Your stories

Alan Downie, 51, Burwood East

Around 10 years ago, Alan Downie's life changed dramatically.

In 1994 he suffered renal failure due to long-term diabetes. Haemorrhaging in the eyes can be a consequence of long-term diabetes and as a result, Alan is now completely blind in one eye and has only seven per cent sight in the other.

Prior to his vision loss, Alan had spent 25 years of active service in the police force.

‘The experience was life changing for me’, he says.

Despite his lack of sight, Alan went on to complete his Masters in Theology and is now a practising minister in Burwood.

He is very active and still pursues his love of bowls among friends. ‘Bowling is something I love doing and one of the things I do which keeps me active’, he says.

Wanting to regain his independence, Alan sought help from Guide Dogs Victoria and in 2004 was trained with Guide Dog, Declan. All of Guide Dogs Victoria's services are provided free of charge.

‘Declan has been good for my independence and is a great companion’, he says.

‘Finding new ways of doing things is important. Losing my sight hasn't been the end of the world but it has required me to think differently about how I go about things’, he says.

‘My experience has really highlighted how important it is that people look after what they have and get tested regularly. Eye sight is a real gift and you don't know how precious it is until you lose it’, he says.

Alan Mitchell, 57, Bendigo

Local Bendigo resident, Alan Mitchell knows the importance of regular eye checks. The 57 year old accountant, who is now completely blind, discovered that he had glaucoma through a regular check-up procedure.

‘I went to the optometrist after I thought I needed glasses as my eye sight was not as good as it used to be’, Alan says.

‘Without a check-up I might not have learnt of my condition until much later’.

Alan lost the vision in one eye 20 years ago through glaucoma and then the vision in the other, in September 2001, from bleeding behind the eye which is sometimes associated with glaucoma.

While there is no cure for glaucoma, Alan says knowing what is happening to your eyes means that you can work with the condition to halt its progression and maintain the best quality of life for as long as you can.

Alan used magnifying glasses for a while to assist him with his work. More recently, Alan sought assistance from Guide Dogs Victoria and has recently started working with his Guide Dog, Brandy. All of Guide Dogs Victoria's services are provided free of charge and Brandy is already making a big difference to his life.

He is still doing some work in the finance area and leads an active life.

Bob Jamieson, 57, Bendigo

Bob Jamieson was sitting at his desk on a Friday afternoon when he first noticed something was wrong. The university lecturer experienced a black, jagged line appearing across his vision.

Within a couple of days, Bob was diagnosed with a blocked blood vessel, medically known as ‘branch retinal vein occlusion’. He immediately began receiving treatment and later was required to have surgery to remove scar tissue from inside the eye.

High blood pressure was considered to be the cause of Bob's branch retinal vein occlusion. Other possible causes of the condition include high cholesterol or blood vessel damage from smoking.

Bob says that he was very fortunate and good treatment saw an improvement in his condition.

Regular eye tests are now part of Bob's ongoing routine. These check-ups have become even more important as Bob has since learnt that he has diabetes.

Diabetes can have serious implications for eye health. Regular monitoring is required to detect and treat diabetic eye signs as they arise.

Hedley Moon, 62, Pyramid Hill

Farmer Hedley Moon wondered why he was having to twist his neck around more than usual when backing up the tractor. He later learnt that it was due to glaucoma which had caused the loss of 25 per cent of Hedley's peripheral vision.

The 62 year old from Pyramid Hill was diagnosed with glaucoma two and a half years ago after visiting his local optometrist as part of a routine check-up.

Six months after his diagnosis, Hedley's sister, Gwenda, was also diagnosed with the familial disease. On learning the news, their sibling Graham also had his eyes tested and is now being monitored.

While Hedley's condition with treatment shouldn't worsen, he will not regain the vision that he has lost. The good news is that with treatment, usually regular eye drops, the condition can be arrested and progression of the damage slowed down.

The big implication for farmers like Hedley is safety. Driving is a large part of their everyday life and care has to be taken to compensate for the vision loss.

‘Unless I'm looking directly at something, I can't see it’, Hedley says.

Other statistics show that people with vision impairment are twice as likely to fall and be socially dependent, three times as likely to suffer from depression, and are admitted to nursing homes up to three years earlier than the rest of the population.

Glaucoma usually comes on slowly; progressively causing loss of sight if left undetected and untreated.

Like many Australians, Hedley says that if it wasn't for his regular tests he may never have picked up the condition.

‘Being aware of my sight has enabled me to get the right medical attention and prevent the condition from getting worse. I can now focus on getting on with life’, Hedley says.

Kath Ponsonby, Ballarat

Kath Ponsonby, who has lived in Ballarat since she was 10, lost her sight five years ago. She was diagnosed with macular degeneration and soon after she discovered she had glaucoma and cataracts.

She keeps her glaucoma under control by using eye drops and sees her eye specialist regularly.

The hardest part about losing her vision was giving up driving: ‘It was an absolute disaster’, she says.

She says she manages by sheer will power. She moved into a unit 10 years ago which helps as she knows where everything is. It's when she moves out of her own familiar environment that she comes unstuck.

Kath volunteers at the Vision Australia Low Vision clinic in Ballarat once a week. She assists other people with vision loss when they come into the clinic.

Kath says sight is one of the most important gifts and you don't know what you've lost until it's gone. That's why regular eye tests are so important.