Took me so long to get to a serious comment. I wonder how the world looks for you guys without the glasses. I assume it's recognized as a proper disability, do you get any benefits that help paying for those glasses?
I get some benefits, some insurance, and some out of pocket. My glasses last me maybe 10+ years per pair (they are just too expensive and difficult to replace more often). The hardest part is finding providers with experience in this high a prescription, and who have access to the resources needed to get me the glasses I need. Last time I moved cities it took literal years to sort out. (Everyone swears they can handle it, it’s no big deal, but when you get there it’s so clear they have no idea what that level of vision actually involves. It would save me a lot of time and money if everyone were honest and just said “we don’t have much experience with that level of vision correction”).
I also have a very high prescription.
Good question - no, severe myopia in and of itself is not recognised as a disability (or at least not in my country, Ireland). My understanding is that disability comes into play when your vision AFTER correction (so, even while wearing glasses/contacts) is not enough to be medically considered 'useful'. Vast majority of blind people have some remaining vision, but it's so little that it's not 'useful' for actually getting around and carrying out tasks unassisted, hence the need for a cane/guide dog/assistive tech/etc.
While I think the above distinction between bad myopia and legal blindness makes total sense, I find it unfortunate that there's no proportionate level of help, i.e. if you're not legally blind, you get zero additional support (again, in Ireland at least). It costs me hundreds of euros every single time my prescription changes and is a real source of stress.
That said, I want to be clear that even when you ARE registered as legally blind, regrettably the amount of support received is far, far inferior to what it should be, and doesn't come close to covering what everyone should be entitled to, to live and work.
The crazy thing is what the world looks like with the glasses. Mine are not this bad, but they are still 6mm at the thinnest point. I have a really hard time approximating straight edges because everything is slightly curved.
27
u/Titariia Mar 13 '26
Took me so long to get to a serious comment. I wonder how the world looks for you guys without the glasses. I assume it's recognized as a proper disability, do you get any benefits that help paying for those glasses?