"Unless you go through it yourself, you don't know."
Macular degeneration was no stranger to Valerie, her mom had the condition. Early into her own diagnosis of AMD, treatments worked well and her vision remained stable. Over time, however, she noticed more significant changes, which became increasingly challenging both emotionally and physically. That's when she began to change her perspective, and that change made all the difference.
Hadley
“Unless you go through it yourself, you don’t know”
Valerie: All in all, it's been emotionally and physically hard to adjust to my vision loss because I've always been independent and private person.
Marc: This is Hadley’s Insights and Sound Bites, where people facing vision loss share what has helped them cope and adjust.
Valerie: My name is Valerie and I'm from Cicero, Illinois.
My mom had macular degeneration, and I know it runs in the family. I was also a smoker, which doesn't help with macular degeneration. And so, I noticed a change in my vision, I used to go to the eye doctor every year and all of a sudden I found out I had wet AMD. I had gone to a retina specialist then. So, I started getting shots. It was in my left eye. And I got shots every month for about two years. And then I guess I went into remission and I didn't have to have shots anymore. I was recommended to take PreserVision, which I had been taking.
So, I was doing okay going to the retina specialist three times a year just to have my eyes checked and everything, and slowly they've been getting worse because now I am 80 years old and so I've noticed changes.
My left eye was always the worst one, but now the last time I went to my retina specialist I asked them about this geographic atrophy, which I heard the commercial on TV and everything, and he said yes that I had it in my right eye and the cells are dying off, I guess. So, I'm going to start injections in my right eye to try to save what vision there is left in there.
All in all, it's been emotionally and physically hard to adjust to my vision loss because I've always been independent and private person. Finding Hadley has been a great help. I also belong to the macular degeneration site and it was good to talk and listened to what they had to say. I would read their emails and stuff.
And now I've gotten the talking books, which is a great help because I can no longer read except with a magnifying glass, so that has been a big help. I try to stay active with the senior citizen groups. My son lives with me, which is a big help because he reads stuff for me that I can't see in an instant. He sees how I struggle. My other two children aren't living with me, so they don't see it. You can tell them but unless you go through it yourself, you don't know.
Other than that, I'm just going along every day trying to adjust, because I have other health issues too besides the eyesight, so it's just an everyday journey. But I think the main thing for me is just listening to other people, the senior citizens, and I find out that, yeah, I mean I have vision loss but some of them are in really bad shape, and they keep their spirits up and this helps me, I think, say, "You don't have it so bad, really. It could be worse. And this is what you have to go through.” And there was an old saying that, “to get through it you have to go through it.” So that's what I'm doing.
Vision loss is a silent thing. You don't see the handicap. You don't see that. You see people and they look normal. They're wearing glasses, okay, you think they can see everything, but you really can't.
"Well, I'm just going to sit here and be depressed because my life is over. It's getting worse." That's how I thought I was going to be in the beginning because I was very independent, did everything myself, and it's hard to ask for help. But once you just decide, “hey, this is what I have to live with and let me try to make the best of what I have and go forward and take every day as it comes,” I think that helps a lot.
And when I go into a fast-food restaurant I can no longer read that menu behind the counter. So, I have to ask the girl, “can you tell me what's on that sandwich or can you tell me?” And people, I found out, when I tell them I have low vision, they're more than happy to help.
Marc: Insights and Sounds Bites is brought to you by listeners like you. Who believe no one should have to face vision loss alone. Consider making a year end gift to support this show and all of Hadley’s free resources. Vision HadleyHelps.org/Give or call 1-800-323-4238.
You never know who might need to hear your story. If you’d like to share with us, just leave us a message on our Insights & Sound Bites voicemail. By calling, 847-512-4867. Or, you can use your smartphone or computer and email us a recording to [email protected].
All Episodes
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Episode 63
The loss Tom feels regarding his vision is complicated because it is ongoing. Acceptance has not come easy. Through the years, though, he has come to approach life a bit differently.
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Episode 62
Anne's declining vision had her feeling down and sorry for herself. But two gifts—one she gave and one she received—helped turn things around for her.
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Episode 61
Glaucoma advanced to the point where Ron found it too difficult to do the volunteer work he loved in retirement. Still, he found a way to pull himself out of the hole he felt he was in and continue to give back.
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Episode 60
Diabetic retinopathy has taken more and more of Charles's vision. To cope, he is learning new approaches to life AND leaning into areas of passion that don't rely on sight.
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Episode 59
Bruce's vision had been decreasing for years. When it reached the point where he was tripping over objects and bumping into people, he felt embarrassed and kept his vision loss a secret. His wife convinced him to try something new.
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Episode 58
Marie grieved the loss of her vision, and still does. Yet, on a sunny August morning, she came to a realization that made all the difference in the world.
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Episode 57
Terry's doctor told him, "There's nothing more we can do. You'll never drive again," and he was distraught. Then he recalled his military days as a Marine and sailor, and that got him through.
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Episode 56
When Emma lost her sight in just a few months, she struggled to cope. She felt alone, her insecurities grew, and self-esteem plummeted. With time, she came to a new understanding and that helped her tremendously.
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Episode 55
Dave calls his experience with vision loss a slow torture. In the face of this, however, he has found a sense of inspiration in explorers, history, and an activity you wouldn't typically connect with vision loss, sightseeing.
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Episode 54
When Albert's vision decreased to the point that he could no longer read print anymore, he found it stressful. But he's found a new source of comfort that helps him quite a bit.
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Episode 53
Jayne can feel isolated living with her eye disease, spending much of her days forcing herself to focus on things that have become blurry. The stress can be overwhelming, causing her to shut down. But there's one area of life that now brings her more joy than ever before.
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Episode 52
When Jeffry lost his sight, he felt a loss of control, a loss of dignity. Then, he began his long road to empowerment, one small goal at a time.