Living with blindness

When you are blind, you have no or limited vision. Some people are blind from birth while others become blind during their life. Events such as injuries to your head or eyes may cause blindness. Blindness can be very challenging and often leads to important changes in your life. Life as a blind person is very different from what most of us are familiar with. There are things you can do to make life easier and better despite these challenges.

There are several challenges that people with loss of vision encounter daily. Some of these are:

• Loss of autonomy: people living with blindness cannot move around as freely as those with sight. Frequently they need the assistance of others or the use of devices. These devices are not commonly available in Nigeria.
• Lack of information: sight is one of the primary senses of the body, and it provides us with vital information about our environments.
• Stigma: there is a higher risk of abandonment and neglect among children born with blindness. People that lose their vision report loss of friends and declining invites to social gatherings.
• Loss of jobs and opportunities: people who lose their vision often cannot do their old jobs, leading to loss of income and stability. Opportunities are limited to the blind compared with the general population.
• Lack of leisure activities: a lot of activities done for leisure such as running, playing football or board games are not easy to undertake by people without sight. Websites and books for the blind are often not available to blind people in Nigeria, and public spaces are generally note suited to their needs.

Despite all of the challenges you may face while living with blindness, you can do some things to live a happier and easier life. They include the following:

• Learn braille: learning to read by touch can help ensure that you don’t miss out on opportunities and allow people living with blindness to acquire an education. You can also label containers and other things in your house using braille.
• Rearrange your immediate environment: this allows you to have easy access to your immediate environment and prevent you from falling. Ensure your stairs have railings and the floors should be kept dry. You can also use a stick to explore your surroundings.
• Set up the accessibility options on your cell phone: these settings allow your phone to read out texts and calls to you and can assist you in communicating with people. You can also download the 'Be My Eyes' application on your phone which allows other people to help you identify objects by pointing the phone's camera at them.
• Have a reliable support system: your family and friends can help you in times of need. They can do this by providing emotional support as you transition to living with blindness.

Living with blindness can be very difficult. Discuss your feelings about being blind with a therapist and those close to you. Ask for assistance from friends and family when you need it, especially to help you undertake activities that make you happy. Regularly visit your eye doctor if you are partially blind to prevent the condition from getting worse.