Tag: photophobia

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Visually impaired and travelling

Posted on by One Vision

I’ve been away for a few nights with my buddies and we all had a fab time. Well needed and a long time coming for me, as I hadn’t been to foreign climbs for 15 years! Due to one thing or another.

Certainly different from the seeing world I was in last time I went. I had 20/20 vision back then. Unbeknownst to me, the genetic condition I had lurking inside me. Ready to show itself 5 years later on.

With careful walking and being mindful, (I did notice steps in the part of Tenerife I was in didn’t have any markers or contrasting colours at all to make it easier for visually impaired people to walk down them safely, but there usually was a useful handrail) it was all good and far less stressful in all than I thought it would be.

It also helped that my friend read bits of menu to me, mainly the seafood, tapas section although a breakfast was lovely for a change. The ladies also helped me with the coins in my change, reading prices for things, explained what items were etc.

Euro notes are also so much easier for me to read because the numbers are so big. Bigger than the UKs numbers on our notes anyway.

I also knew that if I came a cropper they would help. Which made the whole thing alot more relaxing for me.

Still alot more concentration, taking time to grasp what was in front of me and trying to process everything from all angles at a steady pace, whilst looking at the floor is an art in itself. I’ve learnt to just give myself a chance and be patient. I can’t rush, as that’s when accidents happen. A far cry from the carefree days of not having to think about all this, but to look at me now you wouldn’t even know I was doing all this just by looking at me. Like a swan gliding along, with the little legs going underneath ☺️.

I know I should get my phone out for reading stuff by myself, my magnifier, or use the Be my eyes app. I did a few times take a photo or a screenshot and zoom for reading a receipt, working our bills out. I should do this all the time. I just used everyone else’s eyes instead as I also trusted them all to be truthful with the amount it stated on the bill.

Now the one thing I always moan on about is my Photophobic eyes.

My sunglasses, coupled with wearing a hat, saved eye pain and glare. A few times I stupidly took them off for a bit in the shade and later on they were hurting, but they honestly saved me this holiday. They aren’t something I would ever wear before, but now I HAVE to. Even in the shaded areas.

I bought a beaded chain for my sunglasses as when we went shopping they were on off, on off, and saved me carrying them and at risk of popping them down and losing them completely. I wouldn’t be able to replace them, as ordinary sunglasses just wouldn’t have the correct protection.

They are essential to me and one of the most important things I own now. No doubt about it. I always have to have them with me.

Has anyone got anymore tips for traveling?

A pair of black Cocoon sunglasses placed on a grey mesh sunlounger from the top view. They have a multicoloured string of beads attached to the ends of them to wear around the neck.
PD 1 A pair of black Cocoon sunglasses placed on a grey mesh sunlounger from the top view. They have a multicoloured string of beads attached to the ends of them to wear around the neck.
An orange sunset over the mountains in the background. The lights of Los Christianos, Playa de Las Americas, Costa Adeja are all lit up. Steps leading down into the street, the way into the town in the foreground.
PD 2 An orange sunset over the mountains in the background. The lights of Los Christianos, Playa de Las Americas, Costa Adeja are all lit up. Steps leading down into the street, the way into the town in the foreground.
A selfie photograph of myself, facing towards the camera. I'm a white woman with long blonde hair. A black bucket hat on my head. A pair of black cocoon sunglasses on my face. Chairs and tables are behind me.
PD 3 A selfie photograph of myself, facing towards the camera. I’m a white woman with long blonde hair. A black bucket hat on my head. A pair of black cocoon sunglasses on my face. Chairs and tables are behind me.
A photograph of a receipt I took so I could zoom in and work out the amounts we each spent. The printed text on the receipt is in Spanish and is for A cheese and ham baguette, 3 breakfasts and 4 Lattes in Playa de Las Americas.
PD 4 A photograph of a receipt I took so I could zoom in and work out the amounts we each spent. The printed text on the receipt is in Spanish and is for A cheese, ham and onion baguette, 3 breakfasts and 4 Lattes in Playa de Las Americas.
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Good day Sunshine

Posted on by One Vision

As much as I don’t really like the style of these sunglasses and so wish I could wear my funky blue, tortoishell mirrored ones that I’ve kept but are pretty redundant as eye protection for me now.

On a sunny autumn day on the bus with the glare shining through the window, my eyes are at least comfortable and protected in these.

I don’t have to worry if the sun is shining in. The glare shining off cars, metal things, signs or suddenly the brightness around a corner suddenly hitting you in the eye and temporarily blinding you for a few minutes while you panic and try to adjust. No more of that for me.

They have handy blocked out sides to them so the edges of your eyes are protected too.

Everyone, not just myself, should protect their own eyes from the harmful rays. You don’t really want to be joining the groups I attend ☺ 

I was on the bus attending another Sightloss group social evening that my friends have set up in another part of the city where I live.

It took an hour to get there, on a bus that I only knew the destination. I didn’t know where I was half the time.

At this point I’m very confident on buses after stopping driving years ago.

It just shows you that if you suddenly cannot drive for any reason, you CAN adapt and get about. I really enjoy it now. It wasn’t easy. I was used to driving for 29 years, but it’s like a little adventure everytime.

Hopefully the group will become as popular as the one in my home town.

People with sightloss, meeting up to meet a new social group, make new friends and have a support system available to them. A natter, with a cuppa or a cocktail to drink while your at it.

Woman with long blonde curly hair and red lipstick sits by a bus window with the sun glare shining through. I am wearing dark sunglasses and have headphones on my head.
PICTURE DESCRIPTION Woman with long blonde curly hair and red lipstick sits by a bus window with the sun glare shining through.  I am wearing dark sunglasses and have headphones on my head.
Posted in Low Vision Clinic, Useful Information

Wear your sunglasses to protect your vision

Posted on by One Vision

It’s been a lovely few days in England right now and whilst the sunshine is beautiful, it brings with it, alot of exciting plans and a better mindset, but it can bring pain and discomfort to people like me with Photophobia (Extreme light sensitivity) and damage to sight whilst protecting  my eyeballs at the same time. These glasses have taken away the discomfort and pain I was getting before when I just had the usual type of sunglasses you wear normally.

Apart from that.  Everyone, Visually impaired or not, with continued exposure to light and the sunshine harmful rays over time could lead to damage to your retinal cells.

So everyone needs to wear protection from blue light, UVA and UVB. Even on cloudy days these rays are still going strong. So it’s worth just popping them on. You’ll thank yourself later.

The Sun can cause more damage to my already vulnerable macular and cone and rod cells.

It can also cause damage and sightloss to anyone with 20/20 vision too. Nobody is safe.

It’s worth investing in good protective sunglasses with all the safety specifications you can get. Cheap ones most likely won’t provide this.  You can pick up sunglasses with really good protection that doesn’t cost the earth but please really think to buy some to save worry and problems later on.

It may save your eyesight now and as you get older.

It’s not worth being complacent over your eyeballs. Can you imagine losing your sight? Or it being compromised?

Luckily, where I live, the council has a Sight Loss Clinic that gave me magnification tools and my Cocoons sunglasses, for free, that protect me from the harmful light sunshine brings.

Please check with your council if they provide this service as alot don’t.

Also. Blue light is emitted from the sun, its all around us, including fluorescent and LED lighting and flat-screen televisions.
Most notably, the display screens of computers, electronic notebooks, smartphones and other digital devices emit significant amounts of blue light.
So, if you protect your eyes from all these elements as much as you can by less screen time, rests between working on a computer and wearing sunglasses with 100% UV protection and ideally a blue light blocker too. It will go some way to save your sight and mine too.
There are blue light blocking apps for your devices.
Pop one your phone to save your eyes from damage or eye strain. I have one from the Google play store. There are many eye conditions that you can be diagnosed with when older due to light damage. Even if your eyes are healthy now.
So, get your sunglasses on and a blue light filter.

Don’t take your eyesight for granted.

I did. I Don’t now ☺

Photograph of myself with long brown hair wearing Black Cocoons sunglasses
PICTURE DESCRIPTION 1 Photograph of myself with long brown hair wearing Black Cocoons sunglasses
Black Cocoons sunglasses placed on carpet face down
PICTURE DESCRIPTION 2 Black Cocoons sunglasses placed on carpet face down
Side view of Cocoons sunglasses with enclosed sides
PICTURE DESCRIPTION 3 Side view of Cocoons sunglasses enclosed sides