I was diagnosed with macular degeneration today(self.Blind)
submitted by -Stonky_Kong
I'm 16 and i can see pretty well at the moment, (i do need glass to see things far away tho) but have been diagnosed with stargedt's disease. i currently dying know how bad it will get, or how quickly it will spread, but i don't know what i should do with my life now that my future is so uncertain. please if any of you have advice i will gratefully take it
edit: thanks to everyone who commented, i felt great and life and not concerned about my vision too much, it seems (so far it is progressing very slowly and there might be a usable prevention medication before it affects my daily life that badly (hopefully!))
razzretina9 points1y ago
My best advice is to get ready for sight loss and know that your future is still very bright, just not what you were expecting. It’s okay to feel whatever you feel about this diagnosis, it’s a shock for sure. I think Sam from The Blind Life on YouTube has your condition and he’s made some videos about it.
Lord_Tyrans5 points1y ago
Hey I’m going blind too with chd. I posted a few months ago, on what things I should do before I go blind. There were a ton of really useful comments. https://www.reddit.com/r/Blind/comments/sgo3jh/im_going_blind/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Hope this helps
OldManOnFire3 points1y ago
I remember that one =)
[deleted]4 points1y ago
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Snoo_854653 points1y ago
Hi friend!! Sorry to hear about your diagnosis — that is a lot to take in so early in life! So, I am vision impaired: I am blind in one eye, I use a white cane to get around — it is okay! You can have a fantastic quality of life, even if you are blind. You may also want to check out goalball which is a sport for vision impaired folks that is actually very good for us to develop some skills from moving around. If and when the Stargarts advances, remember that the lighthouse for the blind and the California dept of rehabilitation both exist! Good luck and you are not alone 🍀
SiriuslyGranger2 points11m ago
On that thread linked I am the deleted comment I will say similar here because of your age.
First off life is not ending you can still do a lot and there is a lot you can do. I’ve traveled around the country and done sight seeing by myself and I am totally blind, traveled out of the country to Hong Kong by myself and around Hong Kong. Sighted people have said I wouldnt’ even do that. You’re bold. If theres a will there’s a way. I’ve worked and studied in many different things work mostly in tech and such but have done a lot of representing, advocacy and politicking.
As for now you are pretty well covered and if you can get a doctor’s note saying you’re blind and proving it submit it for an iep. You’re covered under IDEIA in the United states. They are suppose to give you acomodations and a teacher for the visually impaired. Also a orientation and mobility teacher. Start lessons on mobility and orientation and cane skills training now. Work with the teacher of the visually impaired to learn braille and assistive technology. Get acomodations in class.
Get your case started with the department of rehabilitation.
See other comment for other things like training centers and summer camps to learn independent living skills.
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