Article was written by Jane
Jane’s Diagnosis
In 2022, at age 74, I was diagnosed with Leberʼs Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). It is uncommon for women to have this eye condition because while they carry the gene, it manifests more frequently in males. LHON is a genetic eye disease inherited from the mother. We found out in 1989 that it was in the family when a family member was diagnosed.
Later, in 2006, my son was also diagnosed and became blind. My vision loss was a speedy progression. Initially, I started struggling with clouding, and what I saw would appear blurred. Images looked less sharp, and I started seeing fewer details. Tasks such as reading, recognizing faces, and completing household tasks became more challenging. Now I can only see shadows and tell when it is light or dark outside.
Turning to Outlook Enrichment
My son and other family members informed me about services available to blind individuals. A family friend recommended that I contact Outlook Enrichment. I started working with Enrichment because I was struggling with using my phone.
Through the training, I decided to switch to the iPhone because it is more accessible and more apps are available for blind people. I am now learning more things like how to access Zoom meetings. I look forward to my weekly adaptive training classes, which are very important to me. I need to learn these things, and my trainer is kind and accepting of my insecurities. I have looked at my vision loss as a project. I donʼt have a choice, I have to keep learning. Losing my vision threw me into a tailspin, as everything is so different now. The world is not welcoming to those with vision loss, and the day-to-day impacts vary from person to person.
I like that Outlook Enrichment uses other individuals who are blind to teach the blind. I support any employment of the blind and visually impaired. I support Outlook with my donations because they have assisted me with moving forward on my vision loss journey.
