Up until the fourth grade, I had perfect vision. Just like the rest of peers, I played various sports and instruments, read books, and participated in the typical ten year old’s games such as tag and cards amongst others. I had many friends and excelled at tennis, swimming and piano.

Overall, life was going pretty well.

The first time I noticed that there was something wrong with my vision was on one May day in 2008. My teacher decided it was time to switch seats after the NJASK, and moved me from the front of the classroom to the very last row. Immediately, I realized I could no longer see the writing prompt on the projector, the math problems on the board, or even the time on the clock. Yet all the other kids in my row seemed to have no trouble seeing these things. The first thing that came to mind was “oh no, I need glasses”.

Quickly, I began to struggle; when we were asked to complete the projected math problems on our little white board, I just didn’t hold mine up; when a writing prompt was posted, I pretend to need a tissue so I could walk to the front of classroom and read it while “blowing my nose”; when I was called on to translate a Spanish sentence written on the board, I told my teacher I didn’t know. I missed class notes and I completed the wrong workbook pages for homework. Outside of school, my parents and piano teacher became worried as I began to uncharacteristically read and play the wrong notes. I did inform my friends about my declining vision, but I mostly did this to borrow their notes after class and joke around about how I would look in glasses, something that terrified me. For a month, I refrained from telling my parents to dodge an eye appointment, but after a while, I got frustrated with my vision. I asked my parents to arrange for an eye appointment.

TIP: In hindsight, I should not have dragged informing my parents about my vision loss for a month. By doing so, I was unable to get the help I needed to keep up in school. Additionally, if not looked out for, kids with low vision can potentially end up in dangerous situations, such as crossing the road at wrong times. If you notice any changes in your vision, schedule an eye appointment immediately. Parents, if you notice any signs of vision change in your child, do not hesitate to talk to your child or other people who interact with your children, and set up an eye appointment ASAP.