This weekend in the New York Times, personal health writer Jane E. Brody tackled a sensitive topic: the fear, isolation, and anxiety that many people experience when losing their sight. The Worst That Could Happen? Going Blind, People Say.
In 2007, AFB commissioned a national study on people's attitudes and opinions of severe vision loss and blindness. The survey revealed that Americans believe strongly that losing one's sight would have a significant negative impact on their quality of life. But that doesn't have to be the case.
At the American Foundation for the Blind, we know that losing your sight doesn't have to mean giving up your independence, your career, or your favorite hobbies. With rehabilitation training and the use of assistive technology, people with visual impairments can continue reading, cooking, golfing, traveling, surfing the web, and much more.
On AFB's family of websites, we offer parents, families, professionals, and people with vision loss a wealth of information on how to live independently with vision loss. Visitors can also find resources in their communities, which can make a world of difference when coping with a vision loss diagnosis.
We look forward to Jane Brody's next column on aiding people who are visually impaired, and encourage anyone who is losing their vision, or has a friend or family member experiencing vision loss, to explore AFB's website VisionAware.
