Hi, I have been diagnosed with autoimmune retinopathy. I have never had an eye problem until this. I never had to wear an eyeglass as a kid. I had 20/15 eyesight. Better than normal 20/20 vision. One day I was at work, (past job) I started seeing dim in one eye. I don't seem to see as sharp. It was really weird. I went to the optometrist for the first time and had tests done. He said my eyes were normal. Nothing is wrong. He asked if I been stress. I said I felt more stress in the past and this has never happened before. As the days past by, I started seeing worse in that eye. Colors were diminishing specially red and I can't stand brightness. My eye was seeing bright light like starring at the flashlight. It was sensitive. Then I started not seeing people's faces with that eye. Everything looks extra bright, I was so scared. Everything looked washed off. Something is definitely wrong. I went back to the optometrist and he did more tests. He said my eyes are normal. I said doc, something is wrong. He then had me start reading the eye test board. I can't see any letters with that eye. The doctor asked, you cannot see that big letter in front of you? I said no. I started crying. Now, the doctor was really worried. He ordered MRI of my brain etc. He thinks it could be something serious. I had an MRI after a few weeks. It was normal. I don't know what was going on. Nobody did. I had seen so many doctors and specialists. From optometrist, ophthalmologists, neuro ophthalmologists etc.

The neuro ophthalmologists was not nice to me. Told me to stop it and wake up from this. He said my eyes are perfectly normal. I said I'm not making this up. He said my optic nerves are normal. Nothing is wrong. I said something is wrong! Nobody could tell me what was wrong with me until I saw one ophthalmologist. He saw something others did not. My photoreceptor in that eye were gone, eaten up. Something ate my photoreceptors. I went through so many tests. They even said that they wanted to present this case to the ophthalmologists conference. It is very rare. Nobody really is 100 percent sure what has happened to me but the conclusion is that I had a virus, bad flu and my immune system tried hard to attack it and in the process, attacked my own eye. I still have the proteins inside of me that they attack so it continues to destroy. That eye is now blind and I have horrible symptoms that doesn't go away. Lots of flickering, flashes like symptoms. It is like watching a projector flashing, light flickering really fast that doesn't go away. Eyeglass doesn't work because it is inside. Photoreceptors.

I don't want to think I'm disable. I do not want to be a burden. I'm still young and full of dreams. I still want to achieve so much more. I have never had an eye problem before and to suddenly had my eyesight taken away just like that is so scary. I don't know what to do or what to expect. I'm scared of thinking what will happen next. There is no cure for this. I have to live with it. I love watching movies, I love nature, I love road trips, I love driving (stress reliever). To think that I won't be able to do these things anymore is so depressing and terrifying. I have a son and I want to keep seeing his face, his smiles. Unfortunately, I don't have family here. They are in a different country. I have not seen them in over 20 years. I hope to be able to see them again but it is expensive. I want to be able to see places I have not been before. So many more I want to do. I wish that there's more funding for this disease to find a cure. I hope to be able to travel and see the country, the world and to be able to pay medical bills, rent and not worry so much. Your donations will be much appreciated. It will help me a lot with many things in this life altering situation. Thank you so much