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Farewell to Art
3 years ago
General
Edit: Guys I know you mean well but please stop saying I'll get better. That is more demeaning than helpful. I've known how to describe my condition since I was 6 and I know what is happening right now, I've even been through it before. When I say it's not likely to get better, I know what I'm talking about.
Well. This isn't news I wanted to have to share but it's happened anyway. Thanks to covid and a lack of emergency care from my eye care team, I have sustained permanent retina damage and can no longer draw. I can look at things for a short time but cannot maintain the focus needed for art. I More in depth details below.
I hope folks stay around. I may not be doing much art anymore but I plan to do more writing in the future and I may still be able to sketch from time to time. It's been great drawing in this fandom for the past 20 years and I miss it already. You guys made it fun and inspiring and I hope you stick around.
Medical Details:
I have ROP (retinopathy of prematurity), a condition that destroys the light receptor cells (the retina) at the back of the eye when a person is born premature. The blood vessels in my only working eye have always been fragile. Getting hit with a dangerous vascular disease like covid hit them hard. I don't know the full scoop on what happened in there but I do know there has been internal bleeding and visual distortions since about the second day of having covid. That's a sign of retinal tearing. My eye care specialists refused to see me because I was contagious with a known deadly virus, so this emergency has gone untreated for over a week. I'll be going in Wednesday to talk to someone but I am not optimistic that they can do anything. My vision is so precarious that any eye surgery is risky and even the common one I had in 2019 destroyed my ability to read print. They might try to operate and reattach what's tearing in my eye but it's just as likely that it's already too late or that surgery will be too risky. I still have vision but it's essentially worthless with as much damage as has been done. Personally I would rather be blind, it sucks being able to see everything I used to love and can no longer enjoy. I'll keep you guys posted if there's any news but I don't expect anything after this much time and with an eye care team that's been pretty indifferent for so many years.
No, there's no cure, glasses don't fix inside eye problems, and lasik is for a completely different part of the eye. If they invent a working electronic eye I'll let you know but so far there is no help for people with any kind of retinopathy. We just go blind and that's it.
Well. This isn't news I wanted to have to share but it's happened anyway. Thanks to covid and a lack of emergency care from my eye care team, I have sustained permanent retina damage and can no longer draw. I can look at things for a short time but cannot maintain the focus needed for art. I More in depth details below.
I hope folks stay around. I may not be doing much art anymore but I plan to do more writing in the future and I may still be able to sketch from time to time. It's been great drawing in this fandom for the past 20 years and I miss it already. You guys made it fun and inspiring and I hope you stick around.
Medical Details:
I have ROP (retinopathy of prematurity), a condition that destroys the light receptor cells (the retina) at the back of the eye when a person is born premature. The blood vessels in my only working eye have always been fragile. Getting hit with a dangerous vascular disease like covid hit them hard. I don't know the full scoop on what happened in there but I do know there has been internal bleeding and visual distortions since about the second day of having covid. That's a sign of retinal tearing. My eye care specialists refused to see me because I was contagious with a known deadly virus, so this emergency has gone untreated for over a week. I'll be going in Wednesday to talk to someone but I am not optimistic that they can do anything. My vision is so precarious that any eye surgery is risky and even the common one I had in 2019 destroyed my ability to read print. They might try to operate and reattach what's tearing in my eye but it's just as likely that it's already too late or that surgery will be too risky. I still have vision but it's essentially worthless with as much damage as has been done. Personally I would rather be blind, it sucks being able to see everything I used to love and can no longer enjoy. I'll keep you guys posted if there's any news but I don't expect anything after this much time and with an eye care team that's been pretty indifferent for so many years.
No, there's no cure, glasses don't fix inside eye problems, and lasik is for a completely different part of the eye. If they invent a working electronic eye I'll let you know but so far there is no help for people with any kind of retinopathy. We just go blind and that's it.
Ughhhh...
Please rest and take all the time you need to recover, physically and emotionally. I look forward to your creative endeavors no matter what form they take. <3 You are not only a kickass artist and writer but a wonderful person as well. You have overcome so much and I know you will overcome this as well. You're an incredibly strong person.
I'm not sure what I can say that hasn't already been said by everybody above, and even that doesn't feel adequate.
All I can hope is that medical improvements will improve to give your art back someday.
But just cause the art may be gone doesn't me I'll be going anywhere. Will have my support til I can't anymore.
Have hope though! You may yet recover
When you start writing, if you want/need a proofreader, I have done it many times, just drop me a Note.
I imagine that speech-to-text software may enable you to keep writing; however, I do not know what you would prefer in that regard.
I will note that progress have been made(pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) in developing artificial retinas. I don't know if the latest developments are good enough for artists' use yet, but silicon eyes may be extant in the near future.
Alas that's for a completely diferent retinal problem. My condition isn't uniform enough for that technology to work on me.
I suffered a traumatic brain injury back in 2016 and I couldn't draw or write for almost four years, (that was shared in empathy not comparison) I still can't draw like I used to.
Major support and love, lookin forward to seeing your writing.
💖
Bummer. You did a lot of work that I have enjoyed over the years. Take care.
You did good.
I understand how hard this whole thing is, I’ve been watching my mother go through much the same thing from a different cause- she’s been so depressed and frustrated even if she had known for years the inevitable.
I can only hope there’s a better turn, but I know the reality too. If anything, I look forward to reading your works, and wish you kinder days both physically and mentally. I’ll still be following. ;; v ;;
Though I'm mostly just a lurker anyway, I'm not going anywhere. XP