Friday, April 19, 2024

The Albinism Eye

Short sight

"Hello Thandi, I was waving at you at reception but you did not respond". Phew you talk so much but you can/t see.  These are some of the remarks I get although I take it upon myself to explain my eyesight challenges.  There is a reason that the font on my phone and laptop is large and at some points I will ask for assistance when the print is very small.  

Medical Terms

I had a brief discussion with my optometrist whom I have been with since 2004 because our eyes needs a doctor who really understands us and that we hardly get proper help in the mass market optometry space because of our low vision.  The following medical terms are explained:

Light Sensitivity: the lack of pigment in the retina and iris mostly makes people with albinism sensitive to bright light and glare.  This explains why I always put on my polarized sun glasses when I am in a sunny area.

Reduced visual acuity: this talks to the clearness of what one sees.  Most people with albinism wear prescription glasses or contact lenses to try and correct the vision.  I prefer a large font on both my cellphone and laptop to make things more visible.

Nystagmus: there is a lot of eye movement, side by side or up and down which makes it a bit difficult to focus on visual details.  Because I am older now my eye activity has slowed down.

Gratitude Note 

Thank you so much for taking your time to read. I cannot wait to share further exciting experiences with you.  Please kindly share this post with as many people as you can as it will help me reach out to the world.

Please feel free to leave a comment, contact me as well as click the follow button on the Sidebar.


17 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing Thandi. I am sure this will help a lot of people both those with albinism and their friends, colleagues and families.

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  2. Thank you so much. I'm grateful that people can learn.

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  3. Hello Thandi

    I just want to thank you for teaching me"personally"about albinism.
    Learned a lot... still going to learn more.

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  4. Hello ...
    Thank you so much for taking your time to learn. Please note that I publish every week.

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  5. Hello Thandi๐ŸŒธ

    Thank you for another educational publication. I would like to know how this affected your schooling or is currently affecting your work in terms of delivering stuff on time. Do you get extra time or you do manage?

    Another question is about living with albinism being classified as a disability, I hope you'll do a post on that. I would really like to be educated on that.

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  6. Good day gorgeous Ntombi. The low vision affects me mostly at work especially if I have to spend too much time on the computer, I always put in extra time to ensure that I submit my deliverables on time.
    The school issue will follow in the next publication.
    Warm regards to you.

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  7. Thank you Thandi

    Looking forward to it

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  8. Thank you for your teachings. I am proud of you. At times it makes me emotional, your journey was not easy but you came out strong. I love you ๐Ÿ˜˜

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    Replies
    1. Good day... It's a pleasure to share. Times have been challenging however I am grateful that at this age I have better understanding of running this life..

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  9. You know this is VERY insightful, I’ve always wondered why people with albinism have eyes moving up and down and somewhat sideways….. sometimes I would think I’m imagining it. Kanti no, there’s actually a medical term for it. Wow ๐Ÿ˜ฏ.

    Kudos for sharing such a sensitive topic

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    Replies
    1. Good evening... Um glad this is answered ... The eyes move a lot when the person is younger and stabilizes with age.

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  10. Thank you for continuing to share the light and we continue to learn with these blogs.

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    Replies
    1. Hello there. Thank you for reading.... You are more than welcome to share with your contacts...๐Ÿ™

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  11. Thank you sisi for sharing such information. Because most black families are not really informed about this health condition.

    I found later in life that I have this condition. I grew up like any child but I was struggling at school because I couldn't see properly what was written on the board. In my entire schooling years i didn't finished writing notes at school. Even examination papers because they were written in a small font. I went to many optometrists they just prescribed normal spectacles sometimes with double lenses but they couldn't help me

    After completing my Matric. I went for my driver's license. I failed my the eye test at that time I was disappointed as as young guy who lovr cars i couldn't accept ukuth nginenkimga. One of the traffic officers referred me to another optometrist. I didn't feel like going there because I've been to many different optometrist but i decided to go.

    He explained everything about this condition. Nobody in my family was aware about it. Because I don't have a skin problem even I'm lite in complexion it normal like any other family member

    So I'm in journey of accepting and teaching people about my condition

    Another struggle is getting employment especially in places where they require medical tests in order to get employed.

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    Replies
    1. Pheeeww abuti.. Un so sorry about you experience... I hope that you came right with your drivers license because nothing stops you from driving as long as it's done through an optometrist.
      Would like to ask if you perhaps declare your disability when you apply for employment because that cab be a barrier as well..

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  12. This is just a feel good comment. I appreciate you Auntie. I'm new in this territory but you are making the walk so much easier. We are 5months old this side all this information is very much needed. Please don't stop sharing.

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    1. Hello there...
      Thank you so much for your positive feedback.. Um grateful that the posts are helping to guide on how to care for that precious little one.. Pls reach out if there's more guidance than that on the post .

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