Blind man shows the reality of what people with different eye conditions can actually see

A man who is blind in one eye has shown how there are a range of ways different eye conditions can affect people's sight.

In a TikTok video, Mike Mulligan (@blindonthemove) an orientation and mobility skills instructor is able to show viewers through putting various glasses over the camera that demonstrate the blind people do not all have the same experience.

“A big misconception about blindness is that everyone who is blind sees pitch black,” Mulligan said.

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“But, in reality, it ends up being more like these examples."

The first pair glasses he showed were for glaucoma - a common eye condition "where the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain, becomes damaged," according to the NHS.

Glaucoma can affect peripheral vision (among other areas) which the glasses showed, as the clear image was in the centre.

Next was the cataracts glasses which showed blurred vision.

Cataracts is when the lens, a small transparent disc inside your eye, develops cloudy patches and is common in older adults.

After this, macular degeneration was depicted with the glasses which affects middle part of vision with dark circles in the centre.

Then a pair glasses simulated CMV retinitis that results in the field on vision being obstructed with "floaters"

And finally, there were glasses showing diabetic retinopathy which dark floating spots.

While these glasses give people an idea of what it is like to live with these eye conditions, Mulligan noted that everyone's experience will be different.

"Blindness is a spectrum and not all or nothing! Only a small percentage of people who are blind see nothing at all…many still have some remaining vision…and everyone's experience is unique and varies greatly," he said.

Since posting the helpful video, Mulligan's video has received nearly 10m views, 1.3m likes and thousands of comments from people who appreciated learning this information.

One person said: "Every day I'm grateful for my eyesight."

"This video is really eye opening. (Sorry had to, legit really good info!)" another person said.

Someone else: "I’ve always thought they see pitch black, very informative, thanks."

"Oh wow my dad just had surgery for his cataracts... I didn't realize how it affected his vision," a fourth person commented.

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