Listen to Samantha Tell Her Eyece Breaker Story

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Hi, I'm Samantha.

53 - Retinitis Pigmentosa - Florida

Eyece Breaker Spotlight - July 2026

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Samantha's Eyece Breaker Story:

"This happened after a show at the Hard Rock Casino in Miami. A group of us were there, and at some point someone said "let's take a photo" and pointed us toward this ledge to sit on. It was a good spot because there was a waterfall behind us (should have been my first clue). Everyone hopped up and sat down. Looked like a perfectly normal ledge to me — solid, respectable, the kind of place you'd sit for a group photo at a venue. In hindsight I did think for a second that it was odd to just have this really big black marble space with no decorations on it. I got comfortable, and then — because apparently I wanted to be extra comfortable — I scooted back a little further. And landed in the fountain. A full, functioning, very wet, very public fountain. Here's the thing: everyone else had been perched right on the very edge the entire time, because they could see it was a retaining wall of a fountain. I could not. So while they were delicately balancing on six inches of stone, I was treating it like a park bench. I am fully on video, soaking wet, yelling "OH MY GOSH, NO ONE TOLD ME IT WAS A FOUNTAIN!" — like I had been wronged, which, emotionally, I felt I had been. Meanwhile everyone is losing it laughing. You can see me inching backwards to see what had happened because I still couldn't wrap my head around how I was sitting in a pool of water. This was before my diagnosis, and at the time I just chalked it up to being clumsy or not paying attention — again. Looking back now, it's one of those moments that makes complete sense. I genuinely could not see what was right in front of me. Literally a pool of water. With my peripheral vision loss I see things in a tunnel, not the full picture of what is happening, and when it's dark my central vision is affected too. Even the long wet ride home I kept noodling on how that could have happened but now after my diagnosis it's another aha moment to add to the list. It's one of my favorite stories to tell, because it's so undeniably ridiculous, and because it's a perfect example of something I've learned to embrace: there were signs all along, I just couldn't see them. Pun very much intended."

Beyond the Story:

What's an activity or hobby that you refuse to give up doing, despite the changes to or loss of your vision?

" I will play tennis it until my body physically won't let me anymore, vision loss or not. It's not just a sport to me, it's identity and passion. I'm adapting how I play, starting to look into BLV (blind and low vision) tennis, because vision loss has taken things from me, but it is not taking this until the very last minute."

What’s something that living with vision loss has taught you about yourself?

" It's taught me that I'm far more resilient and adaptable than I ever gave myself credit for — I figure things out, even when I don't know how at first. It's also taught me to find humor in moments that could otherwise feel hard, like literally falling into a fountain, because laughing at myself has become one of my favorite coping skills."

What’s a moment, related to your vision, that still makes you laugh?

" How jumpy I am. My husband used to tease me about it — like, "you knew I was coming, why did you scream?" — and I genuinely didn't understand why I was so startled by people walking into a room or coming around a corner. Now that I know I don't have peripheral vision, it makes complete sense: people weren't sneaking up on me, they were literally appearing out of nowhere as far as I could see."

When speaking about your vision, what’s something people are usually surprised to learn about your day-to-day life?

" How many accommodations I make for myself every single day, often without even realizing I'm doing it. Things like where I position myself in a room, how I approach stairs or doorways, the way I track conversations when I can't fully see who's talking — it's constant, automatic, and invisible to everyone else, including me half the time."

What’s one misconception about your vision that you wish people knew and/or would let go of?

" Most people think blindness is all or nothing, when in reality most blind and low vision people have some degree of vision. And just because I can do one thing easily doesn't mean another, seemingly simpler thing isn't actually really difficult for me — vision loss doesn't work in straight lines like that."

With your diagnosis in mind, what’s one “rare perspective” you’ve gained?

" Knowing my vision will continue to change has given me a kind of appreciation most people don't get until much later in life, if ever. I notice things — really notice them. The orchids in my garden, my kids' faces, being able to see the ball when I play tennis. I'm not waiting to appreciate it later. I'm holding onto it now, for as long as I can."

A Little More From Samantha:

" My brother shares my diagnosis, so I've got a built-in blind buddy for life — fortunate and unfortunate in equal measure, but mostly I'm grateful for it. I also have incredibly supportive friends and family who always have my back and genuinely want to look out for me. That's honestly the heart of it for me — this diagnosis is confusing, and blindness in general is so often misunderstood. People don't always understand how I can see one thing clearly and completely miss another. People don't always know when to step in and help or when to hang back, and honestly, sometimes I don't either. We're all just figuring it out together. So I'm going to keep advocating, keep explaining, and keep the conversation going, because the more we talk about it, the less confusing it gets for everyone, and the more people we can help."

June 2026

Anthony

“I reached for a free Costco meatball…I’m not about to disrespect a free meatball...Then accidentally knocked over the backup supply. My Guide Dog thought it was the greatest day in Costco history.”

SEE ANTHONY'S STORY

May 2026

Randall

“I was dressed for the camera and proceeded with my speech. It was 7 minutes long. I said thank you and waited for a response… only silence. Then I realized I wasn’t even in the meeting.”

SEE RANDALL'S STORY

April 2026

Jen

“I was cooking with a house full of kids and looking for the butter. They told me to put my hand down directly in front of me…now each time something is directly in front of me, someone yells ‘BUTTER!’”

SEE JEN'S STORY

MARCH 2026

STEPHANIE

"I was in a shop with my daughter when I grabbed what felt like an amazing purse. She urgently whispred to STOP...Turns out, it was attached to another customer! We laughed so hard."

SEE STEPHANIE'S STORY