Bad vision: Is it safe?

[tidequeen09]

This is an odd topic but one I hope makes sense. I went to the eye doctor on friday. I wear glasses and have high myopia also known as near-sighted.

Friday I was told I have pre-glaucoma. This makes me alittle nervous about keeping a fish tank as I don't want to burden my husband with the care and tank maintenence, water changes etc. I also fear that as my eyes get worse it will be hard for me to maintain the tank. It is only a 10 gallon, but still.

My depth perception and peripheral vision is pretty bad now, and could technically get worse in the coming months.

I'm getting new glasses on friday but that will just help my central vision not my peripheral (side) vision, but it will help with depth perception alittle.


Again, I don't want to put the taking care of the tank on my husband either, he works long hours and doesn't need the extra work, he was awesome enough to let me have the fish tank etc.

Advice would be helpful, thanks.

 

[Fish Fan]

I'm sorry about your situation, but wish you the best going forward.

I don't know, but maybe @A_Blind_Reefer will have some insight for you here, I saw them post earlier this evening.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

I'm sorry about your situation, but wish you the best going forward.

I don't know, but maybe @A_Blind_Reefer will have some insight for you here, I saw them post earlier this evening.

Good looking out! Ha

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Yeah, vision loss is a tough one.

It’s totally normal to not want to burden anyone. I am totally the biggest knot head in that regard. Reality is that no matter how busy you think someone is, or how much of a burden you feel things will be, it just truly isn’t the case. People are inherently not just willing, but actually want to help. Well, at least that’s what I’ve been told….i don’t adhere to my own advice on that one! Ha

With that, I’m here if you want to chat about things. There are so many things that can help with daily life and vision loss.

As far as tank maintenance specifics for a smaller tank here are a few things to think about.

For testing I like Hanna checkers. Reason being they are relatively simple, and they have a digital display. Using ai, a screen reader like apples voiceover, or an app like be my eyes, the display can be read to you. The Milwaukee floating salinity tester works well in that regard as well. Automatic pipettes are mandatory for pulling samples.

Now with the be my eyes app a live person can help you with pretty much anything visually. FaceTime with a friend is just as good.

For glass cleaning, I prefer things with a square/rectangular outer magnet like a flipper. You can get the feel (orientation wise) as to the exact position of the cleaner. Things like the tunze magnet are very difficult for me to tell where exactly the blade is. If you’re one that likes to scrape all the way to the silicone, I advise to stop that and just realize that you will have a small line of algae around all the silicone at all times by only scraping perpendicularly to the seal.

Hands in the tank with loss of vision is tricky. I try to avoid it at Al costs. I can’t tell you how many corals I’ve broken and how many times I’ve got bloody knuckles.

Ah, ok I’ll stop for now. I could go on and on.

In a nutshell, if you truly get enjoyment and peace from the hobby it’s totally possible to continue. It’s also ok to ask for help! No matter how much you feel it may burden someone, it’s ok. Man I struggle with that, believe me, I just don’t ask but I’m stupid.

Ask me anything here or message me, whatever works for you. Might be a minute but I will respond

 

[Fish Fan]

Yeah, vision loss is a tough one.

It’s totally normal to not want to burden anyone. I am totally the biggest knot head in that regard. Reality is that no matter how busy you think someone is, or how much of a burden you feel things will be, it just truly isn’t the case. People are inherently not just willing, but actually want to help. Well, at least that’s what I’ve been told….i don’t adhere to my own advice on that one! Ha

With that, I’m here if you want to chat about things. There are so many things that can help with daily life and vision loss.

As far as tank maintenance specifics for a smaller tank here are a few things to think about.

For testing I like Hanna checkers. Reason being they are relatively simple, and they have a digital display. Using ai, a screen reader like apples voiceover, or an app like be my eyes, the display can be read to you. The Milwaukee floating salinity tester works well in that regard as well. Automatic pipettes are mandatory for pulling samples.

Now with the be my eyes app a live person can help you with pretty much anything visually. FaceTime with a friend is just as good.

For glass cleaning, I prefer things with a square/rectangular outer magnet like a flipper. You can get the feel (orientation wise) as to the exact position of the cleaner. Things like the tunze magnet are very difficult for me to tell where exactly the blade is. If you’re one that likes to scrape all the way to the silicone, I advise to stop that and just realize that you will have a small line of algae around all the silicone at all times by only scraping perpendicularly to the seal.

Hands in the tank with loss of vision is tricky. I try to avoid it at Al costs. I can’t tell you how many corals I’ve broken and how many times I’ve got bloody knuckles.

Ah, ok I’ll stop for now. I could go on and on.

In a nutshell, if you truly get enjoyment and peace from the hobby it’s totally possible to continue. It’s also ok to ask for help! No matter how much you feel it may burden someone, it’s ok. Man I struggle with that, believe me, I just don’t ask but I’m stupid.

Ask me anything here or message me, whatever works for you. Might be a minute but I will respond

Nice reply, I'm sure the OP will appreciate your help!

To be honest, and if you don't mind me saying, I have always been both curious about your situation, and puzzled as to how you get by in this hobby, except for the knowledge that most animals (including humans!) can over come a many great challenges life has in store for us

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Nice reply, I'm sure the OP will appreciate your help!

To be honest, and if you don't mind me saying, I have always been both curious about your situation, and puzzled as to how you get by in this hobby, except for the knowledge that most animals (including humans!) can over come a many great challenges life has in store for us

It’s a long story….. it took time, lots of time, patience, and cursing. Lots and lots of cursing! To continue the hobby.

Blind is an all encompassing term. It took me quite awhile to realize that I was “blind”. All my life I understood blind to mean complete darkness, absolutely zero data from the eyes. I still have vision, just not very functional.

It was only after I was told that I was legally blind and sent to a rehab center for the blind and visually impaired that I was finally able to admit it to myself. Well after a lot of beatings, I have a thick skull.

I have a rare corneal disease that was originally diagnosed (that’s a very long story in itself) as keratoconus. It was later reclassified as pellucid marginal degeneration. Both are very similar in presentation. Essentially my corneas are severely bulged and thin. This creates a multitude of overlapping and distorted images. Best I can equate it to is to imagine looking a one single lightbulb, that single bulb looks like a display of fireworks to me. Everything kinda looks like a shattered mirror, where each jagged piece has the same image repeating over and over. Looking through a kaleidoscope in a funhouse mirror maze.

Initially I could still see detail, even with the multiple images. I’ve since lost all detail vision. If you were standing right in front of me, I could tell you were there but I would have no clue who you were. Twenty feet away I wouldn’t notice you if you were jumping up and down and on fire…well maybe the fire but you get the drift. I had a procedure called corneal cross linking where they scrape away the epithelium (thin outer layer of the eye), saturate the cornea with riboflavin drops (if memory serves correctly) and then uv lighting is used to create a reaction between the riboflavin and natural collagen in the eye. The theory is that the collagen gets thicker and stronger to keep the eye from getting worse (it’s not a corrective procedure). After that all heals up then I was fit with scleral contacts. These are huge! A little smaller than a quarter. You fill them with solution and use a tool to insert/remove them as to not spil the fluid. Those helped somewhat but I did not tolerate them and could not wear them despite trying as hard as possible. Only other option now are multiple graph cornea transplants which with my other health issues isn’t on the table at the moment.

As far as the hobby, I was a techno dweeb and had pretty much everything automated. Honestly, that’s the only reason the tank survived. At the same time as my vision, I was also hit with physical/neuromuscular issues. A lot came down at the same time and I went into a deep depression for some time. It’s very easy for someone to not want to burden anyone and become a recluse. Knowing what I know now, there is just absolutely no reason for that to be the case. It’s not healthy at all, a ginormous waste of time as life passes you by, and people absolutely love to help despite what I imagined in my head. People genuinely get happy when they help out in any way whatsoever. It makes them feel good inside. Endorphins are released and they see unicorns and rainbows!

Like I said at the beginning, lots of time passed. It wasn’t an easy road but a lot was (who am I kidding, still is) my own stubbornness.

 

[Fish Fan]

It’s a long story….. it took time, lots of time, patience, and cursing. Lots and lots of cursing! To continue the hobby.

Blind is an all encompassing term. It took me quite awhile to realize that I was “blind”. All my life I understood blind to mean complete darkness, absolutely zero data from the eyes. I still have vision, just not very functional.

It was only after I was told that I was legally blind and sent to a rehab center for the blind and visually impaired that I was finally able to admit it to myself. Well after a lot of beatings, I have a thick skull.

I have a rare corneal disease that was originally diagnosed (that’s a very long story in itself) as keratoconus. It was later reclassified as pellucid marginal degeneration. Both are very similar in presentation. Essentially my corneas are severely bulged and thin. This creates a multitude of overlapping and distorted images. Best I can equate it to is to imagine looking a one single lightbulb, that single bulb looks like a display of fireworks to me. Everything kinda looks like a shattered mirror, where each jagged piece has the same image repeating over and over. Looking through a kaleidoscope in a funhouse mirror maze.

Initially I could still see detail, even with the multiple images. I’ve since lost all detail vision. If you were standing right in front of me, I could tell you were there but I would have no clue who you were. Twenty feet away I wouldn’t notice you if you were jumping up and down and on fire…well maybe the fire but you get the drift. I had a procedure called corneal cross linking where they scrape away the epithelium (thin outer layer of the eye), saturate the cornea with riboflavin drops (if memory serves correctly) and then uv lighting is used to create a reaction between the riboflavin and natural collagen in the eye. The theory is that the collagen gets thicker and stronger to keep the eye from getting worse (it’s not a corrective procedure). After that all heals up then I was fit with scleral contacts. These are huge! A little smaller than a quarter. You fill them with solution and use a tool to insert/remove them as to not spil the fluid. Those helped somewhat but I did not tolerate them and could not wear them despite trying as hard as possible. Only other option now are multiple graph cornea transplants which with my other health issues isn’t on the table at the moment.

As far as the hobby, I was a techno dweeb and had pretty much everything automated. Honestly, that’s the only reason the tank survived. At the same time as my vision, I was also hit with physical/neuromuscular issues. A lot came down at the same time and I went into a deep depression for some time. It’s very easy for someone to not want to burden anyone and become a recluse. Knowing what I know now, there is just absolutely no reason for that to be the case. It’s not healthy at all, a ginormous waste of time as life passes you by, and people absolutely love to help despite what I imagined in my head. People genuinely get happy when they help out in any way whatsoever. It makes them feel good inside. Endorphins are released and they see unicorns and rainbows!

Like I said at the beginning, lots of time passed. It wasn’t an easy road but a lot was (who am I kidding, still is) my own stubbornness.

It’s a long story….. it took time, lots of time, patience, and cursing. Lots and lots of cursing! To continue the hobby.

Blind is an all encompassing term. It took me quite awhile to realize that I was “blind”. All my life I understood blind to mean complete darkness, absolutely zero data from the eyes. I still have vision, just not very functional.

It was only after I was told that I was legally blind and sent to a rehab center for the blind and visually impaired that I was finally able to admit it to myself. Well after a lot of beatings, I have a thick skull.

I have a rare corneal disease that was originally diagnosed (that’s a very long story in itself) as keratoconus. It was later reclassified as pellucid marginal degeneration. Both are very similar in presentation. Essentially my corneas are severely bulged and thin. This creates a multitude of overlapping and distorted images. Best I can equate it to is to imagine looking a one single lightbulb, that single bulb looks like a display of fireworks to me. Everything kinda looks like a shattered mirror, where each jagged piece has the same image repeating over and over. Looking through a kaleidoscope in a funhouse mirror maze.

Initially I could still see detail, even with the multiple images. I’ve since lost all detail vision. If you were standing right in front of me, I could tell you were there but I would have no clue who you were. Twenty feet away I wouldn’t notice you if you were jumping up and down and on fire…well maybe the fire but you get the drift. I had a procedure called corneal cross linking where they scrape away the epithelium (thin outer layer of the eye), saturate the cornea with riboflavin drops (if memory serves correctly) and then uv lighting is used to create a reaction between the riboflavin and natural collagen in the eye. The theory is that the collagen gets thicker and stronger to keep the eye from getting worse (it’s not a corrective procedure). After that all heals up then I was fit with scleral contacts. These are huge! A little smaller than a quarter. You fill them with solution and use a tool to insert/remove them as to not spil the fluid. Those helped somewhat but I did not tolerate them and could not wear them despite trying as hard as possible. Only other option now are multiple graph cornea transplants which with my other health issues isn’t on the table at the moment.

As far as the hobby, I was a techno dweeb and had pretty much everything automated. Honestly, that’s the only reason the tank survived. At the same time as my vision, I was also hit with physical/neuromuscular issues. A lot came down at the same time and I went into a deep depression for some time. It’s very easy for someone to not want to burden anyone and become a recluse. Knowing what I know now, there is just absolutely no reason for that to be the case. It’s not healthy at all, a ginormous waste of time as life passes you by, and people absolutely love to help despite what I imagined in my head. People genuinely get happy when they help out in any way whatsoever. It makes them feel good inside. Endorphins are released and they see unicorns and rainbows!

Like I said at the beginning, lots of time passed. It wasn’t an easy road but a lot was (who am I kidding, still is) my own stubbornness.

I had typed quite a lengthy reply about how I feel for you in your situation, quoting and replying almost paragraph to paragraph to your reply above, but something got lost, and this is the end of my Eastern time zone night I'll check in with you tomorrow!

I quite feel for you in your situation, and I applaud your ability to keep moving forward!

@Gumbies R Us I feel like this is a really inspiration story right here that maybe R2R can cast more light on

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

I had typed quite a lengthy reply about how I feel for you in your situation, quoting and replying almost paragraph to paragraph to your reply above, but something got lost, and this is the end of my Eastern time zone night I'll check in with you tomorrow!

I quite feel for you in your situation, and I applaud your ability to keep moving forward!

@Gumbies R Us I feel like this is a really inspiration story right here that maybe R2R can cast more light on

The disappearing reply. Oh how I loathe thee!

As much as I talk to myself, I just hit a roadblock when it comes to dictation. It’s just not something I ever used over the years. I feel your pain when typing out a lengthy reply and it just evaporates! Another forum I visit (rarely) automatically saves as you type. When something evaporates into thin air, you start a new reply and it asks if you want to restore. That’s amazeballs! (and something I wish was a universal feature on forums). It’s not perfect, sometimes the last sentence or two dosent make it but it’s a lifesaver nonetheless.

 

[Fish Fan]

The disappearing reply. Oh how I loathe thee!

As much as I talk to myself, I just hit a roadblock when it comes to dictation. It’s just not something I ever used over the years. I feel your pain when typing out a lengthy reply and it just evaporates! Another forum I visit (rarely) automatically saves as you type. When something evaporates into thin air, you start a new reply and it asks if you want to restore. That’s amazeballs! (and something I wish was a universal feature on forums). It’s not perfect, sometimes the last sentence or two dosent make it but it’s a lifesaver nonetheless.

It happens (the disappearing reply!). I am nearing the end of my night, but I do not want to dismiss your story and your replies here. I wish you the best, and I hope to participate in this discussion tomorrow

 

[Staghorn]

Enjoy your aquarium as long as you can, In the event that your vision does take a turn for the worse, it can be taken care of later, someone will always be willing to take it off your hands and care for the animals. In the meantime, try and find the best doctors you can, nowadays it’s amazing what a good doctor can do and you may be able to enjoy your aquarium for much much longer. Do not give up. We are all rooting for you.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

While searching for this thread to add another comment , I stumbled across this:

Build Thread - Reefing While Blind: A Misadventure in Progress

There's been an Innovative Marine 50-gallon lagoon tank sitting empty in my living room for over 2 years. It didn't get filled the first year because I had 7 eye surgeries over 11 months. It didn't get filled the second year because, after all those surgeries..... I still lost my vision...

www.reef2reef.com

Whatever decision you make (continue the hobby or not) just know that neither is the wrong choice. Only you can decide what’s best. I wish you the very best!