| Abstract [eng] |
Loss of vision – the shocking event that overwhelms the whole life and existence of a person. Loss of vision due to illness is a time-consuming process, accompanied by severe emotional experiences and the aspiration to adapt in various ways and overcome the difficulties associated with blindness. There is a lack of research that analyses the experiences associated with the loss of vision in Lithuania, thus the aim of this research is to reveal the subjective experience of loss of vision due to illness in adulthood and the experience after losing it. The qualitative study included three men, who have lost their vision (54, 41 and 29 years), with whom a semi-structured interview on the basis of a biographic-narrative interpretive method (Wengraf, 2001) were conducted. An inductive thematic analysis method has been used to analyze the data, which has revealed seven themes, reflecting the experiences of the process of loss of vision due to illness. The results of the research revealed that the process of loss of vision before the total loss is accompanied by fluctuations in vision and attempts to stabilize them, experiences of loss and preparation for the future in the dark. After the loss of vision, people experience a transformation of worldview and attitude towards themselves, a conflict between an aspiration to be independent and an inevitable dependence on others, and for the most a stigmatizing relationship with the others. The results of the research are interpreted in the context of other authors' research, the concept of anticipatory grief and the dual-process model. This research may serve as a starting point for analyzing experiences of blindness in larger samples or to encourage similar researches in other physical disability contexts. |
