Illustrated below are a series of 4 pairs of glasses, each pair has been moderately sanded as a mean to prime prior to painting, then painted over with the relevant shade to imitate the nature of a particular eye ailment. Each eye ailment is written down below along with a gallery of images depicting the glasses and the reference images taken from the Braille Institutes Vision Simulator app. I have included the meaning of each ailments as an additional display of information.
I hope by creating a series of simulation glasses my audience will wear the lenses and experience what it is to look at my work and experience the exhibition with an impaired perspective. Though only a small scale, I hope by instilling a simulated lens, a sighted audience may empathise and understand the visually impaired more.
Retinal Detachment Simulation Glasses -
Mediums used: Sanding block, watered down black and white acrylic and gloss varnish
Retinal detachment is a serious eye condition in which your retina -- a layer of tissue at the back of your eye that processes light -- pulls away from the tissue around it. A detached retina results in clouded vision flecked with black floaters/"curtain" vision
Macular Degeneration Simulation Glasses -
Mediums used: Sanding block, black acrylic and gloss varnish
Age-related macular degeneration is an eye disease that may worsen over time. It’s the leading cause of severe, permanent vision loss in people over age 60. The small central portion of your retina, called the macula, wears down.
Wet vs. Dry Macular Degeneration
Wet: Blood vessels grow from underneath your macula. These blood vessels leak blood and fluid into your retina. The vision is then distorted causing straight lines to appear wavy. There can be a development of blind spots and loss of central vision. These blood vessels and their bleeding eventually form a scar, leading to permanent loss of central vision.
Dry: People with this may have yellow deposits, called drusen, in their macula. A few small drusen may not cause changes in your vision. But as they get bigger and more numerous, they might dim or distort your vision, especially when causing strain. As the condition gets worse, the light-sensitive cells in your macula get thinner and eventually die. In the atrophic form, you may have blind spots in the center of your vision. As that gets worse, you might lose central vision.
Chronic Open Angle Glaucoma Simulation Glasses -
Mediums used: Sanding block, watered down white acrylic and gloss varnish
Chronic open-angle glaucoma is a painless condition which causes damage to the optic nerve at the back of your eye and can affect your vision. The person affected is not aware they have it, it is detected by an optician and is usually caused due to an increase of pressure within your eye. In regards to visuals, anywhere that isn't the centre of your eye will be blurred as the images below show.
Retinitis Pigmentosa Simulation Glasses -
Mediums used: Sanding block, watered down white acrylic and gloss varnish
Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic disorder of the eyes that causes loss of vision. Symptoms include trouble seeing at night/ in dark spaces and decreased peripheral vision. As peripheral vision worsens, people may experience "tunnel vision". The visual clouded over and may worsen as time goes on, though it is uncommon to go "black out" blind from RP.
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