Goodness, that must have been a lot to go through those ups and downs. Glad to hear your employer is understanding, that sure helps. I think Uber is a brilliant solution. As for vision therapy, I just heard a story from a woman who was my trainer where i lived before. She took her daughter in for vision therapy, and then she herself got diagnosed. It worked very well for her, even though she was initially skeptical that, as she said, most of the patients were kids and she worried she was too far gone.

Hope it goes well!

Thanks, Mtn. It does help that I had normal vision (well, normal enough) for most of my life. My therapy will be about reengaging my brain and eye vs teaching them. While the root cause is a very astigmatic eye, the problem is in my brain. The dr doesn't think he can get me back to where I was even 15 yr ago but he believes 80% back isn't out of the question. That's still a huge improvement.

Thank you for sharing the positive results your friend experienced. I don't know anyone else who has dealt with this first hand.

Funky, I cant imagine having to go through what you are having to deal with. I am so glad for you that your company is being supportive.

Wow, I"m so sorry to hear about your vision issues. Having gone through a scare, though not at all as serious as yours, my empathy is definitely engaged! I hope you have a lot of good results from the upcoming therapy, and that you can stay hopeful and positive.

Funky: Wishing you many good results and positive steps forward.

Thank you all. I didn't really realize how much additional stress I was experiencing because of all of this. It's stress on my eyes just to function-- but the driving stress was really too much. It was daylight savings combined with a few bad weather days that made me realize I am not safe to drive.

Uber has been a dream. I have yet to wait more than 5 min for a ride --it's so convenient and easy! I did have one creepy guy.. and one harmless oddball who wanted to hear about ghosts in my neighborhood (really!?) .. but mostly it's been great.

I don't know what I would have done had this happened 10 yr ago. The services available for dry cleaning pickup/grocery delivery/car service really make it possible for me to give up driving all together. I am not ready to do that-- at least not mentally-- but if I go that route, it won't be devastating.

Funky, sounds like you are on the right track. So nice to have an understanding employer. I imagine it has been stressful. Wishing you the best results!

I hope you see some good results Funky girl! Good for you and your positive outlook. Full speed ahead!! I'm glad your employer is being so good about it too.

Funky thank you for sharing your story and I think you titled this thread perfectly - 'investing' is exactly what you're doing in every way possible.

I hope the vision therapy is beneficial and that everything improves.

I wonder if you know how helpful your post is. Over the years my DD has had a few odd complaints about her vision. She does have astigmatism and wears glasses, especially for driving. She once told me that when she is in the car that the frequent change in light as the sun goes behind clouds or when the car passes under trees bothers her. My neurologist was concerned that it might be associated with epilepsy and had her tested during a sleep deprived study which fortunately was negative.

DD occasionally complained about driving at night but recently said she is avoiding it if possible. She's coming over this weekend and I'm going to suggest that she make an appt with the ophthalmologist . It might not be anything more significant than new glasses - but she shouldn't put this off.

I don't know where you live but does your state's transit authority have any program in place for people who can't drive? My sister has not been able to drive due to macular degeneration but she gets a ride to any where she needs to go by a program called GLIS in Ma. I'm so sorry to hear your challenges but hopeful as to the outcome. Praying it would be a solid win.

Funky, I am sorry your struggles with your vision are ongoing. It sounds like your employer values you, which is wonderful. I am glad Uber is working for you so you don't have to worry about driving. Sending positive energy that the vision therapy is a success!

I am so glad to hear you are taking care of yourself. Keep us posted on the progress.

Hugs.

Jo

I am glad you wrote us about your progress, as well as the problems you have faced. I’m sorry it’s been such an ordeal but it sounds like you are getting excellent care. And Uber! What a great idea. Have you also thought about engaging a driver, such as a college student, on a part-time basis for driving you on the weekends or evenings for errands and such? Or on a stand-by basis for other things?

Thank you all-- I share my experiences mostly so that others can learn from them but your support is much valued also. This has affected me on so many levels-- but the emotional tax has been high. Your kindness and support means so much!

Yaya, yes, there are many services for the vision-impaired but I don't want to go the disability route just yet-- giving up driving by choice is a lot different than having the state say I cannot drive. If my sight improves, I can go back to driving without any issues by giving it up voluntarily. There is no doubt.. if therapy doesn't work, I will need to look all options available to me.

Outside, I have also thought about engaging college students-- or even reliable hs students. Especially because I am considering not driving at all for awhile. Yes, night driving is the worst.. but it's not like my sight magically improves in the day. It's just much worse without the contrast available in daylight. For now, friends and family can help me with errands and socializing. I imagine that will wear thin at some point. It would be good to have a few kids who want to earn money available to me. (Though honestly, uber is cheaper than I'd likely pay a good reliable teen!)

Maire - astigmatism can be very tricky depending on how bad the astigmatism is. I have it in both eyes but it is much worse in my left eye. Those with a bad astigmatism have trouble with transitions from light to dark and with focusing on moving objects. Ive had both all my life-- and when I played sports, I learned to anticipate where the ball would go rather than trying to focus ON the ball. It's also common to have trouble focusing in low contrast situations because the contrast assists us --not so much in focusing, because you can't force the focus-- but in determining boundaries and "filling in" the necessary information to replace the tight focus. So it's very difficult for us when there's too much light.. or too much dark (as in night driving). This is likely your daughter's struggle.

For me it is much worse because on top of the above issues, I also have others that have developed. No depth perception makes driving difficult in general-- again, worse at night because there's no contrast to assist me in seeing and recognizing objects. Also one of the tests I flat out failed with a zero was my ability to change focal distances.. like looking from something 10 ft away to something 15 ft away. That's about all driving is.. being aware of everything in your field of view-- near and far.

A few things she can watch for-- does she close one eye to read? or to drive? Does she need to blink a few times to adjust to looking at something close and then something far away? These are early warning signs-- if she does some or all of the above, it would be wise to get someone to check it out. It won't mean that she has my issues-- or will progress to them-- but early care can prevent the problem from getting worse! I DID see an ophthalmologist early-- in fact, I've always seen an ophthalmologist. My initial dr said there was nothing he could do when it was just starting to go bad... so it was a number of years that I let it just go its own way before reaching my absolute breaking point and switching drs. It has taken me a number of drs to get to the right care. Again, my situation is extreme.. so I don't want to scare you or your daughter.. but I sure wish I had someone to educate and encourage me back when this all first started.

Luckily, Phila is a great place to be if you are having issues with your eyes. My absolute favorite ophthalmologist is in Phila (though he may be retired by now!) and of course, you have Wills there.

I don't know that vision therapy will work for me-- but this journey has taught me to take it one step at a time. Even 3 mos ago, I'd have said there was no way in hell that I was going to give up driving.. but I also had a constant fear about NOT being able to drive someday soon. "How will I get by?" "How will I be able to work?". Fear does bad things to a person's outlook and stress level. As soon as I decided to deal with it head on and tackle what I could today and leave the rest for tomorrow, I suddenly felt a HUGE weight just tumble away. I don't love my situation.. in fact, I think it sucks.. but I can get through this and I will.

Thanks again .. you guys are the best!

I am so glad to read that you have options to pursue for improving your sight. I can only imagine how disconcerting of a problem this must be.

Funky, I love your optimisum and tenacity. I had no idea that you struggle so with your sight and I really hope that the therapy works. Please keep us posted as you progress, as you can see, we all care and are rooting for a successful outcome!

Funky - thank you again for your comments about astigmatism, they have made me acutely aware that she must see the eye doctor. DH and I were discussing it and we realized that she hasn't been back for annual eye exam in several years.

I second lukki's comment about your tenacity and optimism. Even though I've read your previous posts about your visionl problems I don't think I realized how extensive they were. I really admire your upbeat approach and resolve.

maire

Funky.....so sad to hear you’re going through this. My bff has Krukenberg’s Spindle and glaucoma. Last year she also had cataract surgery on both eyes. She no longer drives at night and only feels comfortable driving short distances during the day. Ive never heard of vision therapy...I will mention it to her though not sure if it would help what she has.

im glad uber is working out and you are resuming normal activity. I hope you continue to improve.

Thank you so much for sharing, funky. It's an interesting story to follow and makes me really appreciate my own eyesight - something I know many of us take for granted. I wish you the best with the therapy and hope you can continue to find positives in the journey.

Well, Lukki, I spent a lot of years trying to just "push through" and deal with my issues.. and also to hide them from others-- not just because it is (was) embarrassing but also because it is disarming-- not just to others but to me. When leading a meeting, for instance, I need to be able to look at a projector screen, look around a large table--shifting from one person to another and to be able to view my own laptop or notebook. I developed a means of pushing through and "pretending" I could see.. or just not being obvious when I couldn't.

The only thing I couldn't hide was my eye turning out-- and for the longest time, it was very upsetting and embarrassing to me. I still hate it but I no longer feel the shame I once did. Getting past that allowed me/forced me to face vision aspect... and to become determined to find a dr who could help. I first shared my experiences here 1.5 yr ago.. other than very close friends and family (not even ALL family), this was the first place I opened up about it. I clearly remember writing the first post with tears streaming down my face. At the time, I still felt like a beast with an ugly eye. Opening up was an important first step-- but once I got past the shame, I then hit the fear.. if it continued to get worse, how would I work? get around? These are all destructive emotional reactions. But funny thing, once I started talking about it, I found the people around me weren't horrified -- they were incredibly supportive and encouraging. The more I talked about it, the easier it was to shed all my irrational reactions and face the problem head on.

I don't want to sound like I am all sunshine and roses LOL. It's life changing.. and that stinks.. but I am finding it easier to manage the changes when I face them directly and proactively.

I am so sorry you're going through this. I can't even imagine the stress. You're positive outlook is great. I'm so glad to hear uber is working out and your employer is being understanding. I'm sure that helps lift some of the worry a little. I hope you see improvements with the therapy. Keep us updated with your journey.

Thank you, Shee!

It's so much easier to deal with the hurdles with a good network of people to support me. I'll say it again -- I am not sure I'd be able to deal so well without services like uber, peapod, dry cleaning delivery, etc.