*already posted something similar on another post with the same question, but here you go*

1. Learn braille as soon as possible, it’ll allow you to hit the ground running when you do need it. There’s tons of contractions in English braille and things to learn, and work on tactile sensitivity if you have trouble with that. Finding blind organisations can be a huge help with braille, they can provide advice, tools for learning and reading material to practice or read for fun later on. People can say it’s not necessary to learn braille in this age of technology but every blind person I’ve talked to said that reading a book themselves can’t be replaced by audiobooks and stuff like that, so I strongly recommend it.

2. Figure out which everyday skills/adaptations you’ll need as a blind person that you don’t yet have. My relative that went blind from diabetes had a good way of identifying problem areas - she put on a blindfold and did everyday things at home for an hour or longer, and noted things she couldn’t do. That way she could work on it/come up with solutions/buy things while she still had some sight.

3. If there are any routes you walk/commute very often, take time and get to know them really well. Getting around with no sight is one of the hardest things, so getting familiar with surroundings and the cane helps. Blind organisations are a big help here again - taking a mobility and orientation class ahead of time could be very beneficial, or just meet with them once for them to give you some pointers.

4. Learn your phone configuration (where everything is), set it up efficiently so it’ll be easier to use with a screen reader and try to remember it. Will help you get faster at using it later.

Best of luck, I hope your sight hangs around for a while and that you have a smooth transition :)

Hello Spaceflight. Getting the diagnosis turns your world upside down, doesn't it? Your question gets asked all the time, which makes sense when you consider how profound and irreversible it feels when a doctor says you're blind.

I answered a similar question from u/Lord_Tyrans yesterday. Since I'm lazy and don't feel I could do any better today I'm just gonna copy/paste the link -

$1

I hope it helps. Welcome to r/Blind.

You might want to look into starting services if you qualify, or at least familiarizing yourself with the process in your state/province. Even if you don’t qualify now, find out what the process is and what services are available near you so it’s one less thing to have to do once it’s progressed significantly.

Start going to a therapist now. Many struggle with mental health during/after a significant vision loss. This is understandable.

Start educating yourself now. Learn about the different ways your hobbies or day to day tasks can become accessible, even if you’re not ready to learn it yet. TV and movies have audio description, computers and phones can be magnified or used with a screen reader, etc. There are lots of webinars and podcasts from different blindness/low vision related organizations in regards to independent living, coping with vision loss, and other things you might find helpful. Find your local lighthouse for the blind and see if they have services for you, or maybe activities you can join in.

Please feel free to reach out to me any time. I’m not blind or VI, but I do work with VI individuals. I’ll help how I can.

Thank you for the question. I too have been told that I will most likely get glaucoma. It’s a scary thing. I also lost a little bit of my site. I like to also thank wonder_wolfie for the great advice. I am going to take some of that advice for myself. I wish the best for you both. Take care

You will and can be able to provide for your family. you just need to learn to adjust and adapt to things with blindness. Blindness isn’t the end of life or the end of the world, or even the end of productivity or capability.

There are totally blind people that are rather capable and very productive and support entire families too.


I would say get some independent living skills training, along with assistive technology skills and work with vocational rehabilitation for the blind. You may be able to keep your job or keep working at another place in the same industry. That is dependent on your work of course.

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