“One small change opened up my world”

Brian’s sight problems began in 1992 when he had a retinal vein occlusion in his left eye. But, he didn’t notice a lot of change as he still had good sight in his right eye and he continued to drive and live normally. 

Everything changed in April 2018 when he was diagnosed with wet macular degeneration (AMD) in his good eye. Since then, he has had more than 40 injections to try to protect his sight.

“I had managed for thirty years being one-eyed,” he said. “I could still drive and do most things. But when the right eye went and I lost central vision in both eyes, that was depressing.”

After his AMD diagnosis he gave up driving and soon found simple tasks much harder than before. He couldn’t read newspapers or menus and recognising faces became very difficult.

Despite this, Brian decided to learn new ways of coping in an effort to maintain his independence and stay connected to family and friends. Brian wants to pass on his advice to others and share some of the things he has learned along the way.

Attend appointments 

Brian's first piece of advice is to keep up with your injections.

“I have been very lucky in that Moorfields have been excellent in managing the changes in my eyes, coupled with ongoing counselling and technical IT support,” he said.

He urges others with AMD to stay on top of their eye health. “It is key that you get your eyes checked regularly, either at your hospital or optician, to see if you need prescription glasses or magnifiers,” he said.

“And do not be afraid to seek immediate advice if your eyesight changes,” he added.

 “Do not sit there thinking you have to wait because your next appointment is weeks away. If something seems wrong, go back sooner.”

Embracing technology

Brian admits he’s never been good at using technology, but four months ago when he was no longer able to send simple emails he knew something had to change.

“I was getting fed up,” he said. “I could not send emails to the grandchildren.”

But a simple change made a huge difference. “My son-in-law and grandson changed my computer to a black background with yellow text,” he said. “That opened up my world again. I could go back into the computer room and use it.”

With help from his local vision support charity, Brian has learned new skills.

On his devices, he uses ‘big keys’. “It overlays large black and yellow letters on each keyboard,” he said. “Before that, I struggled to see the letters and numbers. Now I can send emails again.”

Brian has also adjusted his home computer so that all text appears black on a yellow background. Screen readers and voice assistants now form part of his daily routine. “They read out long messages and attachments,” he said. “I am also learning to use the Seeing AI app.”

Brian admits that the learning has been difficult, but said it has all been worthwhile. “If something goes wrong, I am lost,” he said, “but Sutton Vision have been patient and very helpful.”

Small changes make a big difference

Brian has made changes in his home that give him confidence and help him stay safe.

“I know it sounds silly, but even the grab rail at the top of the stairs makes me feel secure,” he said. “And my wife bought me a light for under the kitchen cupboard. I am not going to cut my fingers now when I make a salad because I can see what I am doing.”

He added: “I have made a few small but important adjustments around the house to make daily life a little easier.” 

• At the top of each gas mark, Brian has placed a marker to show clearly when it is switched off.
• Similar markers are fixed at the top end of his iPad and TV remote to ensure he is holding them the right way up.
• Brian has also replaced his digital clock with a round analogue clock at home, which helps him being able to see it. He said: “I recently bought a new round-faced clock because I could not see the difference between the five and the six on my digital clock. I was getting up an hour earlier than needed.”
• On his iPad and iPhone, Brian now uses an app called Big Keys. “It overlays large yellow and black letters on the keyboard,” he said. “I struggled to see the letters and numbers before, but now I can send my emails and texts again.” He has also changed the settings on his iPad, phone and computer screens to black with yellow text. On his computer keyboard he has added stickers with large black-on-yellow letters to every key.
• To make writing messages easier, Brian has started dictating emails and texts and using voice assistants like Siri and Alexa for quick tasks such as checking the weather.
• Screen readers have also become part of Brian’s routine. He said: “These enable emails and texts on my iPad and iPhone to be read out to me, which is very useful for long messages and attachments.”
• Brian is also learning how to use the Seeing Ai app.
• Like many others, Brian has recommended using audiobooks for anyone whose vision means they are now struggling to read. Audible, Calibre, Spotify or your local library are just a few places you can find audio books. Read more tips on reading and writing.

You can find more tips on using technology on our website

Getting out and about

Brian still enjoys volunteering as a gardener, though travel is harder now. He recommends using a symbol cane or guide cane outdoors.

Brian relies on simple tools to stay safe and confident outdoors and recommends using a symbol cane to make yourself more visible, or a guide cane for safety.

He said: “The stick serves to warn pedestrians and drivers and helps gauge distances when boarding trains or buses.”

For going out at night, he recommended “carrying a stick, a torch and always wearing bright clothing.” 

Making the best of it

Brian accepts his life is different now.

“Life was easy until 2018,” he said. “Now I manage as best I can. The last few months were depressing until I learned those little tricks with technology. Now I can email my grandchildren again. That makes it worth it.”

Visit our website for more tips on adapting to sight loss at home.