I'm partially blind in one eye from cornea scarring from contact lenses, and it really sucks. The light sensitivity is the worst part.
What type of lenses caused that scarring? Improper fit?
What it's like to go blind (2015)
31–40 of 49 posts
Re: What it's like to go blind (2015)
#32I haven't gone blind, but I have been blind since birth. I think especially in the realm of technology, there's very little I can't do. I write code for my dayjob, I write different code for fun, and even do some audio engineering and music production. I can also ride bikes. I have to know the area well of course, and be prepared for the inevitable accident, but I had a ton of fun doing it as a kid. Also climbing tre…
You seem to have more accessibility than I imagined!
Something I have been curious about. Do you experience sexual attraction yourself? Is it based on voice?
Re: What it's like to go blind (2015)
#33I haven't gone blind, but I have been blind since birth. I think especially in the realm of technology, there's very little I can't do. I write code for my dayjob, I write different code for fun, and even do some audio engineering and music production. I can also ride bikes. I have to know the area well of course, and be prepared for the inevitable accident, but I had a ton of fun doing it as a kid. Also climbing tre…
You seem to have more accessibility than I imagined! Something I have been curious about. Do you experience sexual attraction yourself? Is it based on voice?
Sure. And I think it's based on a bunch of factors coming together, voice being one of them. I don't know how it works if you have sight left, but I can't imagine that attraction is the same for everyone there as well. It's probably a lot more nuanced than that.
Re: What it's like to go blind (2015)
#34I recently had a thought about LLMs and vision models. Unlike ever before, the blind can now listen to a description of the world around them, with no other person required. The computer can just tell them what is around them. I don't know if that's worth anything or would have too much hallucinated information, but it does seem worth exploring.
With Llava which was posted here like yesterday, I took screenshots of video games, which I like to play. The descriptions weren't perfect, but they were really nice to have! I had a picture in my camera roll of my sister and I in the park, having our picture taken by my mother. I remember that day. And that's kinda what pictures are for! I guess. I've been blind since birth so I've not been able to really have this kind of thing before. Apple built something basic into VoiceOver a few years ago, but it's nothing like this. VoiceOver's recognition is like "Two people at a park posing for a photo." Llava is like "In the image, a man and a woman pose together for a picture outside. The woman stands to the left of the man as they both strike a pose. They appear to be in a field with plants behind them. The man is wearing a black shirt, and both of them seem to be enjoying the moment.". That's about on the level of a demo Facebook did a good 5 years ago of their stupid image description thing. I mean even if it's not perfect, it's better than what we've had before. MiniGPT said it was two people in a barn. This gets even closer. GPT4's image descriptions will probably be even better! I can't wait to try those!
Re: What it's like to go blind (2015)
#35I haven't gone blind, but I have been blind since birth. I think especially in the realm of technology, there's very little I can't do. I write code for my dayjob, I write different code for fun, and even do some audio engineering and music production. I can also ride bikes. I have to know the area well of course, and be prepared for the inevitable accident, but I had a ton of fun doing it as a kid. Also climbing tre…
You seem to have more accessibility than I imagined! Something I have been curious about. Do you experience sexual attraction yourself? Is it based on voice?
Answering as a severly sight impaired but not fully blind person. But yes - of course! I'd throw it back at you - do you experience sexual attraction purely by looks alone? I seriously doubt it (and would be concerned if you did!). How a person sounds, smells, feels, behaves etc. all come into it. If your partner playfully blindfolds you, you wouldn't suddenly stop enjoying the experience.
Re: What it's like to go blind (2015)
#36I recently had a thought about LLMs and vision models. Unlike ever before, the blind can now listen to a description of the world around them, with no other person required. The computer can just tell them what is around them. I don't know if that's worth anything or would have too much hallucinated information, but it does seem worth exploring.
Be My Eyes [1] recently announced a partnership with OpenAI. For years, they have operated a peer-to-peer platform that is staffed by highly-vetted volunteers. Now they will be able to offer audio descriptions using AI. https://www.bemyeyes.com/
Yep, can't wait to try that!
Re: What it's like to go blind (2015)
#37[dead]
This is also called a "scam".
Really strange because nobody is financially profiting. Rob only helps people who are blind or going blind. The old french gentleman Rob has been teaching joined the facebook group [1] on his own accord and receives training for free. He's been lauding and expressing his gratitude to Rob in the comments of every post. Just read the article I linked or look at its references, if you want to know more.
Re: What it's like to go blind (2015)
#38This is exactly (same genetic disease) the subject of the book Slackjaw by Jim Knipfel. It's surprisingly a _fun_ read!
Re: What it's like to go blind (2015)
#39I'm partially blind in one eye from cornea scarring from contact lenses, and it really sucks. The light sensitivity is the worst part.
What type of lenses caused that scarring? Improper fit?
Rigid gas permeable lenses can loses their coatings, and allergies/sensitivities to the preservatives in most cleaning solutions can develop over time. Both caused me problems, luckily a year of wearing glasses allowed me to recover. Now I only use hydrogen peroxide based cleaning solutions without extra ingredients. Much better, except for global supply chain problems right now....
Re: What it's like to go blind (2015)
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is also called a "scam".
Really strange because nobody is financially profiting. Rob only helps people who are blind or going blind. The old french gentleman Rob has been teaching joined the facebook group [1] on his own accord and receives training for free. He's been lauding and expressing his gratitude to Rob in the comments of every post. Just read the article I linked or look at its references, if you want to know more. [1] https://www.…
I was too hard on it. There is some scientific research behind the theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindsight