Its been years since I last drove a car. I can relate to your situation. For me it was a form of freedom that I lost. I eventually got used to it and now just manage different ways to get around. My wife is more patient than I expected as she is willing to take me places. I now make shopping lists based on destinations to ensure when I get out, I get what I need.

I now am a happy passenger who is never the designated driver. I can fall asleep in the passenger's seat and annoy the driver. I'm less stressed as I don't have to fight road rage anymore.

Don't dwell about what you lose but on different ways of accomplishing things that are important. I still can ride a bike without hitting anything or getting hurt.

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I am in a very identical situation. If you ever want to message me and have someone to talk to that understands, I am around. Best of luck to you, it’ll even itself out soon.

Losing the ability to drive was one of the worst things about my vision loss, right next to gaming and firearms. I worked in public safety and was on call for response 24/7/365, so I had to resign my job as well, so my graduate degree in public safety administration is useless. It's frustrating at first, but over time it gets better.

If you can work, that's what I would recommend. Your state's vocational rehab office might be able to help you obtain work-related accommodations. Being on disability sucks. I get by OK because I had worked for over 20 years before I lost my vision. But I am constantly checking into things I might be interested in doing.

You might want to consider relocating to a place where public transit and ride sharing are available if that's an issue for you now. And honestly, I think we are on the cusp of self-driving technology becoming widely available. Maybe in a few years our cars will pick us up and take us everywhere we need to go.

You sound young and I know you feel like you are facing insurmountable odds, but there are so many things available today that visually impaired people even a decade ago would love to have. I hope that each day gets better and easier for you!

I never could drive to begin with and I still think about it my whole life because I hate not having the freedom to just go wherever whenever. It would be even harder, though, if I had driven before and then stopped being able to.

Hey OP.


Sorry you're having to go through this. I lost my vision 2 years ago and used to game all the time before then. I really miss playing FPS with my friends, but I've slowly been finding new ways to enjoy my life. I think approaching it as a new adventure really helped shape my attitude towards my vision loss.

Feel free to DM me if you need someone to talk to about it.

I keep writing and deleting this. I will preface with I am not visually impaired. I joined the subreddit to gain a better understanding of some of the struggles that the people the organization I work with serves. Also, if maybe I had any information that could help-then why not?

If you haven't already, it may be helpful to reach out to your local Vision Rehabilitation Therapists. If you are in the USA I know a lot of the time they are contracted through or work directly with the State at the Division for Blind and Visually Impaired. They are a good resource and can also help connect you with resources.

I know exactly what you're going through. Getting to that point each day that pasts.

You will be fine. I'm 28 and have never been able to drive. But I'm doing fine. I can use public transportation or just ride a bike. Also think about howuch money you're saving by not having a car.

I've never been able to drive, but there are certainly other things I've lost and I can understand that feeling. Moving to the city when you're able to definitely helps. I am able to use public transportation; it's still a pain and takes forever but it beats having to depend on my wife for everything.
My vision has been a problem my whole life, but last year I lost much of my remaining vision. I can tell you that while it's certainly still a very big struggle and adjustment, over time I have been slowly figuring out new ways to do many of the things I love. I've had and still have moments of major discouragement over how seemingly impossible it all is, but once I was able to move on from mourning to trying to work out solutions and not focusing as much on how much harder and less enjoyable it is to do all the things I love I can say that my life has improved a lot. I would encourage you to continue with your plans for your life and go to grad school if you are able. You've said it feels pointless, but I've actually found that just getting out and doing things makes life feel less pointless. It's going to be hard, no way around that, but it's the only way forward. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to do something and just broken down because it's so hard it seems basically impossible. I would try to play complex new pieces on the piano though I'm no longer able to see the music on the stand. It feels like I've regressed so much even though I'm technically capable of playing all of it. When you struggle to see the music and have to painstakingly decipher it in small chunks as you go and memorize everything it's just a huge set back. But on the other hand, because I didn't give up I'm still doing what I love and when I do master a new piece the sense of accomplishment is considerably bigger knowing the hurdles I've had to overcome to do it. I know it's hard not to look back, but I'm sure over time you will figure out how to live well in this new reality and enjoy the things you love.

Getting your MA is not pointless. Improving your mind is never a waste of time.

It's that one tipping point for everyone.

For me, it was picking up and reading a book. I had a bottle of Oxy in my medicine cabinet to take on the day I couldn't read a book anymore. I was so depressed.

I went to my local blind education center and met people that were completely blind and they taught me my orientation and mobility. It was super inspiring that they were totally normal, just blind.

The really helpful part is that they had a support group. Therapy can be helpful, but being with a group of people that are going through the very same thing that you are is priceless.

Now I not only get all over the place on transit, I work full time, love my job, volunteered and teach a class on how to cook blind at the center.

It's going to take some time for you to figure out what to do to keep your mind busy. There will be trial and error, but eventually you will reach a balance. Please be patient with yourself.

I’m thinking about selling my car as well. I can still drive when lighting conditions are perfect, but as we head toward fall and the sun sits lower in the sky, those days are becoming fewer and it just seems a waste of money. Knowing my vision wouldn’t get better without some miracle of my brain suddenly firing correctly, we moved into the city from the suburbs. It’s been totally worth it to not feel trapped in my suburban neighborhood and have access to 3 bus routes within walking distance so I can get to most parts of the city with zero problems. And I live in a city with crappy public transportation. Know you’re not alone in this pain and if I hadn’t moved, I’d be so depressed right now too. But take heart that it’s not actually hopeless, just takes a little work and some expense to find solutions.

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I'm doing this over the weekend.