On 7 February this year, 32-year-old Martin Olaussen was cooking dinner. He was roasting steak when it started to fog up on his glasses. It must be steak mess, he thought. – I took off my glasses, wiped them off, and put them back on. But there was just as much fog. Then the sailor realized that there was danger on the way. He ate the half-raw steak and made it to hospital. After an operation in both eyes and ten days in hospital, it turned out that the vision was too good. – They are still looking for the underlying cause, says Olaussen. – Some people lose their sight this year Although it is still uncertain what has happened to the sight of the 32-year-old sailor, the doctors know that it has something to do with the optic nerve and the blood supply. – The blood supply to the optic nerve is not inside the eye stalk, but outside. The optic nerve is not quite normal either, explains Martin. He has also had increased pressure in both eyes. It has pinched the optic nerve which is not protected, like everyone else’s eyes. The optic nerve has therefore suffered permanent damage. Martin Olaussen and vision and mobility pedagogue Marthe Berg are practicing how Martin should recognize obstacles such as curbs, changes in the ground and doorsteps. Photo: Andreas Nilsen Trygstad / news But how common is this? – This year there are quite a few who lose their sight. There are not very many, and the most common thing is to lose your sight when you are older. That’s what union leader Terje André Olsen says in the Blind Association. He explains that the challenge when someone becomes acutely blind is to start rehabilitation early enough. – There are many things you become helpless at, which you can learn to master. For example, using the telephone, says Olsen. Terje André Olsen, head of the Federation of the Blind, says that it is important to check your vision when you discover that there is a change. – Certain visual impairments can then be delayed by up to six years. Photo: Tom Egil Jensen – It was a shock Ophthalmologist Tobias Tysnes Krokstrand at Nordlandssjukehuset confirms that it is rare for young people to experience acute vision loss. – Should one be worried that this could happen? – For the general population, this is not something to worry about. It’s like that in medicine that most things can happen, but the chance is very small. Olsen in the Blindeforbundet suspects that many people think that all is lost when they are told by the eye doctor that there is nothing more they can do. For Martin in Narvik, that was precisely one of the things that made it easier to cope with the message. – It was a shock. But I have had good doctors who were clear that this was a permanent injury. But he was also among those who started early to find solutions to the new existence. Almost fully qualified ship navigator, Martin has previously worked at sea as a sailor in a boat on the Trollfjord, and a boat operator on whale safaris. In June, he was actually supposed to have completed his training as a ship navigator. He had looked forward to a future at sea. – There is a lot of what I can no longer do. About two weeks after the news that he was not going to see again, he was put on a course at the Association of the Blind. One of the courses is called Karriere workshop. It is a course to try to find out the possibilities of the visually impaired in work, and how one should proceed. – Instead of focusing on what I could no longer do, I should focus on the things I could perhaps do, he says and adds: – It also helped to meet others in similar situations, and get tips and tricks. – Much to be said for the quality of life Martin has also been on other courses, such as mobility courses for example. Vision and mobility educator Marthe Berg says that when the sight fails, one must learn new techniques to orient oneself in the surroundings. – I have met many people who say that they did not know that we existed, that the offer existed and that it was possible to get help. At system level, you can also do more, says vision and mobility educator Marthe Berg. Photo: Andreas Nilsen Trygstad / news She works at the Evenes Vision and Mastery Centre. They work with rehabilitation for people who have lost their sight, and show them how they can master everyday life by using the white cane or orienting themselves with other senses. – Mobility is about independence. Getting from A to B on your own means that you don’t have to sit at home and wait for someone to pick you up, says Berg and adds: – It also prevents loneliness and that has a lot to say for the quality of life. For the most part, things have changed for the 32-year-old who was actually supposed to navigate scooters for the rest of his life. Cafe tables, flower pots, escalators and revolving doors are all obstacles that require good skills with the white stick to get past. Photo: Andreas Trygstad / news – Just tying your shoes, or figuring out which way to put on your hoodie, or which way to put on your t-shirt, says Martin. Quite special But when it all comes down to it, Martin is kind of glad that he lost all his sight at once. – It is not easy for anyone. Regardless of whether one has acute or progressive vision loss. For me it went quite smoothly, as I didn’t get any warning. I was thrown into deep water and had to learn to swim. He thinks others who may have more progressive vision loss may find it difficult to process it. Martin Olaussen has made several new friends through the course in, for example, mobility. Photo: Andreas Trygstad / news But vision and mobility educator Marthe Berg says that it is not usual to accept sight loss as quickly as Martin has done. – Many spend many years getting there and accepting that they may have to use a white cane. Martin’s case is probably quite special. German Dave Janischak is self-taught and uses the method daily
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Martin (32) suddenly lost his sight when he was cooking dinner – news Nordland
