Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 14, 1994 TAG: 9404140205
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARY JO SHANNON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
In the living room, a closed circuit radio perches on an end table near Douglas' favorite chair. An audio cassette player and the Bible on Tape sit near her bed.
Her "office" is equipped with her most expensive toy - a closed-circuit television she bought through the Roanoke office of the Virginia Department for the Visually Handicapped for $2,500.
"I had no idea there were such things," said Douglas, who became legally blind about a year ago.
Of the equipment, she said, "It's worth every penny to be able to read my mail and write my checks myself and not have to bother friends."
She speaks with gratitude, not self-pity, when she recalls the day that changed her lifestyle.
A painless hemorrhage occurred while a retinal specialist was using a laser to repair a retinal leakage. Had the weakened vessel ruptured at any other time, the absence of immediate symptoms could have destroyed her vision.
The doctor arranged for a University of Virginia Hospital retinal specialist to perform immediate surgery to remove the clot. In less than two hours, Douglas was en route to Charlottesville for surgery.
During t 4 1/2-hour operation, the doctor removed the clot and inserted a self-disintegrating bubble in the eyeball to apply pressure to the retina until it could reattach. Douglas was released from the hospital the day after surgery, but for two weeks, she had to keep her head lowered to allow drainage.
"That two weeks was the hardest part," she said. "I had to bend over and look at the floor. I played a lot of games with my feet! I could tell the bubble was shrinking, as the ring of light got smaller and smaller."
At the end of the two weeks, some vision returned. Now she is classified as legally blind because of macular degeneration, a retinal disease that destroys central vision. She has some peripheral vision, but cannot see details, causing difficulty recognizing faces. Reading is impossible unless greatly magnified.
With her increased disability, Douglas had some tough decisions, the main one being leaving her apartment for a retirement center.
"My daddy said there's always a solution if you just take the time to figure it out. I didn't let this depress me. I just knew I had to change my lifestyle."
The Roanoke Regional Office of the Virginia Department for the Visually Handicapped helped her make those changes and remain independent. Rehabilitation teachers marked her stove, washer and dryer with raised red dots so she can operate them with ease.
When cooking, she's learned to use her finger to tell when enough water has been added to her new vegetable steamer.
"I used to peel potatoes and apples," she said. "Now I use dehydrated flakes and applesauce."
The Voice of the Blue Ridge provided the closed-circuit radio, so Douglas can hear volunteers read magazines and newspapers.
She gets books from the Melrose Library, the nearest branch of the National Library Services, which supplies recorded books for the blind. The tapes are played on a special player furnished by the service and delivered free through the postal service.
"I can order a certain book or I can mark a category on my card and give it to the mailman," Douglas said. "He takes it with the tapes I've finished and brings my new ones."
Her talking clock has no face or hands - only a voice that gives Douglas the time when she taps the top.
Her closed-circuit television has a built-in camera that projects a magnified image of a printed page onto a television screen. Magnification, contrast and position can be adjusted. With practice, a person can watch the monitor and write on the paper below.
She uses the TV to write her oversized checks with dark lines and large print.
What Douglas misses most, though, is "being able to jump into my car and go when I want to."
She solved this problem partially by obtaining a card from the League of Older Americans that allows her to ride city buses at a reduced rate.
"The drivers know me and stop the bus close to the curb where it's easier for me to get on," she said. Fortunately, her apartment is right on the bus route.
Returning from downtown requires a cab, however. The confusion of the downtown terminal and her visual problem could cause her to take the wrong bus.
Friends take her to church activities.
"I want everyone to know that without the help of friends and the church, I could not have done this," she said. "Knowing they are supporting me with their prayers and offers to help does a lot for my morale. I realize I am not as handicapped as some people, and I can help others."
Douglas has been looking after a hospitalized friend, doing her laundry and getting her settled in a nursing home.
"I'm just thankful I can see enough to get around," Douglas said. "I don't dwell on what I can't do, but think of all I can do. And when the trees are bright in the fall, I'm so thankful I can see."
by CNB