Jack Royalty has been living with vision loss for more than half his life, having first experienced problems with his eyesight in his early 30s. “I was trying to read something at work, and the lines were wavy,” he says, recalling his first experience with vision loss. An ophthalmologist detected retinal bleeding in Jack’s left eye and diagnosed him with ocular histoplasmosis—a fungal disease prevalent in the Ohio Valley River region of his native Kentucky.
“They said the good thing was, it was not going to go to my other eye,” Jack says. For years, he relied on that other eye, continuing to work and pursue passions like tennis, golf, and fishing. But eventually, the condition spread to his right eye, and he began to lose more of his vision.
Jack retired at the age of 56. As a Navy veteran, he then spent six weeks living at the VA Blind Rehabilitation Center in Augusta, Georgia.
“They train you, and then they give you the assistive devices. I'm talking thousands of dollars that they provided to me for being a veteran,” Jack says. “When I was in the Navy, I would have never thought I would be getting these resources.”
Today, at 81, Jack stays involved with the Center from his home in Aiken, South Carolina. He has also found another community, with Hadley.
“The biggest thing I wanted to hear was how to cope,” Jack says, talking about his participation in discussion groups and listening to others share their journeys on Hadley’s Insights & Sound Bites podcast. “It was such a big help to go back and see how other people are coping with this problem,” he says.
And Jack has built a strong connection with another Hadley member, Jeff, through the Peer-to-Peer program. “He’s Mr. Hadley,” Jack says affectionately of Jeff. “He's involved in everything that Hadley does, and he's my go-to when I need to talk to somebody. We talk on a weekly basis. We’re equals, both figuring this out as we go,” Jack adds.
Jack’s wife, whom he calls “his rock,” and his supportive family, also give him strength. And even though his vision loss continues to progress, he’s optimistic about new technology, like smart glasses. “I'm always hopeful that, in the future, there's going to be some new things that are going to help me see better,” he says. “AI is too big a thing now not to make progress in that area.”
While Jack encourages others with vision loss to take advantage of all that Hadley has to offer, he and his wife also provide financial support for Hadley’s mission. “I want to do something for people that are like me, and the best way to do that is to contribute to Hadley,” he says.
Thank you, Jack! We recognize you for your contributions to the Hadley community.
You can hear more from Jack by listening to his Insights & Sound Bites episode.