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Though Emery Olcott can no longer see words on a page or faces in front of him, he can still take pleasure in a game of golf. Legally blind, Olcott can’t drive a car, but occasionally he’ll pilot a golf cart on the course. And he can distinguish contrasts of light and color, like a small, yellow ball on an expanse of green.

Diseases Spotlight is new a digital platform created with the goal of bringing together a range of voices and material that is focused on the patient perspective. This month, the spotlight is on Glaucoma. Joe was interviewed about his personal history with Glaucoma, creating Going Blind: Coming Out of the Dark About Vision Loss and the widely successful outreach campaign.

Rollins University in Florida will be using Going Blind to bring awareness to students on World Sight Day, October 8th. Grace Moskola, the Director of Disability Services at Rollins College, was using Going Blind in her previous role at the University of Central Florida and decided to bring it to the students and faculty at Rollins. “I found the documentary to be highly impactful, and I believe that it helps educate others about issues of vision loss and health in a very personal way,” Grace says. Stay tuned for updates on the impact of the screening on the student audience on World Sight Day. 

Our eyes are truly wondrous products of evolution. Through my work at Lovett Stories + Strategies I’ve learned a great deal more about blindness and vision than I ever thought I would. It was eye-opening (no pun intended) to learn so much about blindness and low vision. For me, this experience was very personal as Joe Lovett is my great-Uncle. Joe suffers from glaucoma, which we now know is hereditary, meaning that I am at risk as well.

One of the most important concepts I was (and most others are) unaware of is that our vision exists on a spectrum, with perfect vision at one end, and complete blindness at the other. For the vast majority of people however, their vision sits somewhere along this spectrum. Especially for the “blind” the biggest misconception is that they cannot see at all; they only see total darkness, and this is not the case. Most people who are legally blind have some degree of residual vision, which might enable them to see light or shapes.

Through watching Going Blind, one of the most interesting things I learned was that our vision is 80% memory, and 20% what we see in real time. This is the main reason why so many people who have glaucoma or similar eye diseases don’t notice the holes in their vision, because their brain fills in the rest from memory. Joe experienced this firsthand, which he discusses in the film. A helpful tool called an Amsler grid is available to help one notice any holes in one’s vision between doctor’s visits. This is one reason why regular eye check-ups are necessary.

In regard to vision care and aid, I was totally unaware of the area of visual therapy called low vision therapy. Low vision refers to when one’s vision cannot be corrected to 100% even using the best corrective lenses possible. Low vision therapy utilizes aids to help people with low vision function at the highest level possible. Many tools are available, ranging from monocular telescopes to stickers with large font for one’s keyboard. While it may seem normal for me as a sighted individual to be ignorant of low vision therapy, it is fairly shocking that the vast majority of those afflicted with low vision or blindness are completely unaware of the services and aids available to them. This is an issue that Joe is attempting to ameliorate through screenings and broadcasts of Going Blind, and the outreach, Going Blind and Going Forward

I could go on and on about all of the different aspects of vision and blindness that I learned at Lovett Stories + Strategies, but there are too many to write here! Working here has truly been a learning experience, and I invite everyone reading to watch Going Blind and to get involved with the outreach.

It is believed that over 2.2 million Americans, and over 60 million people worldwide, are diagnosed with glaucoma. What is more shocking though, is the fact that an estimated 4 million Americans actually have the disease but half of them simply don’t know it yet.

Though it is a disease that deserves our attention all year long, several eye care organizations dedicate extra effort to raising awareness about glaucoma each January at the start of the New Year. The National Eye Health Education Program(NEHEP) and the Glaucoma Research Foundation both offer an abundance of free information for you to utilize yourself as well as distribute to others in your community to help spread the word. This disease can affect anyone so it is crucial that everyone be informed.

Glaucoma research and awareness is especially important to Going Blind director Joe Lovett because he has been receiving treatment to combat his own declining vision for the past twenty years due to this disease.

What is Glaucoma?

The National Eye Institute explains, “Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage the optic nerve in the eye. Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common form. In this condition, fluid builds up in the front chamber of the eye, and the optic nerve is damaged by the resulting increase in eye pressure. Left untreated, glaucoma can lead to serious vision loss or blindness.”

Glaucoma is often called the thief in the night. There are no symptoms or early warning signs because it typically begins with peripheral side vision loss and thus you don’t notice diminished vision. Once vision is lost, it is lost for good.

With regular comprehensive eye exams, early detection, and new treatments, vision loss due to glaucoma can be dramatically slowed down and prevented. This makes awareness about the disease so incredibly important.

Please spend a few moments this month taking a look at some of these resources compiled here below.

Learn & Share This Month

• Are You At Increased Risk? It is important for everyone to monitor their vision, but it is particularly important to make sure those with increased risk for glaucoma are well monitored: These include people of African, Asian, and Hispanic descent, people over 60, who have diabetes, family members of those already diagnosed, and people who are severely nearsighted.

• Free Educational Booklet: Request a free booklet from the Glaucoma Research Foundation and register to receive their free newsletter mailed 3 times/year.

• Glaucoma Education Website: A great, easy to navigate, comprehensive website with information about glaucoma, FAQs, facts, tips and questions to ask your doctor, and many other resources.

• Keep Vision in Your Future – Glaucoma Toolkit: After informing yourself on the above website, download this toolkit with helpful information and resource materials to use as teaching tools and distribution material to educate others in your community.

• Don’t Lose Sight of Glaucoma Brochure: NEHEP will send you free copies of this brochure to distribute to anyone who is at risk for glaucoma to help inform them about what they can do to prevent vision loss. Place in waiting rooms, senior centers, local libraries or health fairs in your community.

• Send E-Cards: This is a great way to send family or friends a link to the information provided on the Glaucoma Education website to remind them they should be thinking about this disease.

• Medicare Benefits Card: Inform others about the glaucoma and diabetic eye disease benefit under Medicare with free copies of this card you can place around your community. Developed by the National Eye Institute with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, it contains helpful information about benefit eligibility.

• The American Optometric Association: Provides additional information about Glaucoma Awareness Month and specifically addresses Medicare eligible patients providing them with a free hotline for information about finding eye care professionals.

Additional Links:

• NEHEP Program Page: More resources and ways to spread the word from the NEI
• Glaucoma Research Foundation – Glaucoma Awareness Month Information
• Prevent Blindness America – Glaucoma Learning Center
• Glaucoma Foundation – About Glaucoma