Helpful Things I’ve Learned for Dealing with Vision Loss

Reducing Spilling Things

January 30, 2024 / Edward Cohen

This post deals with the common, but troublesome act of spilling something, usually a liquid. It can happen when transferring, carrying or reaching for an item.

When it happens at home, at a minimum it is a nuisance and cleaning it up can be frustrating and a waste of time. But depending on what you spilled, it can be costly or even dangerous. Whether it happens when you’re alone or with others, it can be embarrassing and a blow to your self-confidence.

The reasons for spilling and dropping things share some common causes with other fumble finger situations. So you may want to take a look at what I wrote about reducing dropping things.

The tips below were either passed on to me or learned over 30 years the hard way. Not all may apply to you. Yet, something here may be of help to you or someone you know.

Avoid distractions and focus for the moment on the task. This is the #1 step you can take.
Pour over the sink or solid counter where, if it happens, clean-up won’t be a problem.
If it might help, pour where the light is better or improve the lighting in some way.
To avoid overfilling, if you have enough sight, pour into something that has a color that contrasts with the liquid you are pouring.
Another way to avoid over filling is by draping a finger over the lip or buying an audible liquid level indicator. They are found on the internet or in stores catering to those with various disabilities. If it is hard to feel the rising liquid when it is at room temperature, chill or heat it if possible.
When carrying a liquid-filled item, here are a few ways to lessen the chance of spilling or making a mess:
1. place it in or on a larger bowl or plate. A small spill could be caught in them.
2. try to keep it level. A trick is to hold it with both hands with your elbows pressed against your side. Yes, you might look like your praying, but there’re worse things to look like you’re doing.
It is easy to knock over something when reaching for it. When your hands are on the move, keep them low and move slow.
Here’s a trick to more easily find your glass or cup when seated at a table. While holding the item, press the edge of your elbow against the edge of the table. Slowly lower your hand to set it down. To find it, repeat the motion. Your hand should land on what you set down.
Contrast can be your friend when it comes to spotting items. Use a placemat with a color that contrasts to the plates, bowls and cups you use.

Let me know about any techniques that work for you and I’ll share them as well.

Edward Cohen is a low-vision senior living in southeast Minnesota. He is also the founder and owner of EZ2See® Products LLC. He designs and manufactures helpful organizing products for daily living, including large-print, weekly /calendars

Let me know about any techniques that work for you and I’ll share them as well.

Reducing Dropping Things

January 28, 2024 / Edward Cohen

This post deals with the common, but troublesome act of dropping things.

For all kinds of reasons, it is just plain annoying when you drop something. The task you were performing now is on hold while you waste time finding the dropped item. Spotting it on the floor can be a challenge, and getting down and back up might be difficult.

Below I share reasons why I think we drop things along with tricks and techniques to do so less often. Lastly, I offer some painfully obvious ways to find what you dropped if, despite your best efforts, you now must do some floor searching. Reducing the number of times you have to do it is a plus. But if you’re dropping things because you’re physically unsteady or for similar reasons, please seek medical advice.

The first reason why I think we drop things is mental. By that I’m not saying you are crazy. Who am I to say? What I am saying is that at the moment the item left your hands, you might have been moving quickly and not sufficiently focused on what you were doing. I don’t have any great ideas for getting you to pause and focus on what you are doing at a given moment; other than to ask you to say to yourself, “Hey, stop and focus on what I’m doing at this moment!”

Once you know you must pause and tell yourself to pay attention to what you are about to do, you’ve won half the battle. All that is left is to do what you already do, but more focused and maybe a bit slower.

The second category for why I think we might drop things is how we are holding or manipulating the object. Your nemesis is Gravity. Given the slightest chance, Gravity will happily grab and pull anything in your hands down. Think of it as a game and you don’t want Gravity to win. Here is my main strategy to prevent Gravity from laughing at me, after it won and I am crawling around on the floor. As you’re handling something, keep the item touching or as close as possible to some sort of horizontal surface you can comfortably reach. Gravity loves having a straight shot to the floor. If you’re working over a sink, be sure nothing can go down the drain.

Now here are some tricks and techniques to further foil Gravity.

Often it is the cap that falls when twisting it on or off a tube, jar or bottle. Instead of holding the item and twisting the cap, try doing it the other way around; hold the cap and twist the item.
Holding it by hand is not your only option when carrying something. If it has a ring like a key chain, or a loop like an umbrella, hook the appropriate body part through it.
When you use both hands while carrying something, it is far less likely to be dropped. If you can press your elbows against your side, you’ll have an extra secure grip.
If you have a pocket and it will fit, drop it in. Just remember that it is there before it goes into the washer.
And last but not least, keep in mind that teeth can be a great gripper for anything small and lightweight.

Ok, let’s just say Gravity happened to win this time and it landed on the floor, but luckily didn’t break; now what?

Assuming you need it right now and can’t wait to find it later, here’s an obvious, first method to try. If you think you heard where it landed, try lightly pressing your toes around that spot. Note – not recommended if you are wearing hiking boots. If your foot tells your brain you found it, great. Carefully lower yourself and pick it up. Avoid bending over at the waist to prevent an accidental face smacking incident.

If the item wasn’t found, expand your search by laying a bright flashlight on the floor and sweep it around; it might light up the item. Or lay something long like a white cane or a yard stick and slowly do the same slow sweep. Speaking of sweeping, a broom might be your last solo solution.

Let me know about any techniques that work for you and I’ll share them as well.

Consistency is Your Friend

November 22, 2019 / Edward Cohen

As I’ve said in past Blog Posts, recognizing and then phasing out long-held habits that no longer help you anymore and forming and practicing new helpful ones that do, can reduce stress and make your life a little easier.

Many of my other Blog Posts deal with how to reduce losing things and then finding things. The tips below are along the same lines, but a bit different.

I avoid randomly setting down my wallet, keys and cane on returning home which used to lead to panic when I needed them when it was time to head out. This no longer happens because I now have a small box by the door. I no longer have to look for them.

Here’s what I do to more easily locate the glass, cup or bottle from which I’m drinking. Assuming I’m standing or sitting at a table or counter and have it in my hand, I press my elbow against the table’s edge with the item held upright. Keeping my elbow touching, I lower the item to the table. To locate it, I contact the same spot with my elbow and lower my hand. Bingo, there it is. This technique works for all sorts of similar purposes.

During a meal, do you misplace the piece of silverware you’re using; or worse yet, bump it and send it flying? Get into the habit of consistently setting it on the far side of the bowl or plate with the handle pointing away from you.

Overall, if you’re lucky enough to have any control over where things end up in your kitchen or elsewhere, the following might help:

Use the sides of cabinets the home for frequently used items.
If salt and pepper shakers are in identical containers without obvious tactile markings, decide which goes on the right or left. Make up your own rule; here’s mine. I don’t favor pepper, so the container on the right is salt. Get it, salt is right and pepper is wrong, I mean left.

Bottom line, I agree with the old saying, “A place for everything and everything in its place.”

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Saving Face: Spatial Awareness Suggestions

January 25, 2018 / Edward Cohen

By saving face I don’t mean avoiding embarrassment, but it could mean that too. I’m really talking about actually avoiding running your head or face into things while moving about your place. Why in the world would this happen?

If you are someone who moves with ramrod straight posture, you can skip this blog post. For the rest of us whose posture tends to assume a slight bow, read on.

Moving in this way puts your head slightly forward of your torso. In this position, with good eyesight in dark spaces, it’s potentially more likely for your head or face to contact the corners of walls or partially open doors.

To reduce injury, consider these ideas.

Try to always keep doors fully open or fully closed. Close cabinet doors before walking away.
Little lights can be helpful. Put nightlights in selected outlets to offer some “navigation” aids.
Create your own “early warning system.” This means that your hands will contact the object before the rest of you. Use this defensive move when you aren’t positive of the situation, when going around corners or passing through doorways. Here’s how I do it.
1. With your thumb pointing up, pivot one arm up so your hand is about centered on your body at a comfortable height. Keep your fingers slightly curved towards you and won’t get jammed if they contact an object before the rest of you does.
2. For extra protection, position both hands in front of you and lightly press your fingers together or rest one against the other’s palm or forearm. Whatever seems comfortable to you, just be sure those fingers are several inches in front of any part of your face that you have become fond of.

But accidents can happen even when you’re standing still. When you bend over, you can run your face into something below and in front of you. The goal is to always remember to check before bending over. Some things to remember to do before bending down:

Sweep your foot or hand in front of you to see if something is there,
Bend over slowly rather than immediately reaching for a dropped object,
Take a step backwards before bending over, or
If you can, lower yourself instead of bending at the waist.

Changing lifelong habits takes awhile. The key is to begin to transition to habits that help you. Let me know if you found something here helpful.

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Edward Cohen is the creator of the EZ2See® weekly planner/calendar.

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Finding Stuff, Part 2: Knowing Your Clothes

January 18, 2018 / Edward Cohen

Finding stuff and then knowing what it is

Here are some tips to consider when poor eyesight impacts identifying your clothing items. What ever you do, it has to work for you. Too many rules and it might not work over the long term. You know yourself. Find the right balance of simplicity and complexity that will help you.

The fewer variety of colors, patterns and styles you have, the less confusing it will be.
I love safety pins. I use them to keep pairs of socks together before tossing them in the hamper.
By putting the pin at the top, heel or tow of the sock pair, it tells me the sock colors or material.
Do you have a pullover top that you have trouble identifying the front from the back? Put a safety pin inside the rear collar.

Make your Closet a Helpful System

Organize related items by hanging them on the left or right side. If there are other natural dividers on the closet rod, use them.
Use different types of hangers for similar things.
Point the open end of the hanger hook facing towards or away for similar items.
Hang tops and bottoms that go together on the same hanger.
Let which side the buttons on a button up top face mean something.

If you swap out seasonal Items, maintain any order you’ve created by storing similar items together.

As I’ve said before, there are professionals trained in methods that will make your life easier. Track down where you can find them. Your state will have a program for either seniors or the blind. Start by reaching out to them.

Lastly, if you have systems that work for you, please share them with me.

Edward Cohen is the legally-blind creater of the EZ2See® weekly planner/calendar.

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Finding stuff, Part 1: In the Kitchen

January 11, 2018 / Edward Cohen

Finding stuff and then knowing what it is

If your eyesight no longer gives you the information you need about the world around you, it’s time to pay more attention to other senses. The sense of touch is the sense most used by low-vision and blind people to learn about the world around them. Below are things that I’ve come up with that work for me. Please share some that work for you. You may need sighted assistance to set up some of these.

I’ve divided these tips into two parts. This one focuses on dining issues and finding and identifying things in the kitchen. The next one deals with clothing issues.

Making eating a bit easier

Yes, you can touch your food to help get it onto a fork, but probably not when dining with strangers.
If you have some sight, consider selecting a plate or bowl with a color that contrasts with the contents to makes food easier to spot.
Some meals are easier eaten in a bowl instead of on a plate. This might help when dining out.

What’s in this container?

Rubber bands are my friend. Here are a few ways I use them.

There are several similar salad dressing bottles in the fridge door, but my Italian dressing is the only one adorned with a rubber band.
We store many dry items in identical glass jars. The one with my corn chips have a rubber band around the cap. My cracker jar has a rubber band around the bottle cap.
Olives always go into the same glass jar on which I’ve put a tactile bump on the cap.
Consider learning the braille alphabet. Then you can use adhesive labels with a word or letter.

Where is that button?

Our microwave and other appliances have a flat screen display, useless for the blind and low-vision.

I put a tactile bump on the microwave 30 second and off button and I’m good to go. These tactile bumps are small adhesive-backed raised dots. An example you are familiar with is the one your cabinet doors close against, to protect the wood. Find them online or at a hardware, big box or dollar store.

There are so many handy tips and devices to make kitchen tasks easier. Consider finding and working with a trained rehabilitation teacher. They can be very helpful.

My next post deals with identifying and managing clothing.

Edward Cohen is the creator of the EZ2See® weekly planner/calendar.

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Now where did I put that? Breaking unconscious habits

January 4, 2018 / Edward Cohen

In my last Blog Post, I said I would begin to discuss those unconscious habits that may no longer serve you and what to do about them. This post discusses the all too common situation of briefly setting down an item and then not being able to quickly find it.

Before I start, let’s agree that it will help if you assign a place for an item and then always put it back there. This is, of course, much easier to do if small children aren’t around.

The key to breaking habits is to pause at the critical moment to consider your options and only then continue. At first you won’t regularly pause. But keep trying, eventually you will.

Here are some options to consider when you pause:

Option 1: Get a grip

Consider not setting the item down at all. Obvious, right? If you don’t set it down, you won’t be looking for it all over. Evaluate what you’re holding. For example if it is something small and light like a bread bag twisty, you might grasp it lightly between your teeth. You’re unlikely to misplace it there.

Option 2: Got pockets?

If clenching it in your teeth isn’t appropriate, what about putting it in your pocket, assuming you have one? Of course, you’ll have to remember you put it there. Think of the old joke of the person looking for their glasses only to find them resting on their forehead.

Option 3: Corner the problem

Consider that a 3 foot by 5 foot table has over two thousand square inches. Plus, if the table has stuff on it or your vision is poor, finding what you set down can be even harder.

Now consider that most tables or counter tops likely have no more than four corners. If you get in the habit of setting things down on corner, you’ll only need to look in one or two places which could greatly reduce your frustration finding things.

Even kitchen counters may have inside or outside corners. If not, consider the corners of those fixed objects that sit on the counter top.

My next post will deal with reducing and dealing with dropping things.

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Sharing Tips I’ve Learned

December 27, 2017 / Edward Cohen

Occasionally I’m invited to share lessons I’ve learned as I deal with vision loss and show some of the devices I find helpful. At more than one, I’m encouraged to put this information on to the internet. So here goes.

The first thing you need to know is that every state has a program specifically devoted to assisting people of all ages who are dealing with vision loss and blindness. They are a tremendous resource, so seek out your state’s program. Look for State Services for the Blind or something like it. They have professionals who can come out to you and they may also be able to provide useful training, products and/or devices at no charge.

Over my 60+ years, I slowly at first and later more rapidly, lost eyesight. In a way, I’m lucky. I’ve had the time to learn a lot of coping skills. I’m convinced that a big part of dealing with vision loss is mental. By mental, I mean the many unconscious habits we have. Perhaps these actions were positive and helpful in the past. But it’s likely that some of them are not anymore. Some may now even be harmful or dangerous.

Your challenge is to recognize those habits that are no longer helpful. Let’s call them, “Habits to Stop” or H2S. One clue that you’ve found an H2S is when you find yourself frustrated over something you just did such as walking in, setting your keys down and later can’t find them. When you notice an H2S, you might even want to stop and say out loud, “Oh, an H2S”. Finding and replacing it is the solution and your mission.

Once you’ve spotted an H2S, you’re on the path to success. The next step is to find a replacement habit. Lastly repeat it until it becomes subconscious and automatic.

In my next several blog posts, I will get very specific on the helpful habits I’m using. I hope you’ll let me know if you find any of them helpful. Perhaps you’ll share some of your own.

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With Spring Comes Yardwork

December 13, 2017 / Edward Cohen

I don’t know about you, but when working in the yard I often can’t find the rake or other long-handled tool I had just set down. This happens even when I consciously place it where I think I’ll find it. It occurred to me that, just as a lack of contrast makes it hard to find things inside, that may be part of what is happening here.

The wooden or metal handles blend in with the ground and trees. They stand out better when laid on the sidewalk or driveway, but that isn’t the best idea. When inside, I set things down in certain places and that really helps to find them. But I’ve yet to develop such helpful habits when setting things down outside. Of course, outside is much bigger than inside. Maybe drag out an old garbage can to serve as the tool holder?

So, now I’m thinking of how I can add some contrast to the tool. White tape or white paint on the handle is one idea. If I find something that works well, I’ll share it. If you have already found a solution, would you share it with me? I’ll pass on what comes in.

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