If you don't yet know how to use a cane I would wait. Are you in the US? There are services for Blind and Visually Impaired people that can assist with learning how to use a cane and other adaptive tech.

I'm sorry your Mom seems to be diminishing your experience, she's scared and maybe she thinks denying what's happening will make it not happen.

You are doing the correct thing by wanting to be proactive and to deal with your reality.

You are doing the correct thing by wanting to be proactive and deal with your reality.

May I be blunt?


They're YOUR goddam eyes! It's YOUR vision! She doesn't see with your eyes, so she doesn't get a say.


Get your proper diagnosis from the eye doctor, contact a blind society (there's probably one near you-give it a google or ask around here) then, get some training and get you a cane.


You deserve to make things easier for yourself, and safer. You deserve to not be afraid to go out when the light sucks/it's dark outside. You deserve to not fall and injure yourself on stairs.
You deserve to give yourself the best life you can, and if that means using a cane, then use one.


Your mom will get over herself, or she won't. But at least you'll be able to walk away from her with confidence :)

Welcome back Panda. I've been hoping you're doing all right.

u/FaerilyRowanwind mentioned you might have RP. That's what I have and your symptoms sound similar. Here's what my RP test was like so you know what to expect if they test you for it. Knowledge is power, remember? When you know what to expect you won't get stuck imagining the worst case scenario.

The test for RP they gave me started with taping some electrodes to my forehead and face then having me look at some tiny flashing lights inside a device that looked like a VR gaming headset. The electrodes can tell if your retinas are being stimulated by the lights. They gave me a mixture of red lights and blue lights to test both my rods and my cones. I'm probably oversimplifying this because I don't really understand it myself. It takes maybe half an hour and isn't uncomfortable at all. My doc was cool enough to put some music on for me to listen to while my head was plugged into the machine.

When that was done they had me stare at a television that rapidly flashed black and white checkerboard patterns for about 20 seconds at a time. They asked me to try to keep from blinking while it was flashing. This test actually was a little uncomfortable for me because the flashing patterns made me feel a bit of motion sickness, but nothing too bad. I can't remember what that test was for.

Finally I rubbed a Q-tip in my mouth for a saliva sample so they could do a genetic test. Kind of gross, but not uncomfortable.

A couple weeks later I met with the geneticist and a retinal specialist. The geneticist explained what they found when they looked at 322 different genes they got from my saliva and the retinal specialist filled out a certificate of legal blindness for me. That was actually the hardest part, hearing a doctor pronounce me legally blind. Even though I knew I probably was it was still a gut punch hearing it from a doctor in a white coat. I felt kind of lost for a few weeks after that.

They also referred me to the local Lighthouse for the Blind and a group called Low Vision. Those groups offered me a free cane, a talking alarm clock, some special lamps called full spectrum lighting devices, magnifying glasses, and a bunch of other devices that help visually impaired people. I had already bought a cane but I accepted their free one, too. Theirs is stronger and more durable than the one I bought, but it's also heavier. It's good for outdoor use but I use my thinner one inside.

A good white cane will cost you $50 or so, including shipping, if you buy it on your own. The ones provided by Lighthouse or NFB are free and come with a free instructor to teach you how to use them. Ambutech is the most common, most trusted brand. It's the brand I bought and it's also the brand the NFB gave me for free. You can search r/blind for some cane reviews. In a nutshell, we generally prefer folding over telescoping canes and graphite over fiberglass, but you'll have to search the sub to find out which would be best for you.

Lastly, your mom. I don't know what to say except stay safe, even if that means buying a cane she doesn't like. It's your shins that will bang into the dishwasher door when it's left open, it's your ankle on the stairs, it's your peace of mine on the line, not hers.

Peace, love, and safety to you!

Do it!! I made a similar post on here and got so much support!!! And now because of all the advice and bravery I’m moving out of a toxic environment soon and starting O&M. I’m getting my life back and my independence! I recently went through some vision loss due to my high myopia and refractive Amblyopia.

You may have retinitis pigmentosa. You really really need to go to an eye doctor.

https://nfb.org/programs-services/free-white-cane-program

It does not fold, but it is good place to start.

Hey there, sounds like a difficult situation with your mom. As others have mentioned already there are definitely resources and organizations you can reach out to who will help give you direction.

One thing I’d like to mention is that you should know which healthcare providers you’re working with. I’m pretty sure you mean optometrist when you say “glasses doctor”. They’re your first line of defense and can refer you to the right specialist like an ophthalmologist. Did you happen to get a referral? If not then go ahead and call your doctor so you can ask for one. Ophthalmologists specialize in retinal or optic nerve conditions.

Knowing these types of things might help move along the conversations with your mom.

I'm not sure what is half blind but it does sound like your mom might be in denial. Maybe the eye doctor can provide a more detailed explanation to your mom of what's happening with your eyes. My mom was able to get a better understanding when a doctor used a model eye to compare my eyes to a healthy one.