{"id":131516,"date":"2021-10-25T10:34:35","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T08:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=131516"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:55","slug":"linda-is-probably-going-blind-despite-this-uncertainty-i-want-to-work-towards-my-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/10\/25\/linda-is-probably-going-blind-despite-this-uncertainty-i-want-to-work-towards-my-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Linda is (probably) going blind: \u2018Despite this uncertainty, I want to work towards my future\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The next time first-year student Linda Koster wakes up, she may be blind. This is a possibility she has resigned herself to, since she suffers from a retinal disease. How did she deal with the diagnosis? By taking her time, enjoying life and gradually learning to feel more optimistic about the future.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cBecause of all this, I\u2019ve basically had five gap years\u201d, says Linda, 23. By \u2018all this\u2019, the Health Sciences student is referring to the diagnosis she was given at age 17 and the period of uncertainty that followed. Linda had decided at a young age that she wanted to be a surgeon when she grew up. Once she was diagnosed with an eye disease, that was no longer an option. So she found herself wondering: what am I to do now?<\/p>\n

Night blind already<\/h2>

Linda\u2019s family were devastated when Linda received her diagnosis. \u201cIt didn\u2019t really sink in until I saw my big, tough, muscular Dad cry when he told my mother the news. Thankfully, my twin brother doesn\u2019t have the hereditary disease, but he did feel guilty about my having to go through this on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, the diagnosis caused a lot of pieces to fall into place. \u201cMy vision had always been bad at night. When I was very young, I once stood right in front of my Dad at a campsite and said, \u2018Daddy, where are you?\u2019 My parents had me examined by a lot of different doctors, but they were always told that everyone is a little night blind to some extent. Due to my tunnel vision, I\u2019ve always had to tilt my head to be able to see properly.\u201d<\/p>\n

It remains to be seen how Linda\u2019s retinitis pigmentosa, as this type of disorder is called, will progress. The disease develops differently in everyone, but in a nutshell, it means that the cells in the retina that allow you to perceive light and dark and contrast gradually break down due to inflammation. Some sufferers are able to see things with one eye, while others only see things through a very narrow tunnel. Linda\u2019s doctors expect her to go fully blind. She is already completely blind in the dark.<\/p>\n

Optimism<\/h2>

During the five \u2018gap years\u2019, much changed in Linda\u2019s life. She no longer lives in Maastricht but has moved to Gouda to be with her boyfriend Joost. She worked very hard and saved up her earnings for years so as to be able to have a good time in Australia and New Zealand. \u201cSkydiving, scuba-diving near the Grand Barrier Reef, rafting from a seven-metre waterfall, getting a traditional tattoo in New Zealand. I was able to make the very most out of that trip because I worked really hard for years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018The inflammation may progress so quickly that I may wake up blind tomorrow morning. During the first few months, I would sometimes wake up in a panic in the middle of the night and immediately switch on the light\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

The main change is that Linda is now able to face her future with some optimism. \u201cThe inflammation may progress so quickly that I may wake up blind tomorrow morning. During the first few months, I would sometimes wake up in a panic in the middle of the night and immediately switch on the light. I had to find out at once if I was still able to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

She is a member of a support group for \u2018other young girls\u2019 who have eye diseases. She also receives assistance from the institute for the blind, e.g. with regard to what kind of degree programme to pick. She would like to be a manager \u2013 say, in a hospital. Which is why she chose to do a degree in Health Sciences. \u201cDespite this uncertainty, I want to work towards my future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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