When my father-in-law began to experience serious vision loss, it took a much greater toll on his life than we ever would have expected. While he managed to find ways to cope with his lack of sight, the emotional effects were far more damaging and through association, the rest of the family found themselves dealing with similar emotional struggles. It was hard to see a family member forced to sacrifice his independence and give up on some of the activities he enjoyed. Once an avid card player, my father-in-law withdrew from his weekly card game night because he was self-conscious and discouraged by his vision impairment that presented additional challenges that his friends weren’t facing. Eventually, because he felt he didn’t have anyone that could relate to what he was going through, he found a local support group here in Florida for seniors coping with loss of eyesight and began to realize that all the struggles he was facing were normal and by talking over his experiences he was better able to grieve.

While we wished we could do more, our family tried to offer the encouragement and support we felt he needed. We pushed him to re-join his card night and helped him find ways to adapt to his declining vision so he could continue to enjoy his life and all his favorite activities.

Sources:
1. Web MD
2. Eldercare ABC Blog

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