During the winter of 1998-1999, I became legally blind. It was not without warning. However, within two months, the door on normal vision was virtually slammed shut. In November, I had been driving a car and reading, but by December I realized I could no longer drive without serious difficulty and reading newspaper type became impossible.

The cause was macular degeneration, a progressive condition that affects the retina and causes gradual loss of vision. When I saw my longtime ophthalmologist in December, he shrugged his shoulders after explaining the situation and advised me that there was nothing that could be done to help me. He suggested that I might buy a lighted magnifying glass to help me with reading. It was a terrible blow. I had already found them totally inadequate.

I went through a period of agony before I sought a second opinion. Although this specialist confirmed my diagnosis, it was through his help that I regained my hope and learned about a variety of options that have made my life fuller.

I am now a faithful subscriber to the talking books service, in which tapes of books are loaned free to people with vision problems. And I get recorded versions of several major magazines. I am also equipped with a talking computer, which reads each letter as I type it and then can read the completed text back to me by sentence, word or paragraph. It has allowed me to continue writing.

Despite the difficulties of dealing with this disease and even my doctor's disregard. I have never been depressed. I have long held the position that we must play the hand that is dealt to us. But it is easier and more fulfilling to tackle life with macular degeneration with the appropriate tools. I hope all doctors keep that in mind for their patients.