Macular Degeneration: Curiosity is Essential for Those with Vision Loss

by Nancy Shugart

It's wonderful to have sight. I know because I had it the first seven years of my life. I also know, however, that there is more to you and I than our two eyes. You and I were each born with a tremendous gift which, I believe, is seldom used to its fullest potential. That gift is the gift of curiosity.

Curiosity is essential to anyone who is facing brick walls in their lives. I believe, however, it is especially important for a person, due to Macular Degeneration or any other eye condition, who has experienced vision loss to be a curious creature.

There is seldom a day that goes by that I do not have to figure out an alternative way to accomplish a task that, to someone who can see, requires little thought at all. But I love solving puzzles and so I think of this as a game.

The opponent might be the blurry letters on my mail that I cannot see to read. But once I place it under my video magnifier and can now see it, I consider myself the winner of this game.

Once I completed college and began my teaching career, I was reminded of just how curious children are. I believe this is the reason why they tend to have an easier time adjusting to new situations in their lives. They are always seeking answers and asking "If I do this, what will happen?"

One winter morning, it was very cold. When the school bell rang, the third graders came rushing into the classroom all excited.

One child called out, "Ms. Shugart, did you know that if you put your tongue on the flagpole when it's this cold outside that you'll get stuck to the flagpole?"

I thanked her for sharing that science experiment with me and then said it was time to begin class.

"Does anyone know where Danny is", I questioned the class as I noticed he was missing.

"Yes", they all chimed in together, "he's stuck to the flagpole!"

Be curious like a child. Vision loss is a serious disability but every brick wall it attempts to place before you can be overcome as long as you stay curious and seek to find answers.

The one thing I refuse to do is to just sit down in front of a brick wall and throw rocks at it. I know this does not work. I know that because I did that for about three years until I finally realized that I was getting nowhere.

"The Brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to prove how badly we want something." -Dr. Randy Pausch

Lasso your curiosity and find a way to get over that brick wall! You can do it!