Author: light2sight5153@gmail.com

If you’ve been reading Sue’s pages, you know that she is not a homebody (one definition I found is “a person who likes to stay at home, especially one who is perceived as unadventurous.”)  She offers some advice if you are…

Bored, Bored, Bored

• Categories: Sue’s Musings, Tips for Living with Low Vision
• Keywords: boredom

Title & publication date

21.  Attention Walmart Shoppers published March 13th, 2016

• Categories: Cognitive Therapy, Diagnosis: Newly Diagnosed, Low Vision Aid, Sue’s Musings, This Project
• Keywords: acceptance, DBT, drusen-like, facial recognition, far point, magnifier, magnifiers, magnifyers, near point, Radical Acceptance, test

22.  How to Win Friends & Influence People the DBT Way published March 14th, 2016

• Categories:  Cognitive Therapy, Diagnosis: Newly Diagnosed, Tips for living with low vision
• Keywords: appear confident, assert wishes, be calm, be persistent, DBT, DEARMAN, describe, express feelings, Interpersonal Effectiveness, mindfulness, negotiate, reinforce your request

Do you have suggestions for keywords? Please let me know here or send me an email at light2sight5153@gmail.com.

Title & publication date

19.   Sim City for Low Vision Folks published March 13th, 2016

• Categories: Diagnosis: Newly Diagnosed, Sue’s Musings, Technology; Apple, Tips for living with low vision
• Keywords: AMD Simulator, app, Apps store, central vision loss, centrally blind, free apps, iTunes, magnifiers, magnifyers, RNIB, Royal National Institute of Blind People, simulation, simulator, vision simulation, visually impaired

20.  I’m Baaacccckkkk! published March 13th, 2016

• Categories: Diagnosis: Newly Diagnosed, Low Vision Aid, Sue’s Musings, Tips for living with low vision
• Keywords: ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, BBVS, Blind and Visual Services, BVS, CCTV, handheld reader, reasonable accommodations, Zoom

Do you have suggestions for keywords? Please let me know here or send me an email at light2sight5153@gmail.com.

Have you caught yourself saying the phrase “Yes, but…” when someone has offered you a solution to a problem? If you do a search on it, you’ll see it referred to as a syndrome that is all about the fear of stepping out of our comfort zones.  Sue has another theory.

“Yes, but…”

• Categories: Cognitive Therapy, Sue’s Musings
• Keywords: DBT, comfort zones

Title & publication date

17.  Advice from Scarlett published March 7th, 2016

• Categories: Cognitive Therapy, Diagnosis: Newly Diagnosed, Sue’s Musings, Tips for living with low vision
• Keywords: ACCEPTS, contribute, DBT, Distraction Skills, distractions, distress tolderance, opposite to emotion, pushing away, Scarlett O’Hara, sensations, thoughts and sensations

18. Dear Amazon: A Love Letter published March 13th, 2016

• Categories: Low Vision Aid, Tips for living with low vision
• Keywords: Amazon, Amsler Grid, e-book, e-books, eBooks, free e-books, indoor lighting, lamp, light, Ott, paper, pens, sunglasses

Do you have suggestions for keywords? Please let me know here or send me an email at light2sight5153@gmail.com.

We love to hear from our readers.  One of our Facebook group members left a comment before her first injection for wet AMD and then emailed us after.  We got her permission to share part of her story about…

A Stuffed Black Dog

• Categories: Cognitive Therapy, Sue’s Musings, Wet AMD
• Keywords: ACCEPTS, DBT, effectiveness, injection, wet AMD

Do you have wet AMD?  Would you like to tell the story of YOUR journey?  We are always looking for guest authors so that we can represent as many perspectives as possible.  Contact Linda at light2sight5153@gmail.com to find out how to join our team.

Title & publication date

15.  Tech Talk  published March 3rd, 2016

• Categories: Cognitive Therapy, Diagnosis: Newly Diagnosed, Low Vision Aid, Technology; Apple, Technology: Android, Technology: Phone/Tablet/Computer, Tips for living with low vision
• Keywords: accessibility, Amazon, Android, apple, books, CCTV, cell phone, closed circuit TV, Comparison Strategy, DBT, distress tolerance, e-books, reading, tablet, Talkback, technology, Zoom, Blindness & Visual Services

16.  Crazy Like a Fox   published March 5th, 2016

• Categories: Cognitive Therapy, Diagnosis: Newly Diagnosed, Dry AMD, Sue’s Musings, Testing, The Science Stuff
• Keywords: beta carotene, cell atrophy, DBT, distress tolerance, IMPROVE, Interpersonal Effectiveness, lab rat, positive manipulation, Regillo

Do you have suggestions for keywords? Please let me know here or send me an email at light2sight5153@gmail.com.

It’s May in real-time but Sue wrote this at the beginning of February when she was sick and bored and all she wanted to do was go cross-country skiing.

Come Ski With Me

• Categories: Sue’s Musings, Tips for living with low vision
• Keywords: cross-country skiing, exercise, Paralympics, Stargardt’s Disease

Title & publication date

11.  Teacher, Teach Thyself published February 28, 2016

• Categories: Self help: anxiety, Cognitive Therapy, Self care, Sue’s Musings, Tips for living with low vision, Diagnosis: Newly Diagnosed
• Keywords: ABC, cognitive therapy, cope ahead, DBT, drugs, eating, Emotional Regulation, exercise, fight or flight, imagery, iPad, lab rat, Master, panic attack, physical illness, PLEASE, positive imagery, psychotropic medication, Siri, sleep, walking, yoga

12.  A Tutu and a Tiara published February 28, 2016

• Categories: anxiety, Cognitive Therapy, Depression, Self care, Self Help, Sue’s Musings, Diagnosis: Newly Diagnosed
• Keywords: DBT, fake it till you make it, opposite to emotion, panic attack

Do you have suggestions for keywords? Please let me know here or send me an email at light2sight5153@gmail.com.

Find out how Sue uses a charm bracelet to talk about life in terms of perseverance.

Charmed Life

• Categories: Sue’s Musings
• Keywords: perseverance

One of our Facebook group members asked me a question about whether there is a connection between AMD and autoimmunity.  Sue did some research and this is what she found.

AMD & Autoimmunity – A Connection?

• Categories: Research, Sue’s Musings, Symptoms, The Science Stuff
• Keywords: antibodies, autoimmune, complementary immune system, immune disease, inflammation, macrophages, retina

Title & publication date

9.  What Do I Do Now? published February 28, 2016

• Categories: Diagnosis, Newly Diagnosed, Symptoms, Sue’s Musings
• Keywords: Charles Bonnet, facial recognition, hallucinations, ophthalmologist, panic, panic attack, psychologist

10.  It Just Happens published February 28, 2016

• Categories: Diagnosis, Newly Diagnosed
• Keywords: legally blind, ophthalmologist, optician, optometrist, Regillo

Do you have suggestions for keywords? Please let me know here or send me an email at light2sight5153@gmail.com.

Have you come from the light into a dark room?  How long does it take for your eyes to adapt so you can see?  There is evidence that this can be a very early indicator of AMD.

It’s Dark in Here!

• Categories: Diagnosis, Symptoms
• Keywords: dark adaptation, adaptation to the dark, beta carotene, biomarker, rhodopsin, retina, rods

Title & date first published

• 23.  Mind Weeds March 20, 2016
  • Categories: Diagnosis: Diagnosed, Self care, Sue’s Musings, Tips for living with low vision
  • Keywords: BBVS, Blind and Visual Services, BVS, handheld reader, low vision aids, low vision specialist, mind weeds, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, ophthalmologist, optometrist, OVR, vocational rehabilitation

• 24.  Pecked to Death by Ducks March 20, 2016
  • Categories: Cognitive Therapy, Diagnosis: Newly Diagnosed, Sue’s Musings, Tips for living with low vision
  • Keywords: accumulating positives, calm, DBT, Emotional Regulation, encouragement, faith, imagery, IMPROVE, IMPROVE skills, meaning, peaceful, prayer, relaxation, vacation, Victor Frankl

Do you have suggestions for keywords? Please let me know here or send me an email at light2sight5153@gmail.com.

You have probably heard the adage “Whatever can go wrong will.” Sue talked about that one in a previous page.  This page is about the corollary “Anything that CAN’T go wrong will.”

Murphy’s Law – Again

• Categories: Sue’s Musings
• Keywords: Murphy’s Law

Title & date first published

• 3.  What To Do February 25, 2016
  • Categories: Prevention, Self care, Treatment
  • Keywords: AREDS, blue light, sunglasses, ultraviolet light, UV, vitamins

• 4.  Research  February 25, 2016
  • Categories: Research, The Science Stuff, Statistics
  • Keywords: ACT, Audacious Goal Initiative, Audacious Goals Project, baby boomers, clinical trials, drusen, OCATA, Phase 1, Phase I, photoreceptors, Regillo, RPEs, Schwartz, stem cells

Do you have suggestions for keywords? Please let me know here or send me an email at light2sight5153@gmail.com.

Have you found yourself thinking things like “I should have taken better care of my eyes” or “I should be independent”?  Sue talks about guilt in terms of justified vs. unjustified emotions in DBT terms.

Should On You!

• Categories: Cognitive Therapy, Sue’s Musings, Tips for Living with Low Vision
• Keywords: DBT, justified vs. unjustified emotions, guilt

Sue is always looking for services to help those with low vision or who are blind.  She shares information for US veterans. There’s also information about a similar group in the UK.

Thank You For Your Service

• Categories: Financial, Tips for Living with Low Vision
• Keywords: Aid and Assistance, Blind Veterans UK, VA Blindness Rehabilitation Center, VA Office of Blind Rehabilitation Services, veteran, Veterans Administation, Veterans of Foreign Wars