Don’t Suffer in Silence. Speak Up!

I have had dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) for 8 years now.  In the early years after diagnosis, there was very little effect on my daily life. 

Four years ago, I progressed to the intermediate stage. I began to notice a decline in my vision. Reading became much harder for me, and I began using my iPad to download books to read. At my last visit, the doctor told me that I was now showing signs of atrophy in my right eye.

With the decline in vision, I now find I need assistance. Asking family or friends for help is hard enough, but asking strangers is more so. I can suffer in silence or speak up.

Featured Forum

View all responses caret icon

Shopping with a vision impairment

Shopping is one of my biggest challenges. As much as possible, I order my groceries online and pick up at the store. As convenient as that is, sometimes an in-store shopping trip is required.

By providing your email address, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Reading labels is very difficult unless they are at eye level. I find it nearly impossible to read a label either overhead or low on the shelves. It doesn’t help that I have arthritis, making it impossible to bend down to read the label.

Advocating for myself at the grocery store

I recently had a situation grocery shopping and could not find an item I needed. A clerk was stocking shelves nearby, and I asked for help. She cheerfully pointed to the shelf the item was located on. Walking over to the shelf, I found I couldn’t see the item. The clerk was less than helpful. In an irritated voice, she pointed and said, "It’s right there." Still I could not distinguish the item from all the other items on the shelf.

Finally, I told her I was vision-impaired and needed her to get the item for me. She did as I asked but made me feel like I had inconvenienced her. Leaving the store, I felt glad I had advocated for myself.

Dining out

Have you noticed how tiny the menus are nowadays? Unless I whip out my iPhone with the lighted magnifier app I can’t read a word.

Unlike the store clerk, wait staff are very helpful if I explain my vision impairment. After all, great service results in better tips. Recently we dined out in a new restaurant with large print menus. It was very much appreciated.

Paying with a credit card

Using my credit card to pay for purchases can cause a lot of embarrassment. I cannot always tell where to insert the card.

I have learned to speak up and request help from the clerk. The newer machines are much easier with tap-to-pay.

Gathering the courage to speak up at church

Until a couple of years ago, I could read the large print hymnals at our church. As my vision has declined, that is no longer possible. The words to each song are displayed on a large screen. Only problem is that the words are light gray on a white background.

Until a few months ago, that was readable. Since my recent vision decline, I can no longer distinguish the words. I haven’t yet had the courage to speak up requesting a change to black type on white. I plan to ask soon, not only for myself, but for the others in church with macular degeneration. It will be quite a task for our sound operator to make the change on 400+ songs. Wish me luck!

Do you suffer in silence or advocate for yourself? Please share your experience in a comment below.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The MacularDegeneration.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

Join the conversation

Please read our rules before commenting.