I'm sorry this has happened to you, and I feel you. Sometimes it helps me to have faith in my future self, that I'll have the strength and know-how to deal even when things get worse. My younger self would certainly not know how to deal with the level of vision loss that I have now, and yet, if anything, I'm a more capable and effective person now than I was back then. So trust that your growth as a person and your commitment to resilience and self-improvement will make up for changes in your vision. Develop capital now, whether it's learning new skills or creating new relationships or saving money. Just keep focusing on your development and you'll find that vision loss is just friction on an upward trajectory, rather than something that pulls you down. And get yourself a cool eye patch, that accessory goes with everything!

I'm also in my 30s with a congenital glaucoma and have lost all my sight 3 years ago. I'm definitely not as happy as I was. Before losing my sight I was a programmer who felt that the sky was the limit; now I feel like I have a huge burden that turns what I loved to do into something I hate and avoid. I have decided to learn piano for the challenge alone, because I don't plan to play for anyone, and although I train a lot it doesn't fill my life like coding used to do.

I was born with glaucoma. I lost my sight when I was 14 I am 23 now. I know exactly what I want to do with my life. If I had not gone blind I would 100 percent done nothing with my life. Just get use to being blind and fast I wasted too much time just Sitting around doing nothing.

I am 39, married with two kids (6 & 11) and became legally blind earlier this year due to optic nerve atrophy. I no longer drive and I resigned from my job because it required driving and good visual acuity. I felt depressed at first, but feel better about it now that I've accepted it. Coping with vision loss is a process similar to grieving after the loss of a loved one. Your life will change, and not necessarily for the worse, and you will discover new ways to do things. I like to think f it as the “new normal.”

There are tons of resources available for the visually impaired, like free audio books from the Library of Congress. Contact your states Council for the Blind and they can refer you to other agencies. If you are in the US, you may automatically qualify for Social Security Disability if you meet the statutory requirements (no better than 20/200 corrected in your better eye or less than a 20 degree visual field). I have a Masters degree and have been working full time since I was 18, so I wasn’t crazy about going on disability, but it will help financially until I figure out what I want to do next. If you currently have a job that you could do even with your vision loss, your state's vocational rehab Department might cover the cost of certain assistive accommodations to help you stay employed.

I’m sorry you are dealing with this situation. If it’s any consolation, you’re not alone. It’s scary, but you will cope with time. Hang in there!

Hi. My mom, who is 62 know has been blind since 17. I'm an only child, she's all I know and I grew up around her being blind. Despite her challenges, she really has overcome what people "expect" a blind person to be like. She walks 2 miles through the woods everyday (my stepdad setup a rope for her to use her cane on), she has a garden, dogs, cooks, her house is spotless. I guess my point is that despite losing your vision it doesn't have to end there. I wish you could meet my mom because I know she would be such a warm...I don't want to say inspiration, but she would tell you to have faith and hope. And to not give up.

Sorry I'm not blind but the closest person to me in my life is so I felt the need to reach out to you. I hope you're day has gotten better. :)

I'm now considered legally blind. I can see okish a few inches in front of my face blurry a few feet out. What you have to remember is you are human, you're awesome- we adapt. I've slowly lost my vision from childhood, bad genetics I'm still trying to figure out through what with a ton of specialists. But- I don't let it stop me living my life. I'm a single mom and have been over 3 years. I clean, cook, crochet, have hobbies. Particularly painting, clay, and I'm working on 2 novels. I'm also thinking about getting a bass guitar and learning for fun with a great friend of mine who is working on his music career. Next year I'm going to start online college hopefully when I have better internet and get my bachelors in Literature. Being blind doesn't mean your life stops, just that you adapt and do things differently. I wish good luck to you :) You will figure things out, just try and keep an open mind and a positive perspective.

I have been in the denial stage perhaps bargaining for the past two years .
I still believe I can cure myself And the pursuit of that goal is what drives me every day.

Have been making some real progress to cure a brain injury

I lost 75% of my vision 2 years ago from a bad accident so it's different from your situation where you sort of know it's going to happen. I have a very small field of vision which makes me legally blind. I don't have peripheral vision or depth perception anymore so I'll never drive a car or see the effects of a 3D movie but there's still a million other things I can enjoy and I think being involved with my local blind center and learning that I could still do most activities and hobbies as a blind person helped me accept my vision loss and be happy with my situation.

I am currently in a similar situation but with RP & RCD, it has become an issue within the last 7ish years, it went from not able to read without a magnifier to having to use a cane to stop needing glasses (this was a great day in a sense) to now having light perception in my right eye and a year or so off to it happening to my left. I have felt the same hopelessness. I cope by taking on life as a challenge, what was the answer/solution last month is not the solution this month. I am always pushing myself to break the stereotype. I have sky dived, bungee jumped, swam with sharks, scuba dived, have piloted gliders. Nothing is unachievable (except a sniper) with loss of eyesight. Try to face it head on and take the oppurtunity to play around and find out the approach that will be needed for the next phase.

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