The emotional effects of sight loss:
Welcome to the Emotional Effects of Sight Loss Assessed Learning. You need
to complete this learning if you:
wish to achieve a My Guide Volunteer (level 2) training certificate with
distinction
or
are progressing to level 3 to become a My Guide Practitioner.
At the end of this module you will be asked to complete a short test of 5
questions on what you have learnt. The pass mark is 80%, but you can repeat
the test if needed.
Introduction:
When volunteering as a My Guide, you may support a service user who is
emotionally affected by their sight loss and this learning will help you to
understand more about this. This section is intended to raise your awareness
and give you the ability to empathise with their situation. You are not
expected to be a counsellor. If you have concerns about your My Guide
service user, please ask your coordinator for support and they will be able to
signpost the person to a suitable service.
This learning has been written to give you an understanding of the emotional
effects of sight loss and provide information to support My Guide Practitioners
in facilitating the level one training discussions on the ‘Barriers to
Independence’ and the ‘Emotional Consequences of Sight Loss’.
Sight loss:
The feelings that people experience can vary:
If a person has little or no sight from birth, then their way of coping may have
developed throughout their life and they could mainly be affected by their
experiences and changes rather than the loss of sight itself. For example, if all
of their friends are leaving home they may experience feelings due to not
being able to leave themselves.
If a person has experienced sight loss over a period of time, they may have
had time to adjust to what was happening to them or the feelings may come
and go during their lifetime. If a person has experienced sight loss overnight,
this will affect them in a different way and may cause a more extreme
reaction whilst they adjust to what’s happening to them. Relatives and
people who are close to the person may also experience similar emotions
when dealing with the changes.
It is also important to remember that not everyone you volunteer with will be
going through this process or be experiencing these particular emotions.
Common feelings and emotions:
Shock and Denial – If a person is given the news that that they are losing their
sight they may show surprise and become upset or may refuse to accept
what is happening to them.
Loss of identity – A person with sight loss may have to make many changes to
their lifestyle and the activities they take part in which may cause them to
feel that they are no longer important or can’t do anything they used to do,
causing them to question their existence.
Fear and anxiety, confusion – Some may worry about their future or may
dread leaving the house or going somewhere new. They may find it difficult
to orientate themselves.
Grief – Some may feel overwhelmed and sad about what has happened to
them. This may happen when they try to do something and realise that they
are unable to.
Depression – Some people feel unable to overcome the sadness and find it
hard to function or carry on with their life.
Anger – Some people may get upset with those around them or themselves,
trying to find someone to blame.
The Grieving Process:
The feelings and emotions that people experience due to sight loss are part
of the process of grieving. This is the way in which people cope with and
deal with tragedy.
You may think that grief is only about when people die, but it is also relevant
when someone has experienced any catastrophic loss. This is any loss, or
series of losses, which have a severe and negative impact on a person, such
as a terminal illness, loss of employment, or losing your sight. To help us
understand people’s responses, empathise more and support them better
there is a model. The model recognises that people have to pass through
their own individual journey of coming to terms with loss, after which there is
generally an acceptance of reality, which then enables the person to cope.
The Kubler-Ross model :
These are the five stages of grieving which were first identified by Elizabeth
Kubler-Ross in her 1969 book 'On death and dying'. These stages may be
shown in a diagram which shows the different stages coming from a central
point. The stages are described as follows:
1. Denial – "I feel fine."; "This can't be happening, not to me."
Denial is a conscious or unconscious refusal to accept facts, information,
reality, etc., relating to the situation concerned. It's a defence mechanism
and perfectly natural. Some people can become locked in this stage when
dealing with a traumatic change that can be ignored.
The shock of the diagnosis could be too difficult to accept and the person
may carry on as usual thinking that the problem will go away or that it cannot
possibly be happening to them. They may not be willing to ask for support or
believe what others are telling them.
2. Anger – "Why me? It's not fair!"; "How can this happen to me?"; "Who is to
blame?"
Anger can manifest itself in many different ways. People dealing with
emotional upset can be angry with themselves, and/or with others, especially
those close to them. Knowing this can help you keep detached and nonjudgemental when experiencing the anger of someone who is very upset.
They may be angry at those around them if they are not doing enough to
help or, if the sight loss was caused by an injury or misdiagnosis they may be
angry at the person they feel is responsible. The person may question if
anything could have been done differently.
3. Bargaining – "Just let me see my children graduate."; "I'll do anything for a
few more years of good sight."; "I will give my life savings if..."
Traditionally the bargaining stage for people facing death can involve
attempting to bargain with whatever God the person believes in. People
facing less serious trauma can bargain or seek to negotiate a compromise.
For example "Can we still be friends?...", when facing the end of a
relationship. Bargaining rarely provides a sustainable solution, especially if it's
a matter of life or death.
4. Depression – "I'm so sad, why bother with anything?"; "I'm going to lose my
sight... What's the point?"; "Why go on, I’m not me anymore?"
This may also be referred to as preparatory grieving. The person begins to
understand the certainty of what’s happening to them. They may become
silent, refuse visitors and spend much of the time crying and grieving. This
process allows them to disconnect from things of love and affection. It shows
that the person has at least begun to accept the reality. It's natural to feel
sadness and regret, fear, uncertainty, etc.
5. Acceptance or Resignation – "It's going to be okay."; "I can't fight it, I may
as well prepare for it."
Again this stage definitely varies according to the person's situation, although
broadly it is an indication that there is some emotional detachment and
objectivity.
Some people will experience two stages of this grieving process together,
such as anger and depression. Often, people will experience several stages
in a "roller coaster" effect: they may switch between two or more of the
stages, and then revert to any number of other stages, perhaps several times,
before working through their feelings. Other people only ever experience
two or three of the stages, although most usually end up with some level of
acceptance. It can be hard for someone else to identify all the stages that
the person is moving through.
It’s important to remember that not everyone you volunteer with will be going
through this process or be experiencing these particular emotions but it is
important to know how to support them if they are.
Well Done!
You have reached the end of the lesson. You have learned that sight loss
can be a catastrophic loss that can trigger a grieving process. You have also
learned about how people might move through that grieving process and
what is expected of you as a My Guide.
There now follows 5 questions about what you have learnt. The pass mark is
80%, but you can repeat the test if needed (your trainer will send another
copy).
Final test:
Screen reader users; please move down the questionnaire using the down
arrow key and not the Enter key.
Your name:
Organisation:
Question 1.
“When and how somebody loses their sight can affect their emotional
response to the loss”,
Is this statement true or false?
Answer:
Question 2.
“People move through the five stages of grief one stage after another”,
Is this statement true or false?
Answer:
Question 3.
“Some people only experience two of the five stages”,
Is this statement true or false?
Answer:
Question 4.
Which of the following 4 options are ways that you can support your my
Guide service user if they are emotionally affected by their sight loss? Answer
yes or no to the following 4 options:
a. Show empathy,
Answer:
b. Talk to your coordinator about any concerns,
Answer:
c. Be aware of what they may be experiencing,
Answer:
d. Offer them advice on how to get through their grief,
Answer:
Question 5.
The following statement describes a feeling or emotion that someone with
sight loss may experience. Which one of the 3 options that follow does it
describe?
Statement: “Some people feel unable to overcome the sadness and find it
hard to function or carry on with their life.”
Is it:
a. Anger,
b. Depression,
c. Fear anxiety and confusion
You have reached the end of the questions.
Please return your completed answers to your trainer.