On July 5th, 2020 I was struck in the eye by a stray firework, it was a complete accident, I wasn’t even lighting them it shot out of the cake sideways directly into my eye and exploded and I’m now blind in my left eye. We don’t know if it’s permanent or not but I’m worried it will be. I’m trying to stay positive and I’ve been cracking jokes about it, that’s always been my defense mechanism, but it’s really hitting me hard tonight. It’s been 5 days, and I’ve already had a bunch of doctor visits, trips across my state to have my eye looked at, lots of medicines to help heal and fight any possible infection, and looking at eye patches. I have a lot of people who care about me and who have stepped up to help me, and it’s been wonderful knowing that people care, but when I look in the mirror at this lifeless marble, it kills me. I’m terrified. If anyone could share their stories, or offer advice, it would be much appreciated.
Winnmark25 points3y ago
It's okay.
1) nothing we can say can truly help, I want to apologize for that.
2) if you end up being blind, remember that it's just in one eye, hopefully.
3) blind people can still live fulfilling & productive lives, I mean look at Stevie Wonder, the guy has more money than you've probably made in your lifetime this far.
4) if you're a person of faith, hold fast to it.
And finally, if you end up joining our community, though I sincerely hope you don't, keep in mind there are services and organizations out there that can help you. You and your family DO NOT have to walk this alone. Hell, I hope we, here on Reddit, can help if need be.
_Night_Wing11 points3y ago
Nothing I will say will make your situation or your eye better. I'm glad that you have friends that care though don't be surprised if some drift away after a few months. (I hope they stay by you but people can be assholes). I've had a few scares before, my advice? Take one day at at time. Don't worry about months and years from now. Just focus on today, tomorrow, even just the next hour. Set goals for yourself that you know you can achieve such as go on a walk, it will make you feel better, somewhat accomplished, and feeling like you at least did something. Also having someone close with you at appointments could be helpful. Making medical decisions unprepared can be overwhelming. Good luck.
03Dmaxlb7 [OP]7 points3y ago
I really appreciate this. I’ve been feeling useless, and setting small goals is a great idea and one that I didn’t even consider. Thank you!
vwlsmssng9 points3y ago
> Also having someone close with you at appointments could be helpful
This is sound advice.
Have someone who you can discuss your questions with before an appointment and to take notes for you during the appointment. This will relieve some of the stress on you so you can focus on listening.
_Night_Wing2 points3y ago
I'm glad I could say something to help.
catpiss_backpack5 points3y ago
I’m really sorry to hear this. I myself am fully sighted but Deaf, and the visual world is very valued to me so I am very sorry for your loss, temporary or permanent. It is a big change in your life with all these medical things, and it’s a normal reaction to be so overwhelmed, especially in these days. Nothing I say will change your situation, but visual loss does not mean loss of vitality or life. I have a friend in my local DeafBlind community who is legally Blind and Deaf, and he is a linguistics and communications professor at a major University here. I personally enjoy watching many Blind YouTube personality videos, a young Blind woman named Molly Burke is very insightful into the ways the world is different in regards to being sighted and then becoming Blind at 14. There are lots of supports and stories of that can hopefully help you find mechanisms to help and give you some comfort knowing you aren’t alone in this adjustment. This community is here for you if you need it, you have lots of people around you that care deeply. Best wishes, I hope your pain is well managed!
Pickleweede4 points3y ago
Get a prosthetic eye half shell to cover your lifeless marble. Just be thankful you've still got good eyesight in the other eye. You'll adjust.
anomal0caris4 points3y ago
The thought of just being blinded all of a sudden is quite scary, I can't say much except I wish for the best for you.
03Dmaxlb7 [OP]6 points3y ago
It was and is very scary. I saw a streak, a green flash, a red flash, and then it exploded in a white flash either in my eye or just outside of my eye, I instantly knew I was blinded.
NonstopBus3 points3y ago
Hey there, first off I’m really sorry that you’re going through something so scary. I know it won’t make it easier or better in any way but I feel for you. This happened to me 3 years ago and it was a rough adjustment for me and I really felt like I was at a loss for who to talk to and to get advice on what to do and how to adjust. So if you ever want to message me to vent or just talk please do! I’m blind in my right eye now and it’s been an adjustment but I’m doing well 3 years later. Certainly life changing, but well none the less.
codeplaysleep2 points3y ago
I'm sorry you're dealing with this. Having something like t his happen so suddenly is terrifying and traumatizing.
I recently had a similar traumatic experience in terms of its suddenness and how completely off-guard it caught me. It did some damage to my face - not my vision, nothing permanent, and I'll be fine, but it mentally threw me for a loop for a few weeks. It's different than an accident due to my own carelessness (or even the carelessness of someone else) or having something happen that I can look back on and go "yeah, that makes sense." When it's out of nowhere like that... it kind of messed with my reality for a bit.
And you're still dealing with a lot! I know how physically and mentally exhausting those daily eye exams and uncertainty can be. I also went through something similar to that a few years back - every day for a month at all hours, eye emergencies and surgeries and exams at specialists 1-2hrs away from home.
It's exhausting, but you just keep dragging yourself through it because you've got to and in the end, it gets better.
All that said, I'm not saying this to compare or make it sound like I've had it worse or something - what I'm getting at is that it's *a* *lot* and I understand that it's a lot. You have every right to feel all kinds of overwhelmed, scared, exhausted, and stressed right now. You're allowed to feel all the emotions; sadness, anger, fear, denial, or weirdly amused... it's all fair game right now.
You've experienced trauma and there's a process and a timeframe for dealing with that and all that it entails and it might not even hit you fully until the chaos of constant eye exams and uncertainty settles down a bit.
Be kind to yourself. Take it easy and find quiet moments to relax when you can. Let things go that aren't urgent. Do things that make you happy and make you feel good. Spend time with the people who care about you when. you need it and time to yourself when you need that, too.
Once things settle down a bit and you have some answers about your eye health and recovery - even if it's not the answers you're hoping for - it will help. The not knowing is the hardest part. You're in the most difficult phase of this right now. What comes next is healing yourself emotionally and learning to move on, however this turns out.
All of that said, if the worse-case scenario happens and you don't get your vision back in that eye... you'll be OK! Life with one eye will take some time to adapt to, but you will adapt surprisingly well! Your brain will learn to compensate for much of the loss in visual field and depth perception, assuming your other eye is in reasonably good health, and you'll find that with some time to adjust, you'll be able to do pretty much everything you could do before the accident.
And hey, if you're having a hard time coping, it's OK to reach out to a professional, too - find a therapist to help. you process everything if you need to. There's no shame in that; no weakness in being a normal human with normal human responses to terrible situations.
Hang in there. This is the worst part.
[deleted]2 points3y ago
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SecTrono2 points3y ago
you have every right to be scared. its a hard thing you are going through right now. besides, eye patches look cool and mysterious.
03Dmaxlb7 [OP]2 points3y ago
LOL the eye patches have been a silver lining!
SecTrono2 points3y ago
you will learn to adapt and cope with your new limitations if you actually lose sight in that eye. its not a great thing but you will still be able to do most things you used to. its hard to say if you will still be able to drive. i've heard stories about people with only one eye still driving but i don't know if i would recommend it.
NonstopBus1 points3y ago
I only have vision in one eye now and I am still able to drive. It is possible to adapt to it and the biggest change is depth perception and being aware of your blind spots.
SecTrono2 points3y ago
thats fair. i have decent vision in both eyes but don't drive for other reasons. so my opinion on this subject doesn't carry a lot of weight. all i can say is that its a choice that shouldn't be taken lightly.
03Dmaxlb7 [OP]1 points3y ago
Driving is going to be a big long term goal for me. I’ve been driving for a living for the last couple of years and I enjoy being around cars and going to car shows. Even though I won’t be able to do it for work anymore that’s going to be one thing I’m going to try my hardest to regain.
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