Blind Say They Lose Eyesight, but Gain Vision

May 23, 2006 — -- Blindness may mean an end to normal eyesight, but those who lose the ability to see are able to adapt in remarkable ways.

Shelly Linsky said that she could still apply her makeup years after losing her sight.

"I don't know. I just do it," she said. "I'll get to work, and I'll say to somebody, 'Is my makeup all right?' I mean, I know my clothes are OK because I can identify all my clothes [with] this little gadget. … And it says, 'That's blue.' 'Black.' 'Very dark brown.'"

There are some things that the blind cannot replace or compensate for, such as the memory of their loved one's faces.

"I always tell my wife that she's still 26 as far as I'm concerned," said John Kolnsberg who was blinded by a random gunshot to the face. "She likes hearing that. And I try and imagine that everybody's good looking."

Blindness may seem a rare and distant condition, but someone goes blind or suffers vision loss worldwide every five seconds. According to Lighthouse International, which helps people of all ages overcome the challenges of vision loss, 16 million people in the United States have low vision and that number is expected to double by 2020.

To understand the challenges the visually impaired faced every day, "Good Morning America" anchor Diane Sawyer wore glasses that simulated blindness.

Daniel Murphy is only 27 and still has his entire life ahead of him. His vision is very poor, and he fears that if he loses it entirely, he will never be able to see the family he hopes to someday have.

"That's the thing that's killing me the most if I do lose my vision. I mean I do want to get married, and I do want to have a family," he told Sawyer. "That thing's going to hurt the most. And it's killing me right now."

Kolnsberg understands what Murphy means because he has lived it. He has never seen his 9-year-old daughter.

"It hurts at times, but then other times I come home, and she comes running up and says, 'Daddy,' and jumps in my arms, you know," he said. "I can see her just fine then, you know."

Murphy misses watching sports, especially baseball. In a poem, he describes the way he still sees his loved ones.

"Pictures of you will be imprinted and cherished/ In my mind and in my heart/ That I will never let fade away into my darkness," he wrote.

Today, Murphy said, he can distinguish people by their shape or the color of their hair.

"And then I'll go and try to remember that," he said. "I do remember faces. My sister, my father, my mother, co-workers and friends. It does pop up. And I'm going to try and keep them stored away in memory."