Raymond's story

‘I am blind but Sight Scotland brought light to my life’

Raymond Mullen has spent much of his life in darkness – but he says the from Sight Scotland has helped brighten up his days. He now enjoys plenty of support from Sight Scotland, including morale-boosting home visits, but previously life has often been hard. Born prematurely, his retinas never formed properly, and although he could see a little until his teenage years, his vision deteriorated.

“I always wore big, thick glasses, but I still couldn’t see the blackboard at school, so I didn’t really get anywhere,” Raymond says.

“In primary school I could play football and games with the other children – with difficulty – but I seemed to be able to adapt and I had some resilience. But going to a large high school was very difficult. I was a prime target and there was a lot of bullying.

“This was in the Sixties and there were no tools in place to help me, so I just stopped going to school.”

The light returns to Raymond's life

This injustice is compounded by the fact that Raymond was bright with a desire to learn. At school he was told he had nice handwriting, and he loved words and reading – using big-print books. But as an adult his opportunities were limited, which led to low self-esteem and alcoholism. Raymond’s sight worsened, and by his 20s he could only make out light and dark shapes as colours disappeared. “I can’t remember what a car or a house looks like, or a tree,” he admits. “It’s been so long since I physically saw them. “I know the grass is green and the sky is blue, and I know when it’s night or day or when my television is on, but I can’t see any of these things now.”

Yet, incredibly, Raymond held on to factory jobs by copying the people working next to him on the production line, as he could barely see. And in the Nineties he gained an HND in communication studies on a course for visually impaired people. Now 61, Raymond is sober, but when the pandemic struck – cancelling all his support meetings and leaving him isolated – it threatened his recovery and his mental health.

Thankfully Raymond heard an advert for Sight Scotland on the TV and got in touch with us. We provided Raymond with an iPad so he could join his support meetings online, and helped him access them.  And we have continued to offer a befriending service, with our community worker Laura McDonald visiting every few weeks. “They saved my life during the pandemic and now I look forward to Laura coming,” says Raymond. “For a blind person, when you live alone like I do, life is darkness, but being in contact with Sight Scotland has given me some light in my life.”

Vital service helps sight impaired and their families

Practical help and advice from Sight Scotland has been invaluable for Raymond, and the emotional support he receives has kept him going. It’s easy for someone who is sight impaired to feel isolated, vulnerable and alone. But regular visits from Sight Scotland with volunteer Laura have allowed him to build up a rapport with her, and both look forward to their chats. The visits help to keep Raymond cheerful but also mean he can highlight any issues that Laura can then sort out. Colin Hilditch, Head of Community Services for Sight Scotland, explains: “A sight loss diagnosis is often life-changing, not just for the individual but their loved ones as well.

“People with visual impairment can lose their confidence, self-esteem and ability to do many day-to-day activities. For families and carers, they have huge concerns about how to best support their loved ones and don’t have the support themselves in coping, particularly following the initial diagnosis. “Our Family Wellbeing Service starts from a position of just wanting to help – help with information and advice, together with the practical and emotional support so many people with sight loss need. “The service is free to access for people of all ages, and at all stages of sight loss, and their families.”

People affected by sight loss need to know they can turn to us for help. We urge anyone affected by sight loss, directly or indirectly, to call our Support Line.

Our Family Wellbeing Service has a wealth of knowledge to help support and empower anyone affected by sight loss regain or maintain their independence.

What we do:

•        Assess your vision and how this affects your daily life

•        Provide information about your sight loss to help you to understand how your condition affects you

•        Help you identify what specific challenges and practical difficulties you are experiencing

•        Assess your contrast and lighting needs inside your home and outdoors

•        Work with your family to help them gain an understanding of how you have been impacted by sight loss and provide you with some strategies to help.