A man who is blind in one eye has shared a fascinating insight into what reality looks like for people with different eye conditions. You can check out his video below to find out for yourself.
Mike Mulligan, who posts on TikTok under than name @blindonthemove, is blind in one eye and works as an orientation and mobility skills instructor.
With that in mind, he offered his followers an opportunity to see what life is like through the eyes of someone with eye health issues.
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The aim of the video was to show that not all forms of blindness are the same, and – in fact – the world looks completely different to people depending on what eye condition they have.
“A big misconception about blindness is that everyone who is blind sees pitch black,” he started.
“But, in reality, it ends up being more like these examples,” he continued.
Then, he grabbed a few pairs of glasses to show what the world looks like to those people.
First up, he grabbed the glaucoma pair.
Glaucoma is a condition that affects millions of people and usually affects the peripheral vision, although it can vary.
Then, he produced a pair that exhibits what it would be like to see life as someone with cataracts, which makes vision blurry.
“The more severe the cataract, the more blurry the vision,” Mike explained.
Next up, he showed the glasses that simulate macular degeneration, which affects the central vision usually, before finally showing the view of those with CMV retinitis, which causes lots of ‘floaters’ in the eyes, and diabetic retinopathy, which leaves people with dark floating spots or streaks in their vision, though – again – he was quick to point out that everyone’s experience varies.
Still, it’s interesting to see and understand what the world might look like to those who live with these conditions.
Mike captioned his video: “Blindness is a Spectrum and not all or nothing!
“Only a small percentage of people who are blind see nothing at all…many still have some remaining vision…and everyone’s experience is unique and varies greatly.”
Those who have seen Mike’s explanatory video have been commenting to thank him for the insight and information.
One said: “Every day I’m grateful for my eyesight.”
Another wrote: “I’ve always thought they see pitch black, very informative, thanks.”
A third said: “My mom has macular degeneration, and is slowly going completely blind. “Thank you for helping me understand.”
Tom Wood