In short

Research and development in ophthalmology has yielded some exciting innovations; whether they are surgical techniques, devices or therapeutics, a great deal of patients that might have previously been condemned to blindness now have a chance to save their sight.

We speak, we research and we write about some impressive developments, yet sadly, there are many patients who will still lose their vision, irrespective of the surgical or therapeutic interventions administered.

For an ophthalmologist, this is the worst part of the job. As somebody who is passionate about saving people's sight, knowing that there is little that can be done to prevent blindness is a difficult pill to swallow.

From the patient's perspective, the sense of loss is far worse, but having as much information and support as possible is invaluable.

Opening eyes to the reality

With this in mind, US documentary film director, Joe Lovett, has set about documenting the experiences of those who have lost or are losing their vision. The film, Going Blind, first publicized at this year's World Ophthalmology Congress in Hong Kong, aims to make the public aware of the importance of regular check-ups, to alert those who are losing vision to the benefits of low vision aids and training, and to appeal to ophthalmologists to consider the patient's quality of life and the importance of support.

A glaucoma sufferer himself, Mr Lovett has been progressively losing his vision since he received the diagnosis 20 years ago. Having spoken with people who had lost their sight or who had lost a significant portion of it, he decided to make a film that would not only help patients and relatives, but that would also help the ophthalmology community in their patient education efforts.

"At a point that I was feeling very worried about my future sight, I decided that if I were to really lose my vision, I had better have an idea of what it would be like. So I started speaking to people on the street who I would normally have asked if they needed help. At that point of asking if they needed assistance, I would then ask if they minded me asking them questions," explained Mr Lovett.

"The stories they told me of adapting to vision loss, of changes in attitudes to their lives from themselves, their families, friends and colleagues, were truly inspiring and I thought this would make a great film," he added.

Making the film also helps Mr Lovett to objectify many of the issues with which he is confronted. "It is sort of like a war photographer whose lens objectifies the danger he or she faces," he said.

The making of a film

The film uses Mr Lovett's experience — over a few years of learning about vision loss and making decisions about what to do next about his eye care — as a thread on which to hang the stories of others who have already gone through a similar experience.

One of the people featured is Jessica Jones, a young artist and art teacher whose diabetic retinopathy caused her to lose her vision rapidly. Jessica teaches multiply handicapped children, all of whom have severe vision loss. Another of the stories featured in the film is that of Peter D'Elia, an active architect in his 80's, who lost vision in one eye from macular degeneration a decade ago. When his other eye started to deteriorate from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) recently, Peter's ophthalmologist was able to save his vision and restore the sight in his second eye.