Julie’s Story

Julie is 86 years old New Yorker. She is also the mother of a 46-year-old son and feels she has had a good life. Julie has undergone bilateral cataract surgery and has been diagnosed with Glaucoma and Macular Degeneration.

Julie loves music and, before her vision impairment, frequently attended the old Metropolitan Opera and still loves to go to Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

Julie considers herself a devoted reader, and before losing her vision, she would read one to two books a week. She worked at Mt. Sinai Hospital for about fifteen years, followed by thirty-five years at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) at Weill Cornell Medical College. In 2016 at the age of 79, she began to lose her vision, and once she realized she could no longer read, Julie made the difficult decision to retire.

Julie Connects with Lighthouse Guild
Julie says, “I was already somewhat familiar with Lighthouse Guild as a long-time New York institution.” She first reached out to Lighthouse Guild at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she was searching for a place where she could access large print books. She was connected to Dr. Laura Sperazza, Director of Low Vision Services. “I find Dr. Sperazza to be a wonderful doctor, and she is always very helpful, informative, and answers all of my questions,” she says.

Julie credits Dr. Sperazza with connecting her with the right programs and services at Lighthouse Guild that have been extremely helpful to her since being diagnosed as legally blind. Julie says, “The staff who manages the programs and services are the ones that help you with the day-to-day aids that you might need to survive.” Julie was provided glasses that helped her to see well enough when she would hold something close to her face, and magnifying glasses that helped a lot. Julie shares that Optician Kwun Kau Lee was very helpful and very informative. She says, “It’s often difficult to get the information that you need from people, and the staff at Lighthouse Guild makes sure you have the information you need.”

Dr. Sperazza arranged for Julie to meet with Occupational Therapist Inna Babaeva, who helped her choose a lamp that improved the lighting conditions for reading. She has also showed Julie some of the available technologies that can be helpful if Julie decides to take that path.

Julie Finds Support
Julie says, “One of the great programs is the Macular Degeneration support group which I have benefited from tremendously at Lighthouse Guild. The support group has helped me a great deal in accepting, managing, and dealing with my vision loss.”

It was through the support group that Julie met Social Workers Jocelyn Tapia and Jill Zisman. Julie shares, “Jocelyn and the social work team at Lighthouse Guild are unbelievably good at their work, and they have been an enormous help to me. When I need support, no matter what that is, they give it to me.” She continues, “You don’t receive that kind of support anywhere else. Whether it’s access-a-ride, finding an appropriate library to access, or simply the little things, you know they will be there for you, and that is a great comfort to me.”

Julies speaks with Jill every two weeks and finds her a considerable help. She explains, “For example, Jill finds all these things for me that I can’t find because I am visually impaired. She found out about a lecture and an exhibit for people who are visually impaired at the Museum of Modern Art and shared the information with me. If not for Jill searching that information out and sharing it with me, I wouldn’t have known about it and wouldn’t have gotten that experience. She handles everything well, and she is very supportive. I can’t thank them enough, and it’s unbelievable what they do.”

Julie Embraces Technology
Julie says she is looking forward to her upcoming appointment to visit the Lighthouse Guild Technology Center to learn more about the different apps available for her smartphone.

Julie’s View of Lighthouse Guild
Julie says, “Anyone with a vision impairment can benefit from the services provided at Lighthouse Guild. All the staff there are so helpful, from the doctors, ophthalmologists, optometrists, social workers — they are all terrific, and all your questions get answered.” Julie continues, “The staff picks up all the things you deal with on a daily basis, and they help you manage them. They also help you with the little things that make your daily life bearable.”

According to Julie, the staff at Lighthouse Guild provides access to the daily aids that help you survive, such as magnifiers, eyeglasses, and readers. Julie says, “From the moment they pick up the phone at Lighthouse Guild, they help you get the information you need, and you get straight answers. I am now legally blind, and Lighthouse Guild has helped me out with that in a big way.

“Lighthouse Guild has staff to help you with all your needs to make life bearable — from new technology tips on how to better prepare food to how to manage depth perception when stepping off a sidewalk and onto the street,” Julie says. “Before going to Lighthouse Guild, I felt as if my life was falling apart, and I literally could not function. They have given me back my life. To me, the whole place is wonderful.”