2 years today I went to the opticians and they told me I could no longer drive, that my eyes had progressed and I was over the driving limit. I remember going home and just sobbing. The loss of something I loved and the independence I’d had taken away from me was crushing. All I could see for the next few months was the loss and the feeling of being trapped was suffocating. All the things I couldn’t do from losing my driving licence used to consume me daily and I still often feel guilt to my boys that I can’t freely take them places without relying on other people to get us there.
Things I have learnt in these 2 years that I want others with sight loss to know is I wish I’d had a plan of action ready for when i could no longer drive. Navigate public transport before and work out routes to get to places. Don’t hold on to peoples promises when you first lose your licence, the offer of support and lifts soon dies and many people don’t seem to want to get in a regular habit of supporting you, but that’s fine, we all have our own lives so become as independent as possible so you don’t have to be beholden to anyone. If there have been people who have been your rocks, don’t take them for granted. I often don’t know what I would have done without my mum and husband in the last 2 years. My mum will drop everything for me and my boys in a heartbeat and for that I am so thankful.
The most important thing of all is to focus on all the things you can do and not the things you can’t. Not being able to drive does not make you any less of a parent or a human for that matter. I started to look more at the ways not driving benefited me like having extra money for trips and treats and that not driving makes more of an adventure!
Sight loss can get you stuck sometimes on dwelling on the things lost.. but we can still do anything we put our minds too.. just maybe not driving 🥰🙈 there is still so much we can do over the things we can’t! xx
