16 June 2011

Contact lenses

I have mentioned in the past that I use contact lenses to oscure my vision in order to help relieve the symptoms of BIID. Some people have been asking where I get these from and how much they cost, so I thought I would write a quick post about it.

I use a variety of sources for my contact lenses, depending on who is cheaper at the time. "No Vision" lenses, as they are routinely advertised, come in a variety of styles and price points but all are more expensive than standard contacts, so if you go down this route you'll have to be prepared to fork out a bit of cash.

The ones I have been most impressed with lately are "Blind Halloween Contacts" by LensWay, a UK-based seller of contact lenses for theatre and photography. They don't look 100% realistic but they are about a third of the price of most other places and they work.

I would write a little bit here about how you've got to be careful when using contact lenses to not leave them in for too long (like overnight or forever) because they can end up damaging the eyes and leading to blindness but at the end of the day, for anyone in our position, that isn't going to be a concern.

Have fun!

14 June 2011

Late responses

I just replied to an email received almost a year ago to the day. Why is this? Because I lost the password for my email address. Suffice to say I will not have been popular with the people who contacted me and never got a response.

In the last year, a lot has changed. I am not nearly as ill as I used to be, although I do still have many muscular-skeletal problems. My BIID is still a problem, but I am learning to cope with it and work keeps me so busy I don't get time to worry about it as much.

I have taken to blindsimming in virtual reality and in roleplaying games however, which is how I am learning to deal with my condition. It would be nice if I could get the time to be me in the real world too but unfortunately that is not always possible. My partner is still not supportive of my condition, mostly because she simply cannot understand it.

What is confusing me the most is that the severity of the condition is cyclical. I find it is stronger some days than others. Do other sufferers feel this way? I don't want to be alone in this, it is too confusing.