Imagine if, as a teenager, you were told that you would lose your vision over the course of a few decades. How would you approach your life, your world, and the people in it? Joining us to discuss these questions is writer Andrew Leland. Andrew has retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that affects the retina's ability to respond to light, leading to progressive irreversible vision loss. Andrew's works have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, and elsewhere, and he is the author of a 2023 memoir titled The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight. Over the course of our conversation, we explore the culture and language of blindness, what it's like to grieve the gradual loss of sight, how visual impairment changes the appreciation of beauty, how blind individuals can harness the full richness of the human senses, and more. Ultimately, Andrew's deeply personal stories and sharp insights remind us to see the dignity in those living with disabilities, both visible and invisible.

In this episode, we discuss:

2:16 - Andrew’s journey with vision loss starting from his teenage years

6:58 - The isolation of having a condition that most around you cannot experience or fully understand

11:56 - How blindness exists on a spectrum and in many varieties13:23 - The milestones of gradual blindness that Andrew encountered over the course of his life

16:49 - Andrew’s advice for how be tactful when interacting people with disabilities such as blindness

25:48 - Andrew’s reflections on the internal psychology of ableism

28:12 - How blindness has altered Andrew’s personal relationships

30:16 - How Andrew’s experiences as a sighted individual affects his current perceptions with low vision

32:57 - How Andrew’s loss of vision has shaped his relationship with his other senses and how visual impairment affects the appreciation of beauty

44:19 - Andrew’s advice to clinicians on how to best meet patients where they are with their disabilities

Learn more about Andrew and his work at https://www.andrewleland.org/.

Andrew is the author of the memoir The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight (2023).

In this episode, we discussed John Hull’s book Touching the Rock: An Experience of Blindness.

You can follow Andrew on Twitter/X @Quailty.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to info@thedoctorsart.com.

There and Back Again

Radiolab

What's With This Stork?

The AI-powered Podcast Player