As a student with low vision who also has photophobia/photosensitivity to bright lights, I often take vision breaks throughout the day to rest my eyes. When I’m working on visually demanding tasks such as reading, working on my computer, or taking notes in a classroom,…

I have low vision in addition to a few other medical conditions, so I have spent a lot of time visiting hospitals, doctor’s offices, outpatient testing facilities, and other medical environments. Since a lot of my conditions are unrelated to my vision loss, I get…

My life with double vision and seeing the world with four eyes open

I’ve had chronic migraines since I was in high school as a component of a then-undiagnosed neurological condition, which was later diagnosed as Arnold-Chiari Malformation Type 1 (also known as Chiari Malformation or Chiari 1 Malformation). Even though my migraines had a significant impact on…

I recently came across a conversation thread on social media talking about how difficult it can be to keep a dorm room clean with chronic illness and how having a messy dorm can be frustrating not only for visitors, but for the person living in…

When I took algebra, my teacher had a classroom that was filled with a lot of bright lights and glare-inducing items, which was difficult for me as a student with low vision and photophobia/light sensitivity. I know that the teacher had not designed the classroom…

I receive disability accommodations in college for two different medical conditions- an eye condition that causes low vision and a neurological condition called Chiari Malformation. Both my eye and brain condition cause me to experience light sensitivity, sometimes referred to as photosensitivity, and my accommodations…

I love listening to live music and watching concert videos and music videos from my favorite bands, but it’s difficult for me to attend events in person since I have a medical condition that causes photosensitivity, or a sensitivity to strobe and flashing lights. Since…

Earlier today, I tagged one of my friends on Twitter to share some of their favorite features about their computer, and one of the features they mentioned was the availability of system-wide dark mode for low vision users. While dark mode is easier on my…

When I was in high school, I sometimes had difficulty explaining how common technology behaviors or other technology in the classroom would hurt my brain, also known as give me a migraine. Many teachers assumed that I was refusing to participate in class, but the…

As a college student with chronic illness, I have learned a lot about how to schedule college classes and how to create the best college schedule. Many of my friends come to me every semester with a list of their required classes and ask me…

I live with a disability and chronic illness along with multiple allergies, so being able to quickly locate and provide medical information to medical staff or first responders is very important to me when I am receiving medical care. One of my favorite tools for…

While living on campus with low vision and chronic illness, I shared a bathroom and communal living space with 1-3 other girls, depending on the dorm. In many cases, I was the first person that used a blindness cane or that had a physical disability…

While interning at a major tech company, I started using high contrast themes regularly while at work to make it easier for me to read text and interact with applications without getting eye strain too quickly. Even though some of the apps I used at…

I’m a casual Taylor Swift fan and enjoy listening to her music and videos, but it’s not likely that I’ll ever attend one of her concerts. Having low vision alone doesn’t make it difficult for me to enjoy in-person concerts, but the combination of photophobia…