‘The world had suddenlybecome a very scary place. They saved my life’
Gran of three reveals debt to sight-loss charity
Imagine going to sleep one night, and waking up the next morning unable to see.
That is what happened to Janice Mitchell. The retired nurse from Edinburgh lived an active lifestyle, including going for long walks, and enjoyed spending lots of time with her daughter and three grandchildren. But her life changed forever in September 2018.
“I went to bed on Thursday evening and my world was normal, then when I woke up on Friday morning, 60% of my vision had gone,” recalled Janice, 67. “I got up and walked into the doorframe. I simply thought I’d had a dizzy turn. Then in the bathroom, I also banged into the doorframe.
“Being a retired nurse, I soon realised something happened with
my eyes. I went to meet my daughter for a coffee, and bumped into every lamp post on the way. She took me to the opticians.”
After an examination, the optician reported severe pressure in both Janice’s eyes. It was an angled closure attack, caused by suspected glaucoma.
Janice added: “I thought the optician would put eye drops in, and I would be away. But when he said ‘glaucoma’ I knew what it was and I also knew that whatever sight had gone would not come back.”
Accompanied by her daughter, Janice went straight to A&E. There, she was officially diagnosed with glaucoma, meaning 60% sight loss, with no peripheral vision and no depth perception.
She also had “night blindness”, meaning: “Everything is black at night. I am totally disorientated and in a completely different world.”
Three eye surgeries followed to prevent deterioration. Janice explained: “Once I had the diagnosis I was left to get on with it. I was simply given a leaflet for Guide Dogs for the Blind and RNIB. I never even looked at it for the first week, I went into denial. The world had become a very scary place and, yes, I would have a cry at night.”
Fortunately, a few months later, Janice was talking to a support worker who asked: “I don’t suppose you served in the Armed Forces? If so, you have won the lottery!”
She was referring to the good work of Sight Scotland Veterans. The sight-loss charity was initially set up to help people who lost their sight during National Service. As a former Wren, Janice served in the Royal Navy for three years, so was thrilled to hear she qualified for much-needed help from the charity.
“I was told Sight Scotland Veterans ‘will take care of you’, so I called them and an angel from Sight Scotland Veterans swept in on a Tuesday, and for the first time in months, I felt that I had a safety net,” she added.
The charity gave her a long white cane to use with a high-terrain ball attached, so she could once again reintroduce herself to her long park walks. Using it was harder than she thought – but Sight Scotland Veterans set up six weekly training sessions. The long cane training with the charity’s mobility instructor, Sharon, began in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, so the pair used gloves, face masks and hand sanitiser.
Janice recalled: “We all see blind people in the street and they make it look easy using their white cane but it is so complicated. There is so much more to it than I thought, like ‘shore-lining’ (moving the cane to the edge of the pavement). It takes six weeks to learn how to use it – I thought it would take 10 minutes.”
Although Janice has now been matched with a guide dog, a beautiful Labrador called Megan, she still uses the white cane regularly. As well as providing a long white cane, and cane training, Sight Scotland Veterans has also assisted Janice in other emotional and practical ways. She added: “Sight Scotland Veterans saved my life.
After I lost my sight, I went through a personal crisis and they were there for me. And they have been with me on my whole journey after the first year. They have been fantastic.
“They also came out to the house to see if it needed adapted. I had new lighting installed and a safety light outside. I also received special glasses for the glare, a new one-cup kettle, a synaptic tablet so I can now see my friend in America when I FaceTime her, and a computerised magnifier which helps with reading and threading a needle.
“I also go to Sight Scotland Veterans’ Linburn Centre every Tuesday where I have done archery, laser shooting and bowling. I am also making a picture frame in the arts and crafts room.
“What I love about the centre is that I can sit in company where there is no pressure or judgment. We are all sight impaired and we all have a military background, so naturally there is all the inter-service banter! This is the only place I go to where I am not patronised or judged.”
Given the hugely positive experience of Sight Scotland Veterans, Janice has a message for comrades who have served in the Armed Forces and suffered sight loss of any kind: “We see asking for help as a weakness, especially if we served in the military, but it is a sign of strength. When you reach out
and get help, you’re treated with respect and dignity. My only regret is I didn’t find out about them sooner.”
Sight Scotland Veterans, which changed its name from Scottish War Blinded in 2020, was founded in 1915 to help people who lost their sight, or sustained a visual impairment, during service.
Today, it supports anyone who has served in the Armed Forces and has lost all, or part of, their sight – whatever the reason.