A Christmas Drive?

Ok, so I may not be able to drive yet.... but it's fun to think this time next year I could be able to drive home for Christmas.  Today I just wanted to share a few quick things with you.  On 12/14/09 my actual learners permit arrived in the mail.  So now I can destroy the paper one I got on the 3rd.  It's crazy how it looks so much like a liscense.  Jennifer took my bioptics a few weeks ago to fix the red filters and got them back to me 12/22/09 before I went home for Christmas. I can't wait to show them to my friends and family.  My pawpaw tried them on today and was quick to tell me he likes his old ones just fine.  Jennifer did a great job cutting the filters.  Now I can see out of the bioptic with the filters on perfectly.  Next year should be very exciting now that there's NOTHING keeping me from behnd the wheel.  All the testing, purchasing, vision obstacles, kinks and learners permit is behind me!  Now it's finally time for me to buckle up and hit the pavement!  

Thanks to all of you who started reading and sharing my blog with friends.  Your comments, sharing, suggestions, and support mean a lot.  I really have so much to be thankful for this year.  It's amazing how what seems impossible one day in your life can be made possible the next.  That's God at work.  Some days I just feel spolied.  I have everything I need and lots of what I want.  I think when it get's that way for us, that means it's time we give a little more back.  So hopefully this coming year we can all do a little more for others and make the most of the time we have with our friends and family.  That's my Christmas wish.  I hope you have a Merry Christmas and pray you have a wonderful time with those you love.

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LEARNERS PERMIT DAY! 12/03/09

My Thursday started off like many others, 5 am alarm, scramble to fix breakfast and a quick check of the weather.  The meteorologist revealed a chance of snow flurries Friday night.  Usually the chance of flurries alone would have me excited, but today was my trip to the DMV.  I had planned ahead as much as possible.  I placed a call Monday to Katie at the Montgomery AL Department of Public Safety to ensure she had all the paperwork she needed, before I showed up at my local DMV.  She said everything was in place and I would just need to bring proper ID.  I asked if I needed any of my bioptic paperwork and she said no.  With that, I packed my social security card, non-drivers license, and money for a cab ride home.


I had asked for about a 6:30 am pick up. The para-transit bus showed up at 7:03 am.  Not bad. This morning some of my colleagues were on the bus.  It was so funny because we ended up going to my workplace to drop them off, but thank God I didn't have to get off the bus there today!  I remained on the bus, making sure my driver knew that work was not my destination today.  She glanced down and said the DMV was on her paperwork.  We arrived around 7:30ish.  The entrance was being repaved,  so I walked through the chilly air to a side door that led to another set of doors.  Then something appeared before me that I thought impossible.


I peered around the corner of the second set of doors and only about 4 people, including one trooper/security officer, were inside!  I have heard countless stories from friends, customers, colleagues, and everyone else about how awful going down there was.  Surely this was just a Department of Motor Vehicles dream I was having.  I approached the old fashioned blocky wooden desk the officer was at.  In front of me was this old lady and a relative of hers.  The lady had some birth certificate issues and the officer asked her to talk to the supervisor with her issue because there is nothing more he could do to help her.  After some coaching and sincere compassion on his part, the officer finally got her out of his hair.  I approached the desk and told him I was there to get my learners permit.  He said that I'd have to show him some ID, including my social security card.  No problem.  He looked at them, wrote a few things down, and handed me a tiny piece of paper and asked I sit in the adjacent room to wait.  I purposely didn't tell him I was a bioptic driver.  I guess I just wanted to get a little further before I alarmed anyone with the news.  That could of been a mistake, but in my case it was not at this stage.  Well, I knew this room the officer sent me to was where the crowd I had missed seeing early on, must be sitting.  I walked further and further to only see the old lady talking to the supervisor and the other person in front of me seated patiently.  This alone was amazing to me.  What was really odd though, was no one but this supervisor was at the desk to the left side of me.

I thought to myself, why didn't I ask if they'd call my number or if I needed to hand it to someone.  Surely that was how it's done....?  right?  I didn't know.  I waited a little longer and looked around contemplating how sad it was that this place looked like a old outdated dump.  Even the sparse Christmas decorations were sickly looking.  Soon a different employee walked in the room and sat at the desk directly in front of my seating area.  I sat patiently holding my ticket out within easy visibility.  Finally she got done sitting up shop and asked me to step to the desk.  Her demeanor was not friendly nor unfriendly.  I later found out she had a cold she was suffering with that likely attributed to her behavior.  I told her I was there to get my learners permit.  I think the first question out of her mouth was if I was a organ donor.  I guess its like credit cards, some things must be pushed by all employees.  For my job, we had to push use of our website.  So I didn't hold it against her.


As the lady officer took my ID's I told her that I was a bioptic driver.  Once this atomic bomb was dropped all bets were off.  She then asked if I had my paperwork.  I said yes.  Even though I was told I would not need it, I brought it anyways.  She glanced at it a little confused and then told me I'd have to have a seat over there until she got some other family out of the way because my processing would take longer then theirs.  So now the DMV nightmare begins right?  Wrong.  I sat thinking the worst because my paperwork was not fully filled out, but I handed her what page was fully filled out hoping for the best.  Well it's about 8 am now and I'm waiting.  I noticed the office traffic is picking up fast.  After the family left her desk, she motioned me back up.  I sat down this time and she began typing while asking me all these questions that they are forced to ask.  She asked things like if I used drugs, had been convicted of a crime or felony, etc etc.  She still looked puzzled by my paperwork.  After confirming my address she told me she'd have to make a phone call.  Well, I heard her talk to her supervisor and the medical office she was trying to reach was unavailable.  With that, I was told to please sit over to the side and she'd be with me just as soon as she reached this medical contact for assistance with my paperwork.  Wow.....now I was really worried.

I sat to the side watching people getting their photo's taken wondering just how long this would end up taking.  Well soon no customers appeared at her desk and she got up to tell me that I was not forgotten.  That was very nice of her.  Now I was warming up to her.  She walked into yet another different side room and I could hear her talking to colleagues.  A few minutes later I thought I heard my last name...but very unsure.  I walked into the room anyways grasping at hope.  The lady officer motioned for me to come sit at yet another desk with her.  It had this very dated looking thing you look through to do the eye test.  In actuality, I think it was hooked to a computer.  I then noticed a small box on the desk where you electronically write your name if you pay for anything.  This was weird how they had modern technology but the facility looked like it had been pummeled by a heard of cattle.  She then she got on the phone and asked for Katie.  Bingo.....this had to be "my Katie" from the Montgomery DMV.  Sure enough it was, I could hear her voice over the phone.  I was elated Katie was at work before 9 am.  I knew things would be okay with my paperwork now.  I asked why Katie told me I needed no paperwork yet I was asked for paperwork.  The lady officer replied the paperwork I had was not helpful anyways and Katie must have been contacted regardless.  Ok, well one mystery solved.  Next she told me that she needed 5 bucks from me to take the learners permit test.  I happily handed it over.  After that was out of the way, she told me to go back into the next room, approach Number 2 Machine, and take my test.  Easy enough.  They were clearly marked kiosk with numbers.  Each kiosk had a little stool in front.  The stool was not at the right height.  Standing wasn't working well either, so I crouched over to see the touch screen machine while partially seated.  Then some commotion started happening behind me.


Perfect timing right?  This woman with a thick English accent who was obviously not originally from the US, began arguing with the officers about her vision problems.  She gave them excuses, she gave them sob stories, everything she could pull out of her hat.  The answer was the same for her:  take yourself to the eye doctor and then come back with some vision aids or glasses.  She finally surrendered.  I was so glad because I could now concentrate more with her gone.  This touch screen kiosk provided us with a sample test option.  I took it.  The first question shows a photo of a horse.  It gives me multiple choices.  Question 1: "Please identify the object in the photo.  Is it:  A: Dog, B: Horse, C: Donkey?"  I pressed B and moved along to my next challenge.....ID a football.  lol  This is insane right?   No wonder such idiots are on the roads!  But this was just the sample test.  Since the sample test was obviously designed to get one used to the format and not the subject matter, I selected the option to begin my 30 question test.


The test did show some of the harder road signs to discern.  The bridge one I did not think would be on the test, was.  There was a question about the point system they use to annotate your driving record and I had to just guess at that one.  There was obvious ones about use of drugs and alcohol mixed.  We had one about changing lanes at intersections, riding behind bicyclist and motorcycles.  There was other give away questions, like identifying stop signs and hand signals.  Sadly, I got confused with the questionable illustration and likely messed up the hand signal question.  There was one about weather seat belts should "fit snugly" around your abdomen or around your hips.  This seemed like a trick.  When I got home and looked in my manual it NEVER specified the answer to this question.  I researched online and found out it was hips and not abdomen.  If you put your seatbelt around your abdomen you risk damage to internal organs in the event of a accident.  There was also questions on what to do during headlight failure and how to treat a bus that is stopped.  Within no time I was done with this much anticipated test.  The touch screen kiosk even has an option to enlarge the photo used on each test question.  Too bad they didn't let you enlarge the font size.  When I completed the last question the machine immediately told me that I passed the test and could report back to the officer for further instructions. 


I was happy that the test was so easy!  It never gave me a precise score.  I guess that is for them to know.  The curious side of me now wishes I would have asked.  I zoomed back over to the office and the lady officer asked me how I did.  I cheerfully told her I passed.  She jokingly replied that I was "cheesin."  Which means I was wearing a huge smile.  I just laughed and told her she was right.  She then asked me to take a photo.  You would know, I did not anticipate this at all.  Who knew learners permits required a photo?  I didn't.  Nor did I recall reading that fact.  Oh yeah, it cost $23.00 here in AL for the learners permit.  I happily had her debit my account.  I wore a hat that morning and had a bad case of hat hair.  Well, nothing I could do about it.  After the photo, she started printing out my temporary learners permit and said I'd get the real one in the mail in about two weeks.  She said that was it.  I glanced at my watch and it was only about 8:30 am.  Amazing!  I thanked her for her trouble and told her she had made my day.  I then called a cab to take me back home.  On the way home the driver got nosy and asked what I was doing at the DMV.  I told him I just got my learners permit.  Imagine his surprise.  He wasn't brave enough to ask why.  :)


So i can't believe it,  I finally got everything accomplished this year that I set out to do.  Jennifer is making some tweaks to my filter cutting, so again I'm waiting on them to be returned.  I discovered during Thanksgiving that no amount of adjusting was allowing me to see through my bioptic fully.  This should be a relatively easy fix.  I'll update you with changes. 

In the meantime.  I hope you enjoy my special Christmas blog and music.  I'm sure I'll be updating you at least once more before Christmas.   Please stay tuned because things are just getting started.

A Little Red Magic

It's official.....I'm seeing RED!  As of 11/10/09 I'm the proud owner of these trendy red filters!  


Jennifer called me on the 11/09/09 and delivered them on the 10th as tropical remains of Ida stumbled through our state.  The first thing I noticed was how she had a hard time getting the bioptic situated inside the filter opening she cut.  Apparently she fixed it so there was only one way to slide my bioptic inside the filter opening.  On my bioptic, I must slide the left side in first.  It's a tight fit.  I was mortified to see this had already scraped my bioptics some.  Even worse, she explained she accidently scratched the red filters when cutting them, so she will have to get another pair for me.  For now I can use these.  I was in a rush to get back to work.  So I briefly tried my bioptic on with the red filter.  We had to loosen the bioptic because I could not see enough through it.  This prompted me to realize my screwdriver was missing out of my bioptic case.  Jenn realized it was in her car and scurried out into the windy weather to fetch it.  I stood quietly in the lobby contemplating what in the world would come out of her mouth next.  I was hoping it was the news I wanted to hear.  But after so many setbacks, I really just forced myself to keep expectations buried.  Now on to the good news.


After a brief minute or two, Jennifer scurried inside with the screwdriver.  She adjusted them standing up, which seemed a bit awkward for her, but non the less, she succeeded in helping me see out of my bioptic more clearly.  It wasn't perfect, but better.  So once we got that settled,  she told me in a matter of fact way that I can go get my permit.  WAIT!   What did she say?  "You can go get your permit" is what I think she said.  My smile said it all.  There it was, all out in the open, the news I had anticipated so long was now a verbal reality.  This made my day, my week, my month!  Jenn then followed up with me about the necessary paperwork that was needed by the State Department of Transportation.  She asked me if I had it,  I said yes.  She explained she'd look for it at her place first and then fax over what's needed before I show up to the DMV for my permit.  That sounded good to me.  Do you know that she actually did it within a days time!  I know she's been busy, but this turnaround time was nothing short of a miracle.  I was shocked to hear from her Wed. morning with news that everything was taken care of with my paperwork.  Wow, kudos to her.  I'm elated at her new zeal to help me.


With all the excitement came the real test, the road.  I took my new filters with bioptic out for a spin with the city transit service.  Wow, they are magic!  These red filters not only made the red lights and break lights jump out at me, it also helped in seeing the street lights at dusk.  Another major bonus is the red filters greatly shield me from the brazen fall sunlight with the broad arm side protection.  It was so good to feel so confident about seeing what was in front of me.  I never ever would have that level of confidence without the red filters.  They are nothing short of amazing.  


So now for the downfall I've noticed.  With my vision, there seems to be a hardship seeing the stop signs with the red filters on.  You'd think they'd jump out at me right?  But this "jumping out"  only occurs with backlit objects, not solid non lit objects.  I actually could see the stop signs better with my own vision.  This troubles me, but I think we can find a workaround.  I also think my bioptic is not fitting correctly in the filters.  I honestly just would rather have the red contacts now that I see how cumbersome the adjusting is of the red filters with the bioptic.  I've seen other states where drivers use red contacts for bioptic driving.  My doctor asked I not do that because I could never see any green lights.  This makes great sense to me.  At least with the bioptic unfiltered I can see green lights.  Red contacts would filter out everything, including sight through my bioptic.  I am working to contact others who use the red contacts to see how their doctors justified them not seeing green lights.  I'll keep you posted on that project.  


So with all the good news and slight mixed results, I'm still overall very happy and may possibly try to get my permit on black Friday.  As promised, the attached photo at the top is of my new red filters and bioptic fitted together.  Let me know what you think.  I should go, time to hit the books and study to get my permit.  Next stop: DMV!

Fall Filters

Finally I have some real news to report!  It's been since June 18th that anything has really happened.  Lots of factors contributed to this slowdown on my end and the professionals helping me through this process.  After not hearing a word from Dr. DeCarlo's office in over 4 weeks, I started calling....daily.  She got in touch with my driving instructor, Jennifer.  Jenn left me a voice mail last week to pick a sunny day to drive.  Well after some phone and email chase we finally nailed down today for her to test me as a passenger with the red filters.  The goal was to see how well I could see the red lights and stop signs while using the new filters.

I was wearing a generic fitting pair of red filters, so it was awkward at first.  Jenn made some adjustments to my bioptic and kindly taped them together with the generic red filters.  After we got them all taped together, it was test time.  It was very bright out today, so I was a little apprehensive.  Plus, I'd not worn the red filters but once on June 18th, so I had to get used to them again.  Let me explain more about how the red filters work so you'll know what I mean.

A little background about me: with my regular vision I can't see red "lights' in daylight hours unless I open my eyes extremely wide.  Since one can only do that so long, it's not a suitable long term option.  With my regular vision, red lights during sunny hours appear to be turned off;  aka...black.  The red filters actually make any red light JUMP out at me just by magnifying its vibrant color.  The thing you probably don't realize is red filters, filter OUT green.  So the green lights appear black!  Ok don't freak out yet.  The good news is the filters do NOT cover the tiny hole in my bioptic that is unfiltered.  Therefore:  I can see the green lights just by peeking in my bioptic for a split second.  I can see the red lights by using my normal vision and looking through the red filters.  The red filters also seem to work well making the yellow lights jump out.

Jennifer began asking me what color the lights were.  I was a little confused at first having to kind of think backwards.
1. If the light in my normal vision using red filters appears black: then in reality it is green.  I will see black through my filters and green through my bioptic.
2. If the light in my normal vision using red filters appears to be vibrantly on, then in reality it is red.  I will see vibrant red through my filters and and black through my bioptic.

Now if that makes any kind of sense to you, please pat yourself on the back and grab a energy drink.

I was able to easily distinguish how many tail lights were on a car, when they were blinking, and when they were solid.  The stop signs were a little harder to see with the red filter then just using my regular unfiltered vision through the bioptic.  Jennifer seemed pretty relieved with this new revelation.  She could now feel safer with me. She admitted she was confused, given my old erroneous diagnosis, why I had trouble with the red lights.  Now that Dr. DeCarlo gave me a accurate diagnosis it all makes sense.  Another great thing about these red filters is they wrap around the sides of my face blocking out bright side lights.  This greatly enhances my ability to drive safely during the day.  However, the safest time for me to drive will be night.  I would not need the filters at night and could just use my bioptic.

After riding around for about 30 minutes Jennifer dropped me back off at work.  She told me she would have to now take my bioptic back to the office to make sure the cut of my new permanent red filters is an exact fit to my bioptic.  So with that, I was very pleased with today's progress.  I was also thankful that the journey didn't end before I ever got to get in the drivers seat!  Keep in mind I'm still doing passenger vision testing.  I have not ever touched the car.  Now that I've tested multiple times as a passenger with the bioptics, and we've seemed to conquer my color vision problems on this passenger test, the next step should be to get my permit.  I'll let you know when I get my red filters.  I'm going to send photos on my next post of them so you'll finally see what I'm talking about with your own two eyes.

Confusion Causeway

I got a surprise message on my machine yesterday morning.

Here's some back story:

I was trying to get my red filters ordered by my driving specialist, but after months of being distracted by my new job training, we lost contact. Upon being recontacted this month, she referred me to a occupational therapist to order the filters. The occupational therapist seemed somewhat out of the loop, but said she'd take care of it. After not hearing from anyone in over a week, I was planning to call back the occupational therapist on Sept 29th. Instead, I got a message on my machine from Dr. DeCarlo.

She told me they have no red filters ordered! Now keep in mind, she has my chart and can see how insane it is there has been such little progression since my last visit with her in June! She said now that she's aware of what's going on, they have placed an order for some. Due to the confusion, I was asked to contact her directly concerning these matters. Another potential problem is they are having a hard time contacting the person helping me pay for things at vocational rehabilitation, as he's on extended sick leave. (I wondered why he never returned my email last week.) Dr. DeCarlo gave me her personal number if I had other questions. Of course, I did. I wanted a time frame. I was shocked I actually reached her on my first call attempt. That was a miracle all on its own. She explained that it would take one to three weeks for the red filter order to be filled. She ended up apologizing for the people I was trying to work with pointing me different directions. I told her it was not a big deal because a few extra months of waiting compared to 31 years of not driving was nothing. I was also told they plan to keep a pair in office so people don't have to wait on delivery to be filled. I thought that was a smart idea. I explained I'd be happy to pay for them if that meant things going faster. She said we'd wait and see how long it takes and maybe my vocational rehabilitation counselor will be back in office by then.

What a bunch of confusion over something that should have been simple. That is life. I accept it. (see photo above) I finally feel progress is happening again. Let's hope the filters come soon. They still have to cut them before I can test drive/spot with them. Then if all that goes well I can start trying to get my permit!

Yield Signs

Finally I have managed to get my blog up to date. I found it difficult to post stuff in a timely manner because I started making this blog a month or so after the whole process started. It's been a while since the last update because my work life has eaten up my personal life. I'm sure a lot of you can relate to that. For those of you who don't know, I'm in a 7 month training course for a new job. It's intense and has really pulled me away from my bioptic training. It doesn't help that my driving instructor seems to have forgotten I exist. The good news is, I'm still hoping to squeeze a few driving goals in this year. I still haven't got fitted for my red filters, nor have I taken the major step of getting my permit. These 2 things I hope to complete by the new year so in Jan. or Feb. I'll be ready to really take to the road. I''m praying for God's guidance in all these matters because everything in my life seems uncertain right now. From my living circumstances, to my relationships, to this job training, to my bioptic venture, it is all in the air. Good thing God has control because I couldn't juggle all this alone. I'll keep you updated.

My Red Tail Tale: 06/18/09

I've been waiting since 04/24/09 for this appointment with Dr DeCarlo. If you recall from my last passenger evaluation Jennifer recommended I see my Dr. to get help seeing red lights during daylight hours. I came into the office that day with my bioptics ready to see what she could do. I ended up starting my visit by having her newest apprentice observe my vision with and without bioptic use. She was very pleasant and we easily found common ground to talk about. Too bad though, I think she's married. I should have used my bioptic to scope out a ring. Anyways, after testing and some interesting chatter, Dr DeCarlo waltzed in with her usual calm, well put together demeanor. She and I reviewed what Jennifer told me. But it was not until this point I knew that Jennifer told her she was "scared" to ride with me because I wasn't seeing red lights well in day. This seemed out of character for someone who works with visually impaired people for a living. I think communication there could be misconstrued, so I dismissed it. Of course, the very next thing my Dr tells me is that if this doesn't work, we can't continue. This is something I thought about , but her putting lip service to my thought pierced my soul. Why had I not worried about this more before my visit? I assumed I could at least drive at night. The problem with my assumption is I must still pass the drivers test during the day. Oooops.

Dr DeCarlo explained that she had successfully fitted a patient who had similar color vision problems with these red filters. She then really boosted my spirits when she told me this person is driving with them now. I became elated again. However, my test was yet to come. No one knew if the red filters would work or not. My Dr found a little flashlight type device and asked me what i saw. Then she gave me the red filters to try. This flashlight had several spots, or sources of light. My job was to ID which light sources were in use at a particular time. Dr DeCarlo quickly learned more about what colors I had a problem with. She told me the ironic thing is the red filters block out the green light, yet enhance any red lights. So how would I see traffic lights that are green? Simple. I will look through the unfiltered bioptic for green lights. OK, so it may not be so simple to you, if you are a trained driver, but I'm all new to this, so it's a trivial matter. I really could not gage how well the filters worked inside her office. She said the red filters seemed like the natural next step for me, but there's no better test then the real thing. What is the real thing?

The real thing is the test using the filters outdoors to see red lights and tail lights. This was my absolute last chance. I wanted to do whatever it took to make these things work for me. But ultimately God was going to decide, as He always has, exactly how well this would or would not work. The closer we got to the bottom floor of the Eye Center the more nervous I was. The doctor did not go with me, she sent her apprentice. I know we all must learn at some point, so I followed her every instruction. We joked that she was so new she was not too familiar with the area my Dr. told her to take me to. So about 4:30 that Thursday the bright sun greeted us for the test that had the potential to change my life. So simple, yet so important. I was really facing a lifelong enemy: harsh sunlight.

Dr DeCarlo's assistant asked me to first look for a traffic light. I stepped to the edge of the street that was lined with parked cars to peer up at the light. I only saw part of it. I looked into the distance wondering why it was not changing colors. It looked like it never turned green. She asked what I saw. I told her it the light seemed red but never turned green. Then I realized I was looking at the orange back part of the traffic light not the front of the light. Where was the one she was seeing? I peered back noticing she was not standing at my angle. Then walking closer to her we realized the tree in front of me was hanging over the light. She could see it from her angle but the traffic light was completely obscured by the tree silhouette from my angle! What a RELIEF! I was so scared it wasn't working. Now I had a second chance.

Then it happened. The green light changed to red and I could see the red light so intensely magnified. It was like magic glasses. The red just jumped out at me, no longer blending in during harsh daylight. I was elated. Then the assistant asked me to look the other direction.....no problem, I could see them very easily. We needed more test. So she had me monitor the red tail light on a car that just passed us. She asked me if it was blinking or solid. I could clearly see when it stopped and stared blinking without any hesitation! This is incredible! Then we spotted cars further away and she put me through additional similar testing. She could see how excited I was. Even more awesome, I did not get ONE test wrong. Dr DeCarlo appeared on the street after about 10 minutes to check our progress. Her assistant told her I was batting a million!

The three of us walked back inside, where Dr DeCarlo called my driving instructor Jennifer, who was along everyone else, happy to hear that this last crucial effort worked. Now my big question is how will I wear these AND my bioptics. The answer: Dr DeCarlo says Jennifer and her can arrange to have a hole cut in the red filters large enough to have the bioptic fit though. That way one pair can be worn over the other. Another great advantage for me is the red filters offer much more sun protection then the regular sunlight filter Ocutech provided with my bioptics. The red filters have SIDE sunlight protection too. Now on to the next step: bioptic passenger testing with my new red filters. I can't wait!

Three Awesome Events: 05/17/09

MAJOR NEWS: After complaining and calling and calling, my DMV paperwork arrived 05/07/09! I was so happy to finally get the paperwork. If you recall, there's been a major delay with sending me the DMV paperwork due to a recent paperwork rewrite / restructure. After looking through it, I have to wonder why it took them so long. It looks simple. What this means is that I can now get my permit without a hassle because I'll have the required special bioptic DMV paperwork in hand.

SONGS FOR SIGHT: What am I talking about? One of Dr. DeCarlo's patients had the idea to do a fundraiser for the Low Vision Center. I'm told that 05/17/09 marked a star studded event that encompassed educational enlightenment and uplifting songs of celebration. People learned what it was like to lose vision. To read more about this exciting night please visit: www.songsforsight.org

DIALOG IN THE DARK! :

(The International Award Winning Exhibition)

A few weeks ago when visiting Atlanta I saw a ad for this exciting new exhibition experience: Dialog In The Dark. It looks like a GREAT experience for anyone sighted to see what it would be like to have a serious vision problem. You will take a extra sensory journey for an hour of your life IN COMPLETE 100% DARKNESS that you will never forget. But don't worry, your tour guides are blind, so you'll get out unscathed! Visit http://www.dialogtickets.com/ for tickets or http://www.dialogue-in-the-dark.com/ for more information about this incredible experience that will last a lifetime!

My New Diagnosis: Cone Dystrophy: 04/30/09

I was not on pins and needles too long before Dr De Carlo called me with the Electroretinogram results. I got a voicemail saying she could not leave this information on the phone and must reach me directly to discuss my case. I understood her ethics but lamented some about the phone tag. I got off work and still no call. I sat waiting on the bus while staring at my phone as if that would help it ring. I checked the volume because I mute it out of habit at work. I checked the battery. I checked the voicemail. Finally at the very late end to my doctor's exhausting work day I got the call! My bus still had not arrived so I talked to her with quiet enthusiasm in my employer's lobby.

She told me I have what she suspected: Cone Dystrophy

Dr De Carlo stated by doing this electroretinogram test we ruled out the possibility of other optical diagnosis. I asked her several questions about the symptoms. It all added up! I have light sensitivity problems during daylight hours, I can see well at night, I have color blindness, and I have problems seeing fine details. She was so professional and kind. She assured me that the diagnosis itself would not hinder my pursuit to be a bioptic driver. I was relived. The thought had actually never crossed my mind. I never once thought she may find something that will inhibit my ability to try bioptic driving. She went on to tell me that cone dystrophy can be genetic. She said that more family background may help shed light on this issue. She said there's no cure at this time as it's all a brain centered problem. But, with more advanced genetic research there is hope.

Another thing I learned during our conversation was that if it was inherited there is a 50 percent chance I will pass this on to my children. Scary.....I never EVER thought about this...I know I want kids, but would this prevent me from having any with my DNA? The short answer is NO. I believe in God before science. Plus, if I can do this, I'd have no problems teaching my kids to deal with it. Science is good, God is greater. He has a plan for each and every one of us from conception to infinity. If He want's me to have a child I will.

If you remember, in the previous blog about my "2nd Passenger Evaluation," I said that my only hope is to see if my doctor can give me tools to see red lights better in the daylight hours. I also stated that Dr. De Carlo's office had no appointment till June 18th. We touched on this subject and she graciously and sincerely apologized for the long wait to see her again. I told her it's no big deal, I've waited 30 years to do this, what's a few more months of waiting going to matter? haha So the waiting begins......again.....for the next exam and my last hope of continuing this dream. I pray it is not the end.

BY THE WAY:

If you want to learn more about what Cone Dystrophy is check out this link: Cone Dystrophy

God Bless America!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY 2009!
Let's thank God for every day we enjoy the FREEDOM our American soldiers fight and die for! May God Bless you, your family and the America we love!

My Old Diagnosis: Optic Atrophy: 04/22/09

Many of you may be wondering what exactly my eye problem is. Today I'm going to address this topic. Most doctors have labeled my eye problem as trauma at birth. Optic Atrophy is usually accompanied by color vision loss. Optic Atrophy commonly develops during early childhood. Since the optic nerve runs to the brain, there is currently no cure for this eye problem. On the other hand, since it's not a physical eye disease my vision should not deteriorate further. For years my eye doctors have shrugged shoulders and said anything from he's undiagnosed to he's got Optic Atrophy due to trauma at birth. I was 2.5 months premature when born. My lungs were underdeveloped so it's possible there could have been a lack of oxygen to my brain that may have caused this condition. The doctors actually told my mother I'd never live. hahaha They're SO smart aren't they?

Not only am I classified as legally blind, I'm also partially color blind. Now lets get this straight, I DO NOT see in black and white! Oh sorry, touchy subject. Yes, I detest that question as much as the "how many fingers am I holding up question", even though I fully understand why someone would ask. Bright colors are more easily discernible in bright lighting conditions. When colors get close to the same value is where my problems lie. At that point, confusion sets in. When I open my eyes very wide and more light gets in the bright colors jump out at me. But this is useless because I can't walk around with toothpicks prying my eyes wide open daily.

With these things in mind, my new specialist, Dr. De Carlo, took great care in providing me with any diagnosis. She didn't rush to any decision, nor did she buy into what other doctors had told me. After looking closely with some really bright lights around my eye, she had an idea. She said she has a hunch that I have a different eye problem, but we will not know for sure unless I agree to undergo additional testing. I told her to sign me up. I agreed to have a Electroretinogram done. I won't bore you with the medical definition unless you want to click the different links.

On April 22 2009 at 8:30 am I went to the Eye Foundation for my Electroretinogram. I had forgot my insurance card that day, but God takes care of fools and blind people. lol Anyways, this nice lady with a (I'm guessing here) German accent tested me. The electrodes were placed on me, I was dilated, the lights turned out and the fun began. Well that doesn't sound right in print. After dilation was complete, (Dr De Carlo says I'm a fast dilator) my testing began. I stuck my head in this thing pictured above that looked to me like a space helmet with a red light in the middle. We did a spot test where I looked and a tiny light flashed soft to bright. The ERG machine measured the electrical activity of my retina in response to light stimulation. It's actually a pain free test of my rods and cones. I tested with the lights off and on. After testing I walked out with those fashionable dilation shades to meet with the ERG doctor who would examine the results. This guy looked at my eyes extensively with more bright lights. Are we having fun yet? After all that, I noticed him flipping though my test results. When I asked, he stated he thinks he knows what I've got, but doesn't want to say until he examines my results more extensively. No shocker, I know how these people work. Now the waiting game beings again until Dr De Carlo gets my Electroretinogram results back from the ERG specialist.

The Ganzfeld Electroretinogram machine I was tested on looked exactly like the one pictured at the top of my blog. They had it connected to a laptop and my eyes to the electrodes. It was painless and a extremely simple test.

A Possible New & Improved Bioptic Design

Click here to check out the newest possible bioptic design : Bioptics

2nd Passenger Evaluation: 04/24/09 I'm Crushed

My neighbor and friends have been working a lot with me this past week to prepare me for today. I still don't think I'm an ideal bioptic user, but I should pass. Today Jennifer was kind enough to arrange to pick me up form work with another one of her pupils. This Friday was a bright sunshine filled day. I hurried to get downstairs from work to meet Jennifer at the curb of my workplace. She called my cell and said one of the girls she was training had put her a little behind and someone was lost in her building. I told her no problem, I had no choice but to wait. :) After about 10 minutes she arrived. I had no idea what vehicle she was in. I forgot to ask. When she finally arrived she rolled down the window and said my name as I cautiously approached the van.

She was joking and called the van her new soccer mom mini van. Apparently, her employer had just given it to her to use for testing. Jenn introduced me to the teenage driver she was working with. Jennifer mostly talked and had a few cell phone distractions. It was obviously not a ideal day for her to do this test. She did ask me to spot a few things here and there. At one point we braked and she asked me if the car in front of us had blinking lights on or not. I had no clue, it was very bright and the bright light makes red light very hard to see. I can only see red perfectly at dusk or night. We tried a few other vehicles. No luck. With that, she was starting to get a negative tone with me about my driving prospects. I had mentioned moving to Oregon, and she said her sister lived there and I'd be a much better off there. That really did not make me happy, but she meant to be encouraging. I realized that, but this is NOT what I wanted to hear today! I was at my house before I could blink an eye. She apologized for not having enough time to test me more in depth today. I had to prompt her for information at the end of our trip. She told me what to work on and then gave me a little hope.

Jennifer explained that Dr. De Carlo has some options for users with problems seeing red lights. She mentioned some contacts and filters. She then told me that I should not contact her until I've seen Dr. De Carlo again for assistance correcting these problems. With that she was off, and I was left home alone on a early Friday afternoon to do nothing but ponder this unfortunate turn of events. I was CRUSHED!!! And the news gets worse from there. Monday I called the doctors office to setup this appointment Jennifer required. I was told by the secretary that it would be almost 2 months before I could see Dr. De Carlo again due to her extensive research and limited patient schedule! I took the next appointment: June 18th. This really sucks. I think it could be the end. Me going back to the doctor at Jennifer's request, sounds like a last straw effort. I'm in shock and frustrated beyond belief. I'm seeing red now...because I'm so mad, too bad I still can't see the red stop lights that well. I knew this may happen, I just don't want it to be over.