BRYAN WONG Class 5B2 ( 2013 )
A VISION FOR MY FUTURE
Bryan Wong is a Secondary Five student diagnosed with LHON , a condition that inhibits his vision . However , he is still an active contributor to the school and a motivated learner .
Normalcy is a mere facade for me in school . The truth is , I cannot function normally , and clear vision , to me , is a miracle I hope for everyday .
In Secondary Four , I began to feel my eyesight worsening . At first , I went for the usual test at a spectacle shop near my house . They advised me to go see a doctor as the optometrist had already given me a pair of glasses of a degree near to a thousand ; yet I still could not see the letters on the screen .
The doctor conducted a few tests and then told me that there was a “ white patch ” at the back of my eyes . I went through a series of tests : colour test , letter test , and blood test . A week later , the results revealed , to my horror , that I had Leber ’ s Hereditarily Optic Neuropathy ( LHON ). It turns out this is a disease which runs in the family . It was due to this disease that my uncle could not work for nearly two years . It affected me greatly in my studies as I could not see the whiteboard even if I was seated in the front row . Even with the help of the spectacles , it would take a while for me to read the words on the board . During my N-level examination , I had to ask the invigilator to help me read the calculator model number .
My friends helped by lending me their notes so that I could copy from them at my own pace . The font size in my phone had been set to the largest . I was given 30 minutes of extra time in my school and national examinations . I was also the only student in the class to be given an A3-sized paper for my examinations .
Thankfully , my condition does not affect me in my Co-curricular Activity , Wushu . I also choose not to let my disease affect me in Wushu . Though it is harder for me now , I am willing to endure the extra hardship for Wushu . The real pain comes when I read , as my reading speed has slowed down tremendously . However , I do not believe in using my condition as an excuse to stop all my activities .
My vision has improved slightly over time . Now , I can see the whiteboard a little better while seated at the front row using the spectacles . This year , I have to sit for my O-level examination and I will have to work even harder than the other students due to my condition , but I am willing to take this as a personal challenge to beat my condition by doing well .
Our Story : School is where We Aspire and Grow 015