EYES
A Slow Journey Through The Encroaching Shadows
A Slow Journey Through The Encroaching Shadows
Retinitis Pigmentosa is a rare genetic disorder that involves the degradation and loss of cells in the retina. It is a progressive disease without a cure or effective treatment. It is initially characterized by a difficulty seeing at night, light sensitivity, and a gradual loss of peripheral vision. The peripheral vision continues to erode until there is virtually nothing left at the center. I have an uncle with this condition. My brother also has this disease . . . and so do I. It most typically shows up in your mid-thirties, as it did for my brother, and a person has usually lost most of their vision by the time they are fifty. I was fortunate enough to not have any noticeable symptoms until I was about fifty. Despite the high degree of probability of me having the disease, we had thought it had managed to skip me because I did not show symptoms earlier.
|
What does a diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa mean for me? It means that the clock is ticking on my ability to make art the way I have in the past. There is no specific rate at which loss of vision occurs in Retinitis Pigmentosa. My brother’s disease started out slowly, but it sped up after a few years and progressed rapidly in an erratic fashion. He only has a small area of vision in which he can discern light and dark patterns. My progression has been relatively slow. My current symptoms are light sensitivity, difficulty seeing at night, and some loss of peripheral vision. Even though I have worn glasses my entire life, and I would walk into a wall without them, my central vision remains strong. However, I have noticed I am not able to work as long or as intensely as I have in the past. When I do spend too much time working, at times the inspiration is strong and insistent, I can develop headaches, fatigue, and blurred vision. It can take several days for me to recover to the point that I can pick up a brush or pen again.
|
I am going to continue to create as much as I can for as long as I can, but this places limitations on how and what I can create. It can be expected that my style will change over time to accommodate the limits of my eyesight as the condition progresses. Have no doubt, it will progress. It may be slow, and it may stall at times, but it may have a sudden jump in severity too. I imagine this website will become a sort of archive of what happens to my art as I adapt to this challenge. Hopefully, those that have enjoyed my art in the past will continue to find something in it that resonates with them even as it changes.
|