Teenager Woke Up Blind Just Weeks After Meeting Her New Boyfriend

Kitty Hinde, 19, woke up blind just weeks after meeting her new boyfriend Sam, 22. Kitty, who has been visually impaired for most of her life due to glaucoma, said the experience brought them “a lot closer” together.

She said: “I never thought I would fall in love blind. I met my boyfriend at the same time I was losing my sight. I was blind within weeks of meeting him. We been kind of thrown into this situation together. Some of them the times I woke up blind for the first time I was with him.

Kitty, from Manchester, was diagnosed with glaucoma following a routine eye exam and underwent various treatments, including a cornea transplant, to preserve her sight. She explained: “I had eye drops, immunosuppressants. I had drainage tubes in my eyes to lower the pressure.”

When she entered secondary school, her eyesight deteriorated further. She confessed: “All my life I have been preparing to go blind. »

At the age of 14, she underwent a right eye transplant where her damaged cornea was replaced with healthy tissue from a donor. Kitty said: “The transplant was intended to give me back more of my vision. It worked for two years before my body rejected it. »

In the spring of last year, Kitty began experiencing days where she woke up unable to see. She explained: “I woke up after sleeping a lot for quite a long time and I couldn't see.

“I woke up after sleeping less and I could see. It started happening once a month, then once a week and now it's every day. As soon as I thought I was going to accept to lose my sight, I had a day when I could see.”

Kitty met Sam, a sound engineer, at a nightclub in May 2023. When he discovered her deteriorating eyesight, he immediately gave her support. Kitty shared: “It brought us closer.”

Adjusting to blindness has been a struggle for Kitty, but she is beginning to accept her new reality. She said: “I'm going to look at Sam – I just want to see his eyes. Until I went blind I didn't realize how important vision was.

“Not being able to see Sam is one of the worst things about being blind. I would give anything to see him. I'm grateful I got to see him.”

Kitty, who loved reading and watching television, now relies on Sam to read and describe shows to her on audio. She said: “We watched 'How I Met Your Mother' with Sam describing everything. A 20 minute episode takes hours.”

Doctors are investigating ways to restore Kitty's vision, such as a double eye transplant, but they are unsure if it will be successful. Kitty reflected: “Becoming blind was an identity crisis. It's learning to love your life again.”