updated 4/17/2011
The biggest way to express what Abby sees is to say what she doesn't. Her vision loss has affected most of her central vision. She doesn't see the details of things. Faces and text are the biggest areas she struggles with.If you see Abby out and about you may not realize she is blind. She does use a white cane but in many way she comes off at a normal sighted child.
On the playground she tries to be like every other child. She plays and has friends. She is able to move around the playground equipment. If her friends leave the area they are playing she will lose them and many times will then be alone if they don't return by the end of recess. She can't see the details of peoples faces and its very easy to lose someone on the playground. It frustrates her when her friends want to play tag or hide and go seek. Unless the play is modified for these games she really can't play them. She can also walk by one of her parents and simple not realize it.
In the classroom she struggles a lot. She has been learning Braille because text unless enlarged greatly is inaccessible for her. Since she lost her vision before she had learned to read she really has had a large hurdle to over come. She can not see what she writes anymore unless she has her nose to the paper so her handwriting is slowly getting worse. She has been learning to write in Braille so she can read what she writes. He materials are modified in the classroom, things are enlarged, Braille is added and tools are made assessable. March 2011 she became a reader. A Braille reader and its beautiful.
At home her shoes could be a foot from her and she may not see them on the floor, even when the location is pointed out to her. When she watches TV (and Abby love her TV) she sits right in front of the TV with her face inches from the screen. She cant' recognize picture of herself on my laptop. Her smaller toys she needs to have put right up to her face to see. If she is looking at you she may look at your a little to the side. Taking a picture it takes a few tires to get her to look at the direction of the camera. She is still very independent. She can go to room to with without any problems. She is very comfortable in known places.
Abby has much of her peripheral vision intact. We don't know how much yet but she can't see printed pages in front of her but she can see a bird flying from the side.
Abby's problem can't be helped with glasses. Her problem is not a refraction problem (ie near and far sighted) Her eyes are beautiful, healthy and perfect. She just can't see.
