[Nfb-science] Introduction

[John D. Trawick]

Hi,
Hope that this isn't too long of an intro. I am not blind but have dry macular degeneration. Though diagnosed 'officially' only a couple years ago I can trace my first symptoms back about 20 years when I was in my mid 30s--back then I realized that I couldn't see chemiluminescence on Western blots that the lab tech I worked with could see clearly (this is a dim, green glow that we used to expose to Xray film before digital imagers). Today, I have a central blind spot in my formerly dominant right eye and that eye's visual acuity is 20/70 to 20/100 with correction. That little blind spot has an large effect in impairing function--reading with my right eye is out unless I use a 3x magnifier. My left eye is correctable to 20/20 but I can tell that contrast and fine detail have some problems and dark adaptation is slowly getting worse. All this really isn't so bad; I am supplementing my bifocals with a hand held magnifier that makes most reading easier and fine print possible to read.
The reason why I am joining this group is that I am a professional scientist with lab and bioinformatics experience. While I am sure that various adaptations will keep me functioning for the foreseeable future I want to be prepared because this is a progressive condition. Also, I would like to learn more about others coping with visual impairments and science including issues such as remaining gainfully employed...
Are there folks here with similar experiences?
John