For the past 10 years I have been registered blind. I do retain a usable level of vision but this degrades over time. My loss of vision generally goes unnoticed, this is due to the small adaptations I make on a daily basis.

The only time I am presented with a record of how much vision I have lost is the yearly checkup, the routine eye tests highlight the degeneration. Saturday was this years appointment.

Upon entering the examination room I sat down and took my first look at the eye chart. WHAT! I cant even read the top line, this is a notable reduction even for me. After letting my eyes settle to the change in light I could make out the top line and we moved on.

A quick test with the little torch showed I had a prescription change. As the optician adjusted for the change we progressed to the next eye chart.

Again I was struck by my change in vision, I was unable to read anything on the chart. Not due to my prescription but due to contrast and lighting levels. I couldn’t make out the letters as they were simply blending into the background. After a little fiddling we found my new prescription and we had a little chat about the state of my vision.

There has been a substantial pigment change, explaining my loss of contrast and colour definition. I had began to notice this in my day to day life, mainly while using the computer. Around 80% of my computer usage now takes place under inverted colours. This makes a few applications tricky to use but overall allows me to stay proficient.

To date the adaptations I am making seem to be keeping pace with the loss of vision. So I am not too worried about the recent pigment changes. I will keep adapting and moving on.