Jaclyn Pope, 39 years old, is back at school to pursue a second career in UX/UI Design at University of Toronto’s continuing education program for coding. In 2019, she was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy, Glaucoma and Cataracts.
Life before eSight
As Jaclyn tells it, before proper diagnosis, Jaclyn began to experience very itchy, tired and strained eyes. She visited a handful of eye doctors and most, if not all, came to the conclusion that her eye symptoms were the cause of exhaustion. Until her brother suggested that she reach out to his ophthalmologist and was finally diagnosed as legally blind within 2 weeks.
During the summer of 2019, she was hospitalized due to a stroke where she lost her peripheral vision and depth perception. She began experiencing what it truly felt like to be legally blind. Although this was a sudden obstacle in Jaclyn’s daily life, she never stopped moving forward. To cope, she got her guide dog Luna in March and together they would go out on constant walks at the dog park.
“I can either sit on the couch in the dark and be completely afraid or I can get up everyday and just go have some fun and see where the adventure is going to take me.”
Jaclyn Pope
Life with eSight
With eSight, it’s given her a chance to see the world all over again. She can go on adventures with her brother and fully appreciate the scenic views.
Furthermore, eSight 4 has given Jaclyn the opportunity to help the blind community as she continues to go to school for web design. She can now see the lines of code and the monitors clearly, making online schooling progress smoother.
“It’s given me the chance to see the world all over again. I didn’t realize how much I actually lost.”
Jaclyn Pope
Hear Jaclyn talk about her experiences from her first diagnosis to how eSight has helped her see the world differently again.
Jaclyn’s Future Endeavours
Now knowing what the blind community goes through every single day, Jaclyn is committed to finishing her education in web design and one day become a full-stack web developer to create applications that are accessible to all those in the blind community.
Did you enjoy reading Jaclyn’s story? Read more about Sandra-Lynn and how she competed in the Special Olympics thanks to eSight.