Kartunet - Losing one's sight, especially if it occurs in adolescence or adulthood, is one of the greatest crises in a person's life. The transition from a world full of colors to a dim or completely dark world not only brings physical limitations but also severe mental shock. Medical literature notes that vision loss often triggers reactive depression (reactive depression) in patients. It is in this phase that newly disabled individuals will enter a period of denial (denial), anger, and even despair.
In navigating this critical transition period, family serves as the primary anchor or support system. Unfortunately, due to a lack of understanding, well-intentioned family efforts often worsen the patient's psychological state. The following is a guide and the art of supporting newly blind individuals to quickly recover from their despair.
1. The Importance of Honest Medical Diagnosis
The first step towards acceptance (acceptance) is honesty. Often, family members or even medical professionals try to give "false hope" to patients to spare their feelings. However, concealing the fact that the vision condition is permanent and will worsen will only delay the patient's adaptation phase.
Disability rights activist, Ms. Mimi Mariani Rusli, shared her personal experience. She began experiencing vision deterioration at the age of 10 and spent years seeking treatment. It wasn't until she was 17 that a doctor honestly diagnosed her with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative retinal disease for which there is no cure. Hearing that diagnosis felt like "the end of the world" (the end of the world). Yet, ironically, it was the honesty of that diagnosis that ultimately stopped the futile cycle of searching and compelled her to start a new life with the identity of a visually impaired person.
2. The Dangers of an Overprotective Environment
The most common reaction from families upon learning their child has become blind is to provide excessive protection (overprotective). Families forbid patients from doing any activities, confine them indoors, and serve them 24/7. The intention is "pity," but this actually has a destructive impact.
Rehabilitation experts agree that an environment that is too protective (overprotective) and deprives patients of the opportunity to do things independently is just as bad as an overly demanding environment. Ms. Mimi emphasizes that people with disabilities do not need "pity" (which leads to confinement in a chair and constant service), but rather "love." To love means to guide and facilitate them to regain independence.
3. Don't Just Tell Them to Be Patient, Involve Them in Daily Life
When patients are irritable or angry about their condition ("Why me? Why do I have to be blind?"), advising them with words like "you must be patient" or "you must be grateful" from the mouth of a sighted person often feels bland and unempathetic.
The best way to show support is by involving them in household activities. Ms. Mimi gives the example of the "picking spinach" approach. Invite the child or family member who has recently lost their sight into the kitchen and say, "Come on, help Mama pick spinach." Even if their picking is messy or incorrect, the family doesn't need to scold them, but rather gently guide their hands to show the correct way. This simple involvement rekindles the feeling that they are "still useful" and not a burden to the family.
4. Find a Safe Space in the Disability Community
In addition to internal support, families must also proactively seek external support. Don't let newly blind individuals feel that they are the only unfortunate person in the world. Encourage them to leave the house and introduce them to disability organizations or communities (such as the Indonesian Blind Union/Pertuni).
Seeing, chatting, and interacting directly with fellow blind individuals who have successfully gone to school, worked, and raised families will provide invaluable moral encouragement. It is this community (peer counseling) that will tangibly prove that vision loss is not the end of everything, but merely a change in the way of living life.
Conclusion
Supporting a family member who has recently lost their sight requires immense patience. Eliminate crippling pity, start being honest, and involve them back in daily routines. With an empathetic and empowering support system, the dark phase of denial will soon pass, paving the way for bright self-acceptance. (DPM)
References:
- Manduchi, Roberto; Kurniawan, S. Assistive Technology for Blindness and Low Vision. CRC Press.
- "Webinar Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang" (Kartini Day Commemoration 2025). YouTube Indonesian Blind Union (Pertuni).