Restoring vision: Snake oil or Empowerment?

"Snake oil salesmen" - they've been around since the beginning of human faith, selling us bones of the saints, holy water, and the miracle cure-all. They depend on the superstitions, fears, and self-perceived powerlessness that even the best of us feel from time to time. They depend on our hope and faith in things we cannot see.


 We need hope, something to believe in, and I would never decry that. My own faith is crucial to me. Knowing that the sun will come up again, the world will continue to turn, and life will go on with or without me helps me to keep going when I have just about had enough.


Have I become bitter and jaded, then, to turn away from these advertisements, saying that I won't waste my time?


I certainly felt bitter last night, when watching a video about the quantum vision system. I felt it was insensitive at best. Truly I felt it was downright obtuse of this man to say half of the things he did, embarrassing himself and insulting me.


I know exactly how it feels to want to be able to see my children's faces.


I have tried eye exercises. They truly do work, to an extent, slowing down the development of nearsightedness for me. My astigmatism hasn't been improved, but I have been told that there is nothing that can change that. The jury is still out on that one.


http://www.m.webmd.com/eye-health/eye-exercises


http://healthy-ojas.com/eye/eye-exercises-egyptian.html


http://restoreeyesight.com/eye-training-exercises/




What wouldn't I give to be able to see again? For myself, I won't be trading any other senses. My right arm will remain attached. If I had money I'd pay it, but I wont give my family life and freedom away just to get that.


Theidea that something can be had for nothing goes against everything I have been taught all my life in essence i feel I am being preyed upon, that my vision loss is seen as a weakness to be exploited.


How can we turn this to our advantage? The best thing that I can do is to acknowledge the good as well as the bad points of losing vision.

• I get to rock these awesome shades
• When I get a guide dog, he'll go to Starbucks with me and my shades.
• My cane is longer than your butterfly knife.
• I can understand more from feel, sound, taste and smell than any of my friends and family will ever know
• I'm batman.

All jokes aside, it can be completely empowering to know that you don't have to race for a cure. That's the bottom line.

This is just a small sampling. Life without vision can be amazing. I no longer feel the need to escape it.