigate your smartphone to call someone. All I would have to do is say, "Hey Siri, call Mom."
I suppose if you're REALLY dedicated to preparedness, you could start learning echolocation?
Common sense says that this is incredibly unlikely to happen, but if it did, you could probably just use voice to navigate your smartphone to call someone. All I would have to do is say, "Hey Siri, call Mom."
I suppose if you're REALLY dedicated to preparedness, you could start learning echolocation?
southpawRED [OP] 1 points 6y ago
The suggestion to use Siri occurred to me but what if you didn't have that at your disposal? What if you couldn't find your phone?
Fange_Strellow 2 points 6y ago
I really wouldn't worry about this one. It is very unlikely it will happen.
southpawRED [OP] 1 points 6y ago
Oh I'm not worried, I have a whole plan for how I would incorporate being blind into my personality and hopefully make the most of it. I do standup comedy and I feel like I could kill as a blind comic.
I was simply interested in the logistics of it.
I was simply interested in the logistics of it.
KillerLag 1 points 6y ago
Rather than working on learning how to deal with a (fairly) unlikely situation, it would be better to work on problem solving skills generally. Very few conditions would lead to sudden blindness without any warning.
Statistically, you would be much more likely (depending on country, age and health) to have a heart attack or a stroke.
In the case you lose only your vision but retain your other facilities, you will likely be panicking and trying to figure out what is happening. Best procedure is to shout for help from people in the immediate area. If that doesn't help, locate your phone. Using your residual memory, activate it to lock screen. For Androids, there is a button near the bottom middle for calling emergency, Apple phones have it in the lower left. Contact emergency services and have them come, and work on it from there.
Statistically, you would be much more likely (depending on country, age and health) to have a heart attack or a stroke.
In the case you lose only your vision but retain your other facilities, you will likely be panicking and trying to figure out what is happening. Best procedure is to shout for help from people in the immediate area. If that doesn't help, locate your phone. Using your residual memory, activate it to lock screen. For Androids, there is a button near the bottom middle for calling emergency, Apple phones have it in the lower left. Contact emergency services and have them come, and work on it from there.
wwwhooosh 1 points 6y ago
There is a 2008 movie called blindness. It is excellent. My father woke up blind. It is a condition called NAION and I share the condition. There is a membrane surrounding the optic nerve that most people have a gap that I do not. It is the most common form of blindness in the elderly. It is assumed that low blood pressure as you sleep is a trigger.
He woke up and drove himself to his opthomoloit He remembers how he could have done this given the degree of his affliction. I owned a home nearby to help my folks and I wished he had called me.
Viagra specifically can result in This. It raises your blood pressure during its time then causes a very low blood pressure as you sleep. My pop did not use viagra.
Aside from the genetic condition, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and Diabetes contribute to the condition.
He woke up and drove himself to his opthomoloit He remembers how he could have done this given the degree of his affliction. I owned a home nearby to help my folks and I wished he had called me.
Viagra specifically can result in This. It raises your blood pressure during its time then causes a very low blood pressure as you sleep. My pop did not use viagra.
Aside from the genetic condition, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and Diabetes contribute to the condition.
KillerLag 3 points 6y ago
It isn't the most common form of blindness for the elderly, that would be macular degeneration (in developed countries) or cataracts (for third world countries).
"NAION affects between 2.3 and 10.3 people per 100,000 individuals per year making it the most common cause of acute optic neuropathy in patients over the age of 50"
http://eyewiki.aao.org/Non-Arteritic_Anterior_Ischemic_Optic_Neuropathy_(NAION)#Risk_Factors
For Macular degeneration, the numbers are between 140 per 100,000 to 66 per 100,000.
"NAION affects between 2.3 and 10.3 people per 100,000 individuals per year making it the most common cause of acute optic neuropathy in patients over the age of 50"
http://eyewiki.aao.org/Non-Arteritic_Anterior_Ischemic_Optic_Neuropathy_(NAION)#Risk_Factors
For Macular degeneration, the numbers are between 140 per 100,000 to 66 per 100,000.
fastfinge 1 points 6y ago
Learn your way around your bedroom. You can probably already get to the bathroom in the dark just fine, when you wake up in the middle of the night and need to go. So just learn how to get to the nearest phone and call someone.
The more interesting question, to me, is what if everyone in the world all wakes up blind, all at once? Kind of a _Day of the Triffids_ situation in the modern world. At first blush, my pride tells me to say that because I was already born blind, I'd be just fine! But obviously that's not true. I'd be just fine for about 7 days, until the power went out, and the generator was out of fuel, and I needed more food. How would I prepare for a world where everyone else was suddenly blind, too? Would I and other blind folks be able to help rebuild society? Where would we start? How long would it take? I have no answer for these questions, but they're interesting speculation.
The more interesting question, to me, is what if everyone in the world all wakes up blind, all at once? Kind of a _Day of the Triffids_ situation in the modern world. At first blush, my pride tells me to say that because I was already born blind, I'd be just fine! But obviously that's not true. I'd be just fine for about 7 days, until the power went out, and the generator was out of fuel, and I needed more food. How would I prepare for a world where everyone else was suddenly blind, too? Would I and other blind folks be able to help rebuild society? Where would we start? How long would it take? I have no answer for these questions, but they're interesting speculation.
awesomesaucesaywhat 3 points 6y ago
I would try to barricade myself inside Costco. Food, water, toiletries, couches, médecine all at hand in a grid pattern.
fastfinge 1 points 6y ago
Good idea, but how will you get there? If everyone goes blind, no buses are running, and nobody could drive you. It could be a several days long walk!
awesomesaucesaywhat 2 points 6y ago
Hmmm I'm not big on walking for days. Maybe find a sighted person and borrow a tandem bike from a rental shop nearby. Living in a touristy area does have its perks it seems.
fastfinge 1 points 6y ago
Well, assuming everyone woke up blind at once, there wouldn't be a sighted person to find. But I guess if your area is touristy enough, maybe you could find and borrow a horse? There's no reason to assume that whatever blinds all the humans would get the animals too.
KillerLag 2 points 6y ago
Things would likely begin to collapse well before seven days. With the unexpected loss of vision for such a large amount of people, all services would stop instantly. Not just the utilities, but food and emergency services as well. A small fire could become a big fire in a few minutes, and without anyone to fight it, things could go bad fast. All it needs would be, say... a candle falling over, or a car accident.
fastfinge 1 points 6y ago
Yes, I know society would dissolve long before 7 days. What I mean is that I'd have enough supplies (food, fuel, water, etc) to survive fine in my house, without any services, on my own for about 7 days. Then I'd be screwed.
KillerLag 1 points 6y ago
Don't forget electricity!
I have been trying to stockpile some bottles of water, but my wife keeps drinking it (instead of using the filtered water in the fridge). When the apocalypse comes, I'm going to find my wife already used everything :(
I have been trying to stockpile some bottles of water, but my wife keeps drinking it (instead of using the filtered water in the fridge). When the apocalypse comes, I'm going to find my wife already used everything :(
fastfinge 1 points 6y ago
> Don't forget electricity!
I have a generator with fuel, and a bunch of those wind up batteries. I won't be watching the big screen TV, but when it comes to listening to the radio for news, or keeping myself warm, I'll be fine. I've lived through two multi-day blackouts thus far, so preparing for that is something I know how to do from experience.
> I have been trying to stockpile some bottles of water,
IMHO, that's actually a bad idea. The cheap plastic from the bottles will bleach into the water in a matter of months, making it nearly undrinkable. Instead, keep Water Purification Tablets on hand, and use them on whatever water you can get. They keep for longer. Also, keep some large water jugs on hand, and just be ready to fill them when bad stuff seems like it's about to happen (storms, whatever). Even when your power goes out, or stuff hits the fan, you've probably got a few hours of running water you can use to fill containers.
I believe that in Ottawa, it's actually a bylaw that you need to be prepared to survive in your home without any services or aid for at least 72 hours in the case of an emergency. At least, that's what $1 seems to indicate the requirements are, though I can't find the laws in question.
I have a generator with fuel, and a bunch of those wind up batteries. I won't be watching the big screen TV, but when it comes to listening to the radio for news, or keeping myself warm, I'll be fine. I've lived through two multi-day blackouts thus far, so preparing for that is something I know how to do from experience.
> I have been trying to stockpile some bottles of water,
IMHO, that's actually a bad idea. The cheap plastic from the bottles will bleach into the water in a matter of months, making it nearly undrinkable. Instead, keep Water Purification Tablets on hand, and use them on whatever water you can get. They keep for longer. Also, keep some large water jugs on hand, and just be ready to fill them when bad stuff seems like it's about to happen (storms, whatever). Even when your power goes out, or stuff hits the fan, you've probably got a few hours of running water you can use to fill containers.
I believe that in Ottawa, it's actually a bylaw that you need to be prepared to survive in your home without any services or aid for at least 72 hours in the case of an emergency. At least, that's what $1 seems to indicate the requirements are, though I can't find the laws in question.
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