by Aaryn Landers

How are you coping with glaucoma? Share your thoughts and experiences with Aaryn and other young people by joining YUP.

1. Life is not fair.
If it was, I would not have this disease, or at least there would be a cure.

2. Take your medicine.
There is no way you will fare any better if you donīt.

3. Communicate with your doctors.
Listen to what they have to say, and by all means, donīt be afraid to say what you think, feel, or want. Treatment works much better when you and your doctors work as a team against glaucoma.

4. No one can ever relate 100% to what you are going through.
Everyoneīs story is different and we all have different experiences. Just because someone canīt completely relate doesnīt mean they canīt try.

5. Talking helps.
Whether it is writing in a journal or talking to a friend or fellow patient, talking out your fears and thoughts helps tremendously. Talking reinforces the fact that you really are not alone in this.

6. Crying only gets you wet
(taken from one of my favorite songs by New Radicals).
Crying can let out pent up emotions and frustrations, but in the end, you really do just end up wet. Iīm not saying donīt cry, Iīm just saying donīt let it be all that you do.

7. There is no one to blame or to be angry with.
Even if you have glaucoma due to genetics, it wasnīt your ancestors who `decidedī to begin the chain of glaucoma in your family. I know of no reason why I have glaucoma and so I have no one to `blame.ī Instead of spending time trying to assess blame, use that time to work on making yourself healthy.

8. It is fear, not glaucoma, that changes your life.
We take our daily medications out of fear of losing vision. No, this is not a bad thing but we mustnīt let fear take hold of our lives. Glaucoma patients should maintain a healthy level of fear of the diseaseīs effects because we have no way of predicting what its next move will be. Beyond a healthy respect for the diseaseīs power, we really do not have much else to fear.

9. I may not be able to win the war, but I can win the battles and those victories really help.
We canīt cure it but we can effectively live with it. Every time a medication works or surgery is a success, we win a tiny battle. Those battles mean so much to our emotional well-being.

10. Donīt take what you see for granted!!
We have been given the gift of maintaining our sight. Donīt take it for granted! Savor every sunset, flower, and picturesque scene you ever see!