KC will never lead to blindness....

[Prue B]

Post grafts, I see well with glasses, however I went to the supermarket to do a mystery shop on Sunday, and they were renovating it. I wanted to buy razors and bisuits as well as a couple of other items. Because they had removed the ceiling in the back of the shop, it had no lighting, and my anxiety levels rose in a dimly lit unfamiliar maze as I got milk. Then in the grocery section I could not gind razors or buscuits, they had moved things in the aisles, they had taken out the signs and not changed them over and I could not read the signs at the end of the aisles. I know my vision is 6/6 but aisle signs at the end of supermarket aisles are something I can never seem to make out. I was getting more and more anxious. I spent about 15 minutes looking for 2 items and I was blind again. I felt like an idiot and read the little paper guides at the end of the aisles and still could not find the items I wanted. For me the disruption of something like that really affects me and makes me feel disabled.
Even with good vision occasionally I feel lost due to my vision letting me down. I just feel when I get stressed my vision is poorer or I dont trust itenough, or something and that is why shopping in an unfamiliar place is an anxious exercise for me. If I feel like this now what is it like when vision is bad and what was it like for me when I could not see cars coming on the road.

[John Smith]

Oh dear, Prue; poor you.

I hope you gave them a poor mark in their mystery shopper survey (says he, whose bonus depends on people like you... but in a UK supermarket!)

[piper]

Prue......yup, as the saying goes: BEEN THERE, DONE THAT. I know exactly what you mean about reading the aisle signs in the market......maybe it is the lack of contrast between yellow letters on red or brown signs.....youch!!

Although we probably don't want to sit and moan together for days, this is no doubt healthy for all of us to just sit and have a good moan for a bit. Your story also illustrates that some of us have good or useable vision for moments.....then nothing useable for hours.

Since my graft ( #1) my right eye is not focusing, as you can all identify with, and now my left eye, still bad, seems to be saying, "no way, I'm not doing everything myself......I refuse to focus like I should"....

It would not be so bad in the markets if you could fine ANYONE WORKING THERE who knew where ANYTHING WAS!! Lazy buggers, point up the way and say, "sure aisle 19, top shelf, I think"......but you and I can't see the #19 sign, and the top shelf may as well be in the next parish......can't see that either.

Sorry to hear that this is happening AFTER your grafts. I was holding out hope of being able to see again.

Piper

[Louise Pembroke]

I'd love a pair of glasses made up to simulate what it's like without my lens so I could put it on someones face and say, 'this is what it's like ok'.

[John Smith]

Oh yes, that would be lovely.

Of course, once wearing the KC-specs, people would still believe that we were trying to fool them!

[Sweet]

Hehe yes they would think that!!

Sweet X x X

[Prue B]

I see well post graft, I drive and recognise my kids in the playground, and very rarely go up to the wrong child at school thinking he is mine. But change the norm and I revert to the fear and uselessness of my pregraft days. You learn to cope, we all have, and post graft I see great, but you still dont see the same and your brain fills in the gaps, and when they gaps get altered so does what you see and when it hits you out of the blue it is disheartening. There are lots who see worse than me, how do they cope?