yeah I'm on the shitty stepping stone in-between as well, it kinda sucks at times, I never felt "at home" in my national visually impaired community and yet I still stand out enough to the normal sighted to have been treated with ableism.

I do have a unique impairment which doesn't help either, so meeting someone I can fully relate to is never going to happen but it is nice to know there are more of us in the middle ground out there

I'm in a similar boat. My vision has ranged from around 20/160 (10/80) to 20/200, so I still have a lot of functional vision, but low enough to qualify as legally blind. I feel like it's kind of a weird space too. While I 100% support all my fellows in the BVI community, often I can't personally identify with a lot of the struggles of being completely or near-completely blind. While I of course my own struggles, I don't usually come across much discourse from people in the same boat.


One of the main things that I've struggled to cope with is appearing able-sighted in contexts where my vision doesn't significantly impede me, e.g., in very familiar settings or activities. People I meet in these contexts get the impression that I'm more functional than I actually am. In unfamiliar contexts or activities I'm a bit more slow and cautious, and sometimes pretty anxious, which makes me come off as "dopey" or awkward. It makes things confusing for people going between the two contexts for how to best interact with me, and I'm not always the best at articulating my needs.


On a related note, I carry around a cane as an sign to let people know I'm visually impaired. I don't always need it (familiar contexts/activities) but usually want to carry it anyway in case the situation changes (unfamiliar contexts and activities). I use a telescopic cane which I find very portable, but is it just me that wishes there was something like a sheath for canes so we could easily store and take them out without having to carry around a backpack or having it in hand?

Yes love!! VI gang right here. Vision is like the rainbow we aren’t all seeing the color purple. Some of us can’t even see colors!

Warning: this is just a ramble

Yes! My vision has barked from 20/50-20/70 and I agree it's such a weird place to be! I can see just enough to get by, I could technically drive but I absolutely do not feel comfortable behind the wheel. People keep telling me im just not trying enough but they don't understand, I have no depth perception and can only see out of one eye (that wasn't always the case though).

I found school really difficult. I could never see the blackboard (yes im old) and I never had any devices to help me, it wasn't until I was an adult that I learned about monoculars. I did so much squinting to try and see the letters. I never told anyone I couldnt see because I didn't understand that I had a problem. I fell far behind in my school work and no one could figure out why.

I’m in the same boat although both eyes have been affected and I’ve got visual field loss and nystagmus on top, so functionally I’m in a different place.

20/80 is my best corrected vision but functionally my vision feels worse. Can’t navigate in the dark without a cane or another person, crowded places are a challenge and depth perception is problematic.

I’ve found the community here very welcoming of anyone with vision problems, from the mild end of the spectrum all the way up, so I think we’re welcome here.

Is that your normal or corrected vision? And don't worry! We have people of all types of vision loss on here.

I often think similar things. I have loss of contrast and vision field loss but a normal visual acuity.

I can see well on a black and white chart, but struggle with orientation more times then I would like to admit to my friends or myself.
Some things I can read easily when there is high contrast and then things I can't because of background or letter colours.

I am afraid not to fit in the sighted nor the sight impaired world. I am trying to get myself to make an appointment for a talk about how to deal better in daily life for month. But I feel bad as I think I might have to much sight left to fit going there. On the other hand I am struggeling especially since it gets darker outside early again.

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