This blog post goes out as a message to all the CRBF families about the foundation’s new Eye on the Finish Line campaign, but everyone else keep reading because you need to hear this too.   Happy holidays everyone! It’s that time of year again when everything is crazy, stressful, and there’s no time to slow down. With this season comes the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. We will say goodbye to 2021 and wait to see what the new year will bring. The resetting of that clock provides a clean slate on which we will set goals for the new year. Everyone makes their lists of what ..read more

Everett, 7, CRB1 Blindness Picture this: a seven-year-old whirlwind of joy and fearlessness named Everett, whose vibrant spirit and unyielding courage are rewriting the narrative of life with CRB1 blindness. Join this journey into the extraordinary world of a young dreamer who, despite facing the challenges of vision loss, is soaring to new heights and dreaming of becoming a race car driver. Fearless Explorer and Future Race Car Driver: Everett, a happy-go-lucky seven-year-old, is not letting CRB1 define his world. With an infectious enthusiasm for life, he dives headfirst into new activitie ..read more

It’s crazy how my eye disease can affect both my sight of a paper in front of me and my sight of the future. When I am looking into my future, sometimes I see blurry spots just like when I forget to it in my contacts. However, the blanks in my future are much harder to fill in than the missing part of the wall I’m looking at right now  What will my education look like? I am currently a senior in high school. As I have been applying to college, I can’t help but wonder about a few things.  Will my professors understand my situation? Will it be hard to get around campus? Will I be able ..read more

I have been a white cane user for 7 years now, and ever since I started using it I have wanted to traid it in for a guide dog. Mobility is arguably one of the aspects of life most impacted by vision loss, and I have found that this causes you to loose a lot of trust in yourself. There has been so many times when I’ve been walking confidently, thinking my way is clear, only to find I’ve  missed something, and end up crashing into something or someone, or tripping over. Therefore, even though I don’t like using it, my cane is one of the best ways to keep myself safe while remaining independ ..read more

Hey Clearly Seeing Blind readers! There is a new segment coming to the blog. I am going to interview kids from the Curing Retinal Blandness Foundation about their experiences with their eye disease. starting with Jacob Billingsley. I’ll be learning their stories and sharing them with all of you!   For this first interview, I was able to meet virtually with Jacob Billingsley (and his mom Lissa) to learn all about his story. Fast Facts About Jacob’s Vision He has trouble distinguishing between the colors red, orange, and pink He sees better out of his left eye (and barely used his right) H ..read more

It’s a complicated thing, an eye disease. Most things in life are complicated, at least those worth knowing. Things like who we are, human behaviors, and how the world around us works can’t be explained in one simple sentence. Place also in that category the inner workings of the human eye and how they deteriorate.  How I Have Explained My Eye Disease in the Past Simple answer: I haven’t.  What’s even the point, anyway? There are so many individual differences from one person’s eye disease to another: peripheral vision, color blindness, night blindness, etc.  Acuity isn’t the on ..read more

Today I went back to school. It was my first day as a junior in the 2022-2023 school year at Salem High School. Exciting, right? Yeah, no. Not even close.  Not to sound negative, but I despise high school as a whole for countless reasons. Mostly, I find it hard to coexist with other people-social anxiety. Especially when those other people are high schoolers. Add to that my low vision and I have the perfect storm for what is guaranteed to be the worst day of the year.  There are tons of situations and circumstances that complicate my first day of school because of my low vision. They ..read more

There are thirteen stairs in both staircases in my house. There are sixteen stairs in the staircase going down to my dance studio. In any given staircase at my high school, there is either 5, 6, 7, 11, or16 stairs.  Counting stairs makes life easier. It’s a fact I apply in my daily life. Every time I walk up or down a staircase, whether it be new or old, I count under my breath. Then I remember those numbers and hold on to them for dear life.  Why Count Stairs? Walking up or down stairs may be no big deal for others. They do it without a second thought. Sometimes they don’t even watc ..read more

It’s always nice to find a helping hand, right? The people surrounding you that are aware of your vision impairment and are willing to be of aid in challenging moments. It’s important that we are always grateful for their kindness. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to be grateful. Maybe every once in a while you get fed up with the “charity” or “pity” offered by others. Or maybe their kindnesses seem almost pathetic to you because they are entirely useless to the point where they become annoying. When really it is you who feels pathetic and not the kind act bestowed upon you.  I have felt this ..read more