How contact with strangers can help

How can strangers help you and what good are groups on Facebook anyway? You have those moments when you realize you’re not alone or isolated.

Keratoconus

I was seventeen when I was diagnosed with keratoconus in both my eyes. Keratoconus is an eye disease that made me visuve Impaired very quickly. In those days – twenty-five years ago- there was no such thing as the internet. The doctor gave me some information and I had to make do with it.

It is often difficult for others to understand what I see and especially how much I see. I can hardly explain this. When the Internet came in, I suddenly read so much more about this eye disease and a lot became clear to me.

Impaired vision and migraines

My eyesight has rapidly deteriorated and without lenses I can’t see anything. Nowadays I have scleral lenses and with these I can see well. I can drive a car with this reading in. However, there are days when my vision is less.

In the morning it is a relief when I have my lenses in. Insertion often does not work in one go and is very painful, due to air bubbles trapped under the lens. Besides costing me a fortune in lens fluid, it also costs me a lot of frustration. Besides Having Lesser Days in Terms of Vision, I Often Have Eye Migraines.

Nothing can be done about this, just take medication and stick with it. For strangers this is not always understandable, after all you see nothing on me and of course this is all fine to live with, yet it is and remains annoying.

Unknowns and Facebook groups

It is sometimes difficult for those around me. Sometimes I have to cancel an appointment because I can’t drive a car. just because my eyesight is bad that day. Sometimes the migraine is so intense that I can’t really do anything at all and what do I actually see with and without lenses? I have shown my husband pictures of what my vision is like without lenses, but it’s hard to really understand.

And that’s where those unknown fellow sufferers on Facebook come in. They are all strangers to me, but it is so nice to read the recognition. People who also experience problems with their vision, have problems getting their lenses in, ’s evening and ’s night have problems driving a car and have migraine attacks like me. It is that bit ‘I am not alone’, which is so nice.

I personally get a lot of support from this.

Not all groups are positive

But let me also be honest, not all groups with strangers on Facebook make you feel better or that you enjoy being a member of, I’ve also joined groups over the last few years only to get out of them very quickly. Groups about crocheting or bullet journaling. Where I went crazy with all the messages coming in/ I kept looking on my phone.

While I, like half of the Netherlands, want to be less on Social Media. No, I really choose this group on Facebook, because it is helpful and I can post my message now and then.