The Blind Designer - about me

I'm DeeDubya.  Let me tell you a little about myself.

Six months ago I was diagnosed as Visually Impaired.  My sight had been getting worse for a few years but I had put it down to stress and tiredness - a messy divorce, house repossession, family illness, not being able to find the right job in the recession, I thought, all paid their toll.

It turns out that for, as yet, unknown reasons, my optic nerve is degenerating.  After many tests and appointments at the excellent West of England Eye Unit at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital it was determined that my actual eyes are fine but for some reason the messages from eyes to brain aren't getting though, an abnormailty in my visual pathway.  I'm still undergoing treatment and it is uncertain whethe3r the progressive degeneration in my vision will get better, stabilise or get worse.

My condition manifests itself in close to no clear vision on my left eye and very narrow vision in my right.  The part of my vision that I can see I can see very well.  Bright light causes me problems and tiredness makes it worse.

As it's nothing to do with my eyes I don't need glasses, outward appearances make me look totally healthy, something that can make it difficult for people to realise I have a problem.  It became a problem one day when the bluriness of my good eye crept into my central vision.  Suddenly I couldn;t do the things I had before.

It's a bit of a shock being told that you're going blind.  Overnight I went from working, driving, doing all the normal things of everyday life to having to cope with none the freedoms available to normally the sighted.

Looking back I realised that it must have been happening for a long time.  I was known as clumsy, now I realise it was because I didn't see things properly.  I'm alot more careful now I'm aware and don't tend to break things anymore!  For as long as I can remember I used to let people walk slightly in front of me, it wasn't out of politeness, it was to keep them in my narrow field of vision.

Strangely it was almost a relief to know that there was something physically wrong with me and I wasn't going mad.  However, a million things go through your head about how your life will change.  Luckily I have great support from my family, friends and organisations like Action for Blind People who have been an amazing help.  Although I still need help with some things I live as independently as possible.  I've worked out a future, have plans.  My life isn't heading in the direction I expected but I am moving forward.  I'm sure you'll hear more about my situation and plans as this blog moves progresses.

My background is graphic design.  I worked in advertising and television for 15 years so the loss of vision isn't ideal!  There IS so much support out there that can help people suffering from visual impairment that there is no reason to give up.  The thing is, that information isn't always easy to find and it's not always apparent just how much assitance, inspiration and actual need there is out there.

That's why I created this blog.  I'm glad you found it and I hope you find it useful.  Your comments and contributions will help it grow.  I'd love to hear from you, your experiences, any help you can pass on, even your worries and grumbles.

Get in touch.

email  deedubya@visionwebsight.com