I have macular degeneration, the one they can't cure. Dry, is it? I think dry macular degeneration can become wet and they can cure the wet version but, for now, mine's dry. I don't really understand it.
Anyway, the doctors didn't give me much advice or help but the optician turned out to be very helpful. He told me about a low vision clinic where they give partially-sighted people all sorts of help - lights and glasses and whatnot, so I went along.
I was registered as partially sighted which is new to me. I had to give up driving at the start of 2010 which was a heck of a nuisance but I get access to a free book-and-ride service and I take buses which are free and I sometimes use taxis in and out of Guildford, my nearest town. I'm not sure if I get the free rides and buses because I'm now officiallypartially sighted or if it's because I'm over 80. Either way, it's pretty good.
The clinic also sent away for me to get two pairs of free glasses. I didn't know what they'd do really but I'd explained that I have trouble seeing the telly and trouble seeing the gold finches at the bird feeders I put out, and trouble reading and writing. I used to read books all the time. Now I can't.
The boxes arrived today and the two pairs of glasses are quite something. They're not like normal glasses at all. They're like specialised equipment. If you've ever had a diamond valued, you'll have seen the kind of eyepiece the jeweller uses. These glasses are sort of like professional equipment. Each pair has four lenses. There are two smaller lenses near the eye and then two more a bit furthre away. One pair is ivory coloured; the other is kind of silver blue. They're very cool looking. The blue ones look like they could be skiing equipment!
The ivory ones let me read and write. The blue ones magnify the distance. Now, I can sit and look at the gold finches and see amazing detail of their red, black, gold and white feathers. Even the seeds they're eating. It's wonderful. I can see the television and computer screens without peering at them from inches away.
But I do feel my home is getting ever more cluttered with 'vision aids'. Every room features high powered lights, magnifying glasses, dark glasses (which I need to cut daylight glare when I go out - the glare started to affect me after a cataract operation), and now I've got the two latest developments in close-up and faraway glasses. In the kitchen there's a magnifying glass which has a high powered light attached to it so I can read recipe books. I take this to restaurants too, to read menus.
Having poor sight certainly requires a bit of organisation, especially when you have to give up driving. But if all sounds like I'm a walking advert for the optician, I'm not really. You probably would hardly notice the old girl sitting at the restaurant table with friends or family, taking a look at the menu through a little hand-held glass with a light in it. You might just, I suppose, wonder what I was doing out on a not very sunny day wearing big dark glasses. 'Morning head' you might think. And it's true I like a glass or two of wine with dinner. You would, though, almost certainly notice if I went out with the blue high perfomance four-lens glasses on. I expect you'd notice how advanced and science fiction they look and you'd probably wonder what I was doing wearing them. You'd probably say to yourself 'She looks a bit ancient, frankly, to be going skiing.'
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire