Has there ever been a time in your life when there was somebody you loved so much that you wanted to help, but you didn’t have all the tools and resources to be able to do that?
This is part of my inspiration for the International Vision Institute. I had been trained as an optician. I was gathering certifications in glasses and contact lenses, and I was on the high road to making a difference in so many people’s lives in my career as an eyecare professional.
And then, all of a sudden, my grandmother—we called her Fayma (it’s the name of Fannie plus Grandma, Fayma)—was found in her home, lying on the floor of her apartment for a couple of days. Neighbors checked on her because she hadn’t gone to the swimming pool, which she did daily. She hadn’t shown up, and somebody noticed. Management broke the door down and found her lying on the floor, dehydrated and near death.
When I saw her in the hospital, I said, “I can’t do this. She’s gonna come and live with me.”
When she got out of the hospital, she moved in with me in San Diego, CA. It was such an honor. It felt just so right. Fayma had her mother living with her her entire life, so I came full circle—I had her live with me.
She loved to read every night. It was wonderful. One day I asked, “How’s your book?” She said, “Oh, it’s okay.” I said, “Well, what’s new?” She said, “I’m having problems reading now, even with my reading glasses. So I just go through the process I’ve been doing my whole life, and then I fall asleep.”
I made an appointment for her to see the eye doctor and arranged for someone to bring her home, since I was still working at that time. I asked, “What did the doctor say?” She said, “I have something like a freckle in the back of my eye, and it’s not letting the light get through. It’s blurry in the center of my vision.”
I didn’t know enough to help her at that time. I was an optician, and I couldn’t do anything. The doctor told her there was nothing he could do either. He’s the expert, right?
Fast forward several years, maybe a decade or two. I was working in an ophthalmology practice, watching patients who had surgery that didn’t correct their vision. One woman had corneal transplants, but the last one didn’t make a difference. She was slowly going blind, and there was nothing I could do.
The best I could do at that stage was refer her to the Assistive Technology Resource Center in Hawaii, where I live. But her case had gone too far. All they could do was send her to the local blind center.
I felt helpless. I was so frustrated when I couldn’t help my grandmother, and now it was happening again. Another patient, this sweet little lady, came in driving a walker with an “M” on the front. I said, “How’s your Mercedes doing today?” We were having fun, but then her son said, “Katie, isn’t there anything more you can do? Isn’t there another magnifying glass, anything?”
All I had was what was already in my hands. And then I had an opportunity to work for the department that taught me about assistive technology. That opened my world again.
I learned not only about assistive technology for the eyes, but also for hearing, mobility, cognitive learning, and so many other areas of life when we’re not at our best.
I also discovered that my grandmother had age-related macular degeneration. The way I describe it to people is this: when you’re a child and you have freckles, it’s cute. But when you get age spots, it’s not so cute. They even have things for age spots now—fabulous!
I wish I’d had someone to hold my hand back then and say, “Here are some steps to help you and your family continue living an active life as she goes blind.”
I didn’t know how to do that, until now. Today, I consider myself a low vision expert.
That means I get a lot of help from people in the low vision and blind communities. There are so many organizations, but you don’t know about them unless you connect with someone like me.
The inspiration for the International Vision Institute came when I was on a retreat. I tried to visualize a safe building but couldn’t. Instead, I had to imagine my own safe garden with trees all around. I realized: if there’s something I can do, then I need to do it. The change is up to me.
So, I started the International Vision Institute to help individuals and their families as they transition from sighted, to low vision, to blind.
There are several aspects of this that people will be able to explore on the website. My ultimate goal is to create a museum-like retreat center in Hawaii—something unlike anything I’ve seen. A place where people can learn about every aspect of vision:
What does an ophthalmologist do?
What does an optometrist do?
What does an optician do?
What does a low vision specialist do?
What resources are available?
And beyond that, introduce tools and ways people can see, learn, and thrive—not just vocational rehab, which we already have, but something more.
Why the International Vision Institute? To create a platform where people feel safe asking questions and finding resources. We hope to get donations of different devices and appliances so we can offer them to those who need them.
There’s a lot we want to do, and it starts here.
Thank you for watching this introduction to the International Vision Institute. I look forward to getting to know you.
Make it a great day. Since I’m in Hawaii, I’ll finish with:
Aloha.