Dear Editor: I have read that one out of three adults will suffer some form of serious vision loss in their life times. This is a staggering number of people who will need help in the form of technology for the visually impaired and/or counseling on how to cope with devastating loss. I, for one, have been dealing with significant vision loss since I was 30. I don't want to give away my age, but that was 36 years ago. I have not driven a car in over 25 years. I do not recognize people's faces when I meet them, and as a former English teacher, I really miss reading books. Audio books take the place of print, but somehow that's just not the same.

It's not fun to have one foot in the sighted community and one foot in the blind community. Not being completely blind is a blessing; however, I am always trying to explain to well meaning sighted friends what I can see and what I can't see. From time to time, a person thinks that I am just faking it and can really see better than the term "legally blind" denotes. Many people with vision loss are coping with the same challengers.

I have learned how to cope by making my life full. I love having fun so I have kept myself busy with all kinds of projects that either help me overcome my limitations or magnify what I can do while downplaying what I can't do.
I would love to share what I have learned about coping with vision loss. If you are reading this letter and know of someone who is dealing with any kind of vision problem, give them my name. Those folks with vision problems don't read the paper so they are counting on you, the sighted, to inform them. Please do.

I will be helping the Georgia Council of the Blind host an event June 16 beginning at 11 a.m. at the Covington Lions Club pavilion in Academy Springs park off Conyers Street. Come see the low vision devices on display and talk to representatives of resources for the blind and visually challenged. The Georgia Radio Reading Service will be helping to host the event. Sighted and not-so-sighted are welcome. I look forward to sharing my story with anyone who will listen.

For information or directions contact Wheeler Funeral Home.

I invite anyone who has macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetes related loss or any other vision problem to come see me at the pavilion. I look forward to showing you my reading devices, my computer that magnifies and talks and my tricycle on which I ride down the sidewalks of Covington.

Sincerely,
Anne Wheeler