Tag Archives: Nystagmus as a Life Challenge

Happy Two Year Anniversary!

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Exactly two years ago today I started the Shifty Eyes Blog!

Wow, what a couple of years it has been. I started this blog because i really felt like there wasn’t a lot of information about how people lived with Nystagmus available on the internet. Now there are so many blogs, I can’t keep up with them all! And I couldn’t be happier. I think connecting with other people is one of the best ways to deal with this condition, for both those who live with it and for their loved ones.

I’ve said this before, but Nystagmus really doesn’t take up that much time in my life. I’ve talked about Nystagmus more in the past two years than I have for my entire life preceding this blog. I swear, my dog’s allergies affect him more than my Nystagmus affects me. There are a lot of things I could say today, but I think what I really want to say is, turn off the computer and go live life.

We all run in to obstacles. They don’t define who we are. One of my obstacles happens to be Nystagmus, but for all I love my blog, I am not “woman-with-Nystagmus”. I’m Jo. I have a husband and a very naughty dog. I read too much, and worry about whether I should change my cell phone plan or if I remembered to make my student loan payment. I watch ridiculous reality TV shows and write a little on the side. I have poker night with my buddies and play video games with my nephew. I’m happy.

I’m Jo. Now, go be you.

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A Great Nystagmus Blog

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Hey guys!

Life is crazy right now, my wedding is coming up (yikes!) so I’ve been VERY busy with last minute details. Work also always keeps me jumping. But I wanted to make sure I give you all a heads up: one of my fav blogs out there has recently been re-launched!

If you have been following The Shifty Eyes Blog, chances are you have already checked out this amazing nystagmus website  by a fellow shifty-eyed friend named James . He founded http://www.nystagmus.co.uk/ long ago, way before this little creation began. What’s great about his blog is that it’s not just his own musings and experiences (although that’s in there as well, and always interesting). This website hosts a forum for anyone who wants to talk about nystagmus, including people who live with it, their families, and even researchers who are involved in nystagmus studies.

It’s quite a community. While I love my blog and all of my shifty-eyed friends that follow me, sometimes you just need the support and ability to talk to multiple people who are experiencing the same things as you. The forum provides an excellent way to do this.

And after a brief down-period between Christmas and New Years, it’s back up with new content and all shiny and new looking! I encourage you all to go take a look and talk to people (if you haven’t already). I know we have a lot of new nystagmus-parents out there; here’s another great place for you to get some information and feedback.

Say hi to James for me!

-Jo

A Love Letter to Parents of Children with Nystagmus

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I have had the opportunity to view a lot of blogs popping up about nystagmus (yay!), and I noticed that the majority seem to be by parents and not by people who actually have nystagmus.

At first I was rather surprised. And then I thought about it. For the most part, children don’t really notice the nystagmus. They don’t know the difference between what they see and what is “normal.” I myself did not even know what it looked like until I was a young adult. And when I did finally see it, it freaked me out! Even though I knew a decent amount about the condition and have lived with it forever, it was still unnerving.

And now I know why there are more blogs by parents than by my fellow shifty-eyed friends. It can be scary as hell to see the first time, and I can’t even imagine what it feels like to discover it in your newborn, especially when you have no idea what it is. And you know what? I officially give you permission to feel the following:

Scared

Because holy crap, their eyes are not supposed to move like that! In the beginning, parents can go into a headspin about all the different things they think it could signify: loss of sight, neurological disorders, etc. etc. This is a condition that is not widely known, nor is there a great effort to educate the public.

Mad

Because this is not what you signed up for. You signed up for a normal child, not one with a disability. Yes, this is a common emotion, and that is totally ok. Be mad! It sucks! but then I promise after a while, you will realize that your child is totally normal, and that this is not necessarily a “disability.” I encourage you to experience this emotion as a part of processing the diagnosis, but I also encourage you to after a while, be open to the fact that this may not be as big a deal as you think it will be.

Frustrated at the lack of information

And let me tell you, I am with you on this one. I think it’s especially hard on parents. You want to be as informed as possible so that you can help your child deal with it. And you know what? You and I together, along with all of our other shifty-eyed friends and parents, we can change the lack of information out there. Write your blogs, talk to the few people who are conducting research. And talk to people like me and to other parents who are going through the same thing. In this way, we can get our own “research.” We can learn from each other.

But I hope that after a while, you step back from all of the hard core scouring of the internet and enjoy time with your child. Because it will make you crazy. And because, look! Your baby is so freakin’ cute! It is WAY more fun to play with them than to be glued to the computer screen! And oftentimes, it is more beneficial to them in the long run. They know there is nothing “wrong” with them; they just want to spend time with Mom and Dad!

Frustrated at some doctor’s “bedside manner” or lack thereof

Man, I’ve heard some awful stories. My own pediatric ophthalmologist was a saint, and I associated going to the eye doctor with watching Yogi Bear cartoons and getting a toy afterwards if I did not cry (As a side note, bribing works. I’m still able to take eye drops without a problem). But not everyone is so lucky. Also, many eye doctors are dismissive. My secret belief is that it’s because they only know enough about the condition to diagnose it and rule out other more “serious” conditions. Which is frustrating.

Ashamed

This one is the extremely large and sensitive elephant in the room. Many, let me repeat that, MANY parents experience shame of their child. They feel ashamed when someone looks at them funny or makes a comment. They don’t want people to see their babies. They wish their children were like other children.

And this comes with a huge amount of guilt.

Parents, I want you to know that it is TOTALLY NORMAL to feel this way, and so, so common. And you know what? It will go away, I promise. Please do not beat yourself up over this. I have nystagmus, and I do not blame you at all. You are human beings. The only thing I ask is that if you do experience this, you never let on to your kids, even once the feeling goes away. If my parents felt ashamed, they never ever told me, even after I grew up. And I think that it’s because of this that I can look at it more objectively now. But please, find an outlet. Blog! Talk to others who have felt the same way! It’s amazing how a little understanding can help heal all wounds.

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So Parents, thus ends my love letter to you, and it is a love letter. You have a tough job, way tougher than us shifty-eyed people do. I so admire you and appreciate all that you go through for your children. Remember to relax and enjoy them.

I will end with a little note from me to you: It’s going to be ok 🙂

Nystagmus as a Life Challenge

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In my search for individual nystagmus experiences, I came across an article titled Nystagmus, Curse or Blessing? It is written by a woman named Felicia Brown-Grinstead, and I think it’s a great example of the myriad of emotions that can accompany living with nystagmus. It also brings up issues such as education, race, employment, and research.

In the name of commiseration, education, and an engaging in open dialogue, I’d like to re-post her article in its entirety here, completely unedited. You can see her original article through the above link. In the next few posts, I will extract different issues raised in this article, offer my two cents, and ask you for your opinion. But for now, here are her powerful words:

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Nystagmus, Curse or Blessing? 

Felicia Brown-Grinstead

Nystagmus is an eye disorder that I have had the misfortune of having. There are many forms, but I have bi-lateral nystagmus which means that my eyes move back and forth in a rapid motion. This disorder has been a contradiction for me in that it has been a curse and a blessing.  The curse arises in the forms of barriers and bondage. The blessing is that I am one of the most driven and determined persons I know. I do not give up easily.  This disorder is at the very core of my drive, determination and persistence to succeed in life. I have been able to accomplish relatively all that I have set forth to do in this life except the one goal that I want the most, a job.

I am a college graduate holding a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with an Accounting Concentration. I also have an Associate of Arts Degree in General Education, both earned. I thought that accomplishing these goals ( with no special programs or help ) would demonstrate my ability to start and complete goals, would show that  I am capable of handling challenges and if given a chance would make a good employee. However, I guess I was wrong.. I know that accounting would be a hard sell because of my eyes so I had a plan B that also failed. I took and passed CBEST ( California Basic Educational Skills Test ) so that I could work as a substitute teacher if unable to find employment in my degree field. However, I have not had luck in that area either.

As an African American woman, which I feel isn’t as much of a barrier as it used to be, I have had to endure not only the barrier of being Black but of being vision impaired which is the biggest barrier. Standing before perspective employers with my eyes moving back and forth has been a humiliating experience, which usually results in no employment.

Anyway, I am not here to tell you all about how hard having this disorder has made my life, but to raise the awareness level about this disorder and to demand that congress earmark monies for research into finding out how to stop it. Money also needs to be earmarked for the development of visual aid devices that are adaptable to everyday circumstances and for campaigns on tolerance and education. Employers, the general public and educators themselves need to become educated on this disorder and on such issues as:  How to treat people with nystagmus, how not to make assumptions about them or their capabilities, how to approach people in a respectful manner and how to just treat people with the basic decency that we all have a right to.

I am yelling out to all neurologists, optometrists and ophthalmologists to find the cause for this disorder and the cure for it as well. I don’t care if your reason for finding a cure is self-serving, just find one. 

It has been horrible to go through life with eyes like these. However, I feel everything happens for a reason. Maybe I was allowed to have this disorder because God knew that I would become so fed up with it that getting the word out about nystagmus would become a relentless effort on my part. Finding financial backing and talent necessary to rid this horrible disorder from the world along with being instrumental in the development of ideas on visual aid devices that do not look like something from the middle ages, that are adaptable to everyday circumstances, practical and fashionable is now one of my life’s ambitions.

A cure could have such a profound positive domino affect that the word surreal would not even come close to the awesome feeling that would occur as a result of finding the fix for it.

People living with this disorder will have a chance at a normal life. Can you imagine all of those people that can enter the workforce, which in turn would reduce the SSI payments? The depression that many feel due to lack of employment would drop drastically; employers would get employees that really want to work and the list of positive possibilities are endless.

In a world where science has made so many phenomenal advances in medicine and technology, I know without a doubt that the technology exist to find a cure, it’s just a matter of bringing this disorder to the forefront. For those not affected by this disorder, I need you to realize that there are a lot of people unemployed that don’t have to be. If society would just leave their assumptions, prejudgments and intolerant attitudes behind and give not only people with this disorder but also all people with different challenges a real chance at employment, will only increase productivity and decrease depression.

Employers also need to understand that when someone with a physical challenge is in the workplace that they may not me able to do things the same way as people without challenges, but it does not mean that a physical challenged person can’t do it. It only means that a physical challenged person has to do things in a different way.

There is also a need in law enforcement to become educated about this disorder.  The police need to know that all African-American people are not on drugs. I have been accused by the police of being on drugs because my eyes move the way they do. It is hurtful and uncalled for.  Sensitivity training is indeed a must when a police officer automatically assumes drug use is the only possible scenario.

Nystagmus and those affected by it can no longer remain silent. It is a demon disorder that demands a cure. Public awareness and federal funding for research is greatly needed. Living with the hardships perpetrated by this disorder should not exist. The technology exist to give those affected by it a normal life, however nothing is being done. That is barbaric    

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great”.
Mark Twain

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So as you can see, there is a lot going on here! I’m so grateful to her for writing about her life in such an honest and open way. You can really feel her frustration and determination. Thank you, Felicia, wherever you are, for sharing this part of your life with us.

Also, anyone who quotes Mark Twain is tops in my book!

xoxo

Jo