(gentle bright music)
-: Hello, my name is Douglas Walker.
Today we'll take a close look at diabetic retinopathy.
You know, I've been living with vision loss
for quite some time now,
and with any vision loss,
we can expect changes in how we have to approach
different everyday tasks.
So let's take a look at how diabetic retinopathy
can affect some of the most common things we do,
along with some tips
that might make some of these tasks just a bit easier.
Diabetic retinopathy affects the blood vessels in the eye.
You might not have any symptoms in the early stages.
However, as things progress,
you might develop floaters,
which appear as spots
or like dark strings that are kind of floating
around in your vision.
These floaters could get in the way
and make it more difficult to see clearly.
You might also experience blurry vision,
dark or empty spots, and your vision might fluctuate
or change throughout the day.
-: Now that you've had a chance to learn a bit with us,
we'd like to learn more about you.
Your name, email address, how you heard about Hadley,
and your relationship to vision loss.
Learning more will give us a better understanding
of how to personalize Hadley just for you.
And don't worry,
everything you share with us online
will be kept safe and secure.
Of course, if you'd prefer to talk through these questions,
we're just a phone call away at 800 323 4238.
Taking these few steps saves your preferences
so you can continue right where you left off
and track your progress every time you log on.
Plus it connects you to the Hadley community
and helps sustain our funding to keep Hadley free of charge.
And last but not least,
it gives you direct access to experts like me.
Now, where were we?