Foundation Fighting Blindness

Throughout the blogs that I have posted, I have mentioned that I am visually impaired.  I have Retinitis Pigmentosa.  It is a hereditary eye disease.  Mainly the women in my family have the eye condition, but it has been known to be carried by some men as well.  The chances of passing the blindness to offspring is 50%.  It is a frustrating issue that I have struggled with my entire life.  Every person in my family who has RP, has different variations of struggles and challenges.  Some can drive, some can work at jobs others cannot, and some can just function easier in day to day life.  Everyone has something different about their eyes dispite carrying the same disease.  I have a cousin who can drive at night.  This continues to astonish me because I have the same disease but cannot drive at all.  I want to explain RP to people who are not familiar with it.  I also want to take time and make this post heard even more so than my typical posts.  Many people do not realize that I am blind because I function like a sighted person.  In fact, I have had people try to tell me I am faking it.  Ignorant people do not realize that blindness comes in many forms.  I have had mobility training and grew up around blind women who function in so many different ways.  My mother has a guide dog, but moves around her house so effortlessly.  My grandmother is blind and used to drive, but she can clean better than any sighted person I know.  People have a generated idea that blind people "look like" a way they instantly shows their vision loss.   Just because someone doesn't wear big dark sunglasses and continually carries their cane in the outright position does not mean they are not blind.  Blindness has degrees.  That is another issue people don't understand.  Someone does not have to be totally blind to struggle with vision.  There is a legal limit for blindness.  I, for example, am legally blind.  I am not totally blind.  Consideration and respect should be given for all people despite their degree of blindness or any issue.  This matter is very important to me.  In highschool, there were mean kids who made fun of me and who said awful things.  I left my senior prom because of these ignorant people.  In college, I continue to run into people who I would love to beat with my cane.  It is a matter of knowledge.  Hell, I have even had adults who have acted like a rude fools.  I just want people to know that just because someone doesn't look blind, it doesn't mean that they aren't.  It goes along with those cliches dealing with don't judge a book by its cover.

Retinitis Pigmentosa can easily be explained.  It is a disease in the retinia, which are responsible for capturing images.  The cells, rods, and cones in the eye die and vision declines.  Certain symptons of this are color loss, loss of night vision or vision in dim lighting, tunnel vision, or loss of central vision.  The disease can vary.  Some people lose central vision, some lose peripheral vision.  Some people have depth perception loss and double vision and some do not.  Usually, a person with RP will be legally blind by the age of 40.  However, progression changes depending on a person.  I seem to have lost a good chunk of my vision in my teens.  With my strain of RP, I have color loss, extreme tunnel vision due to absolutely no peripheral vision, dim and night vision loss, and depth perception issues.  This disease has no cure and is somewhat unpredictable.  "An estimated 100,000 people in the U.S. have RP, mainly caused by mutated genes inherited from one or both parents. Mutated genes give the wrong instructions to photoreceptor cells, telling them to make an incorrect protein, or too little or too much protein. (Cells need the proper amount of particular proteins in order to function properly.) Many different gene mutations exist in RP."  Low vision aids like magnifiers, CCTVs, and bifocals are the best way to assist those who struggle with RP.  Canes and guide dogs are great helpers too.  

There are so many other eye diseases and conditions that people don't realize.  Some other diseases are:

• Stargardt disease 
• Usher syndrome
• Macular Degeneration
• Choroideremia
• Cone-rod Retinal Dystrophy

Having people become educated is important.  In smaller areas and towns, schools should make students and residents aware.  My town is not as small as some, but blindness is certainly an issue that even school administrators were not familiar with, at least like they should be.  Our hallways had poor lighting, and the stairways had no lighting.  Getting around on a rainy day when everything was dark was very difficult.  I did not get an elevator pass until my junior year in highschool.  I hated using it because people thought I just wanted to be lazy.  My mother used to give assemblies on the issue.  It needs to be done more!  I would love to go and speak to kids about the matter.  Just because someone doesn't look blind doesn't mean anything.  Education needs to be handled because these kids grow up into ignorant adults.  Read about the Foundation Fighting Blindness.  It is important to be aware of the issues that surround communities and people in your neighborhood.  You can become a member of the Foundation Fighting Blindness for free.  It will help bring awareness.  Donations, resources, and ways to help are all on their website.  It is a great foundation.  Check it out. 


Another link to check out is http://www.guidedog.org/   This is the Second Sight Guide Dog Organization.  My mother has gotten her guide dogs here.  It is an amazing place doing an amazing thing.  When I decide to get a guide after college, I will going to these people.  There mission statement says it all.

The Guide Dog Foundation Mission

To improve the quality of life for people who are blind, visually impaired, or with other special needs.

Since 1946, the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc. has provided guide dogs free of charge to blind people who seek enhanced mobility and independence.
Our students come to us from all over the United States and many foreign countries. Our trademark small classes and individualized instruction often attract students who may have special requirements. We have successfully trained hearing-impaired blind people as well as many physically challenged people.
We are supported entirely by donations from generous individuals, corporations and foundations. We receive no government funding.


There website also shows ways of helping and volunteering.  It is another great program offered to the blind.  Thanks for taking the time to read this post.  It is an extra special and personal issue to me and my family.