Being blind and diabetic

Status
Not open for further replies.
T

Torim100

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Carer/Partner
Pronouns
She/Her
Hi I’m new to this forum and it’s not me who’s diabetic but my elderly mother who is virtually blind. I wanted to ask for any advice or information as my mother injects insulin every morning and can manage the whole process apart from she struggles to see the dial to know how many units of insulin she has prepped, has anyone come across this? Or any ideas on how to solve this problem? Thank you
 
hello and welcome. Is she able to listen to the clicks as she dials up, or if she has any remaining vision would a magnifier work? There are apps that read things out loud but making assumptions that that isn’t what you’d be looking for.
 
Torim100 said:
Hi I’m new to this forum and it’s not me who’s diabetic but my elderly mother who is virtually blind. I wanted to ask for any advice or information as my mother injects insulin every morning and can manage the whole process apart from she struggles to see the dial to know how many units of insulin she has prepped, has anyone come across this? Or any ideas on how to solve this problem? Thank you
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear of your mother's struggles with her sight.
Would something like a magnifier help, the RNIB have lots of different devices at a range of prices.
Depending on her situation she may qualify for help from someone like the Macular Society who provided help for my late mother in law.
 
Lucyr said:
hello and welcome. Is she able to listen to the clicks as she dials up, or if she has any remaining vision would a magnifier work? There are apps that read things out loud but making assumptions that that isn’t what you’d be looking for.
Click to expand...
Hi unfortunately she is hard of hearing too so doesn’t always hear the clicks and we’ve tried the magnifier but she can’t see enough. It would be good if it talked to her like her blood machine does but I’m not sure there is anything like that out there?
 
I don’t know if they’re still available but there used to be clip on magnifiers for syringes and pens too, I think. There were also insulin gauges that you/a helper set to the required amount.
 
I use disposable Novorapid and Lantus pens which are nice and 'clicky' this may seem a silly idea but if the twistable part of the pen is held right by the ear it perhaps it would sound louder?
 
I have to be honest, I never look at the display and just count the clicks and I suspect you may even be able to feel the clicks as well as hear them, but I don't have any ear defenders to hand to try that out. I just tried holding a piece of plastic (a plastic ball point pen works) against the injector pen and touched the other end (pen tip retracted) to the entrance to my ear and that magnified the sound of the clicks pretty well for me but my hearing is reasonably OK .... well apart from tinnitus. 🙄
 
Sorry to hear how difficult your Mum is finding things @Torim100

There appear to have been a few devices based on syringes available in the past (at least in the US)


There are a few suggestions here from IDDT, though I think these are more suitable for visual impairment, rather than blindness?
www.iddt.org

Tips For People With Visual Impairment - IDDT

Tips For People With Visual Impairment Visual difficulties can affect people with or without diabetes but the one thing that insulin-treated people have to do is be able to inject...
www.iddt.org www.iddt.org

It’s really rather surprising that more doesn’t exist in this area, given the number of people with long-term diabetes who have visual impairment. You’d have thought someone would have developed something to help (and sell!)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top