What I See Clearly Now That I Can't See Clearly - Tiny Buddha

"I didn't want to admit it-not to myself, not to anyone. But I am slowly going blind. That truth is difficult to write, harder still to live. I'm seventy years old. I've survived war zones, illness, caregiving, and creative risks. I've worked as a documentary filmmaker, teacher, and mentor. But this-this quiet, gradual vanishing of sight-feels like the loneliest struggle of all."

"We live in a world that privileges sight above all other senses. From billboards to smartphones, from flashy design to social cues, vision is the dominant sense in American culture. If you can't see clearly, you fall behind. You're overlooked. The world stops making space for you. Is one sense truly more valuable than another? Philosophically, no. But socially, yes. In this culture, blindness is feared, pitied, or ignored-not understood. And so are most disabilities."

A person in their seventies experiences progressive macular degeneration in both eyes, with the right eye nearly gone and the left fading. Biweekly injections aim to preserve remaining vision, creating a routine that brings dread. The individual survived war zones, illness, caregiving, and creative work, yet finds gradual sight loss the loneliest struggle. American culture privileges vision through design, advertising, and social cues, causing exclusion and lack of accommodations for people with disabilities. Accessibility is often treated as an afterthought and accommodations as burdens, intensifying feelings of being overlooked despite gratitude for available care.

Read at Tiny Buddha