A helpless cripple. That is my new lot in life.
My "clear" vision ends at around two feet away, with effective vision ending at 10 feet if not closer, beyond which everything's severely blurred, although I can still see motion and other visual changes at a distance, for whatever that's worth. Details -- especially any text smaller than medium-size -- are usually indiscernible at any distance, particularly on computer screens.
As a result, movies, TV shows, and live performances are unintelligible, both video and tabletop games are unplayable, computers and smartphones are painfully slow and clunky to use,
colors are sometimes unrecognizable, my car has gone unused for weeks, my programming career iS at a standstill, my reading speed has slowed to a crawl, and virtually all printed material and displays are illegible anyway. I never realized how dependent you become on others when you can't read anything around you. Hell, when I write stuff down, I can't even read what I'm writing!
And then there are the fun practical matters, like how having trouble reading walk/don't-walk signs at intersections (even the one on my side during the day) has effectively pushed traffic accidents to my top 3 most likely causes of death, no matter how much I try to pay attention to traffic. A few nights ago, I crossed and thought I'd reached the pavement but I was actually still in the middle of the road!
These and more make up the living hell that my life has now become.
Next week's visit to UC Berkeley's
Low Vision Center should at least make me a somewhat less helpless cripple, probably the best I can hope for.
On the clinical side of things, the best fit for my symptoms is
a rare genetic disease with a poor prognosis, meaning I will never see clearly again. That is
not a done deal though. DNA test results for it should be in late next week.
The results were actually supposed to be in a week ago but got caught up in insurance hell. After spending hours on the phone with the testing agency, doctor's office, and insurance, starting at 5:45 am, I finally gave up and forked over the $1,500 fee, hoping to get most of it back through insurance eventually. U.S. health care: most expensive among all developed countries yet still lagging behind them.
I've now had a few dreams where my vision suddenly improved and I can read books again. Waking up from those is never fun. Talk about disillusionment.
And to think that my vision was completely normal just two months ago. Life's a *****, guys -- and never take your health for granted.
Important disclaimer: I don't mean any offense to others with disabilities, especially those who are happy with their lives. I can only speak for myself, about myself.
As for the current discussion, my understanding was that nuclear power is the energy of the future
and always will be.
EDIT: Slight correction.
