Roan's story
Following in his brother’s footsteps into the Army, Roan was devastated when sight loss derailed his career.
Still in his 20s, Roan was diagnosed with the genetic condition, retinitis pigmentosa, which causes night blindness.
He says, “I started experiencing difficulties seeing in the dark. This was when I realised that something wasn’t quite right.”
He became depressed and insular, until a trip to our centre gave him the inspiration he needed.
He says, “Meeting other veterans with the same condition who were doing more with their lives changed everything. It was a wakeup call.”
In his own words
Roan talks about the experience of losing his sight to retinitis pigmentosa.
Blind veteran Roan and his CSW
Enjoying military life
When Roan was 13, he was so determined to serve in Germany that he chose to learn German at school instead of French.
He says, “Seeing what my brother was doing in the Army gave me a real taste of military life.”
Once joined up, he was posted to Germany as expected and served as a gunner. He loved everything Army life had to offer.
He says, “It was some of the best years of my life. I was 16 or 17 and could already speak the lingo. I got involved in all the activities.”
A shattered dream
Although he excelled in daytime training, Roan struggled when out in the field at night, though he had no idea why.
He says, “My peers were as confused as I was as to why at night training I seemed to turn into a completely different person. It was frustrating.”
He received little support and found himself trying to pretend everything was fine until he could no longer do aspects of his job.
He says, “I'd find excuses for why I wasn’t doing as well as I should have been because I didn't understand what was going on.”
"There were difficulties as the military didn't understand what I had. They thought that maybe there was something I wasn't quite doing right."
Sitting in darkness
With no chance of promotion, Roan eventually left. His diagnosis came by chance during a visit to the doctor for a migraine.
He says, “I was scared. There were certainly periods where I became very insular. I'd be quite happy to stay in my flat in the dark.”
Initially reluctant to reach out for support, eventually he agreed to come along to meet other blind veterans.
He says, “That’s when everything changed. Suddenly I could see who I really was and what I could do.”
Living an active life
Since then, Roan’s made the most of our training and rehabilitation, especially in IT and digital technology. He also loves to stay fit and active through gruelling challenge events.
He says, “I started doing sports activities with the charity and still love all kinds of challenges, particularly cycling.”
He says that this, and all the support we’ve given him, has completely changed the way he feels about himself.
He says, “I'm a lot more confident now. I know what I want and I go for it. Blind Veterans UK has changed my entire life.”
"Where I am now - socially, mentally, even professionally speaking - I'm in a much better position today than I could have even dreamed of back then."
Will you help support veterans like Roan?
Read more
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Ken's story
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Jules' story
Army veteran Jules struggled with depression when he lost his sight. Now, he's one of our most dedicated volunteers.
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