Losing Sight, Finding Hope: Living with Macular Degeneration
The new documentary, Losing Sight, Finding Hope: Living with Macular Degeneration, from The American Macular Degeneration Foundation, and created by filmmaker Nick Czerula, premieres on YouTube on:
Monday, March 20, 2023 at 8PM EST
View the teaser below:
How to Watch
The full documentary, Losing Sight, Finding Hope: Living with Macular Degeneration, can be watched in the viewer below, or on YouTube at https://youtu.be/XSApwfhJJPg, during the premiere on March 20th, at 8PM EST. (The viewer below will not play UNTIL that date and time.)
Can’t Make the Premiere?
Don’t worry! AFTER the premiere, the film will be available to watch anytime at the same link, or in the viewer below.
What to Know About YouTube Premiere Viewing
YouTube offers a “premiere” feature that allows us to release a video on a particular date and time, and for viewers from across the country to watch the premiere at the same time.
In terms of actual viewing, it’s not much different from watching any other video on YouTube, but there are a few things to know.
The film will auto-play on YouTube at the set time and date (March 20, 8PM EST) – as long as you’re on the premiere page at https://youtu.be/XSApwfhJJPg, the video will automatically start playing at 8PM EST on March 20th.
There will be a one-minute countdown – YouTube automatically inserts a countdown that will start at 8PM and run for one-minute. This gives you a moment to settle in for viewing. This is not part of the film, just a YouTube feature that only happens during the premiere viewing.
You can pause, and even rewind, but not fast-forward – During the premiere viewing time, you can pause or rewind if you missed something, but you will not be able to fast-forward past the point of play that is current. For example, if the film has been running for 20 minutes, and you want to go back to the 15 minute mark, you can do that, but you wouldn’t be able to fast-forward past the 20-minute mark. Keep in mind that if you DO pause or rewind, you will be out-of-sync with other viewers. This only really matters if you are participating in the optional chat (more below on the chat feature).
Once the premiere ends the video is available to view anytime at the same link – Once the film has played in full, the premiere is “over” and the video will behave like any other YouTube video from then on. You will be able to watch it anytime you like, even if you didn’t view during the premiere.
You have the option to chat with us and other viewers during the premiere.
If you watch during the premiere time on YouTube, there will be a chat box available to the right of the viewer window where you can chat with other viewers, and some special guests from AMDF and the film. THIS IS OPTIONAL. Keep in mind, if we have a lot of viewers, the chat can get very crowded and fast-moving, and the chat font size is small (a YouTube feature we can’t customize).
If you DO want to participate in the chat, you will need to be logged into YouTube. If you have a gmail account, you can log in with that. Otherwise, you may need to create a new account.
The chat is only available just before and then during the premiere film viewing time. Once the film ends, the chat is automatically ended by YouTube.
The good news is that there are other options to leave comments or ask questions if you can’t make the premiere, don’t have a Gmail or YouTube account, or would rather focus on the film while it’s playing and comment after. You can:
- Leave a comment here on this blog post. Just scroll to the end and leave your comment.
- Leave a comment on YouTube below the viewer window. You’ll need to be logged into YouTube to leave a comment there. If you have a gmail address, you can use that to log in. Otherwise, you may need to create a new account.
- Write to us via our contact form.
About the Film
This powerful, 48-minute documentary features people living with vision loss from macular degeneration, and special expert guests.
From macular degeneration diagnosis, to losing sight, to new ways of living and hope for the future – five patients share their stories, their vulnerabilities, and the wisdom they’ve gained through their personal journeys living with vision loss from macular degeneration.
Expert guests shed light on what we know about macular degeneration, and provide hope for what’s available to patients now, as well as what’s coming in the future.
Presented by The American Macular Degeneration Foundation
Created by filmmaker Nick Czerula, https://czvideoproduction.com/
Featured in the film:
Elizabeth Baker – Paralympian, Physical Therapist, Team USA site: https://www.teamusa.org/usa-triathlon/athletes/elizabeth-baker
Samuel D. Seavey IV -Assistive Technology Expert for the Blind & Visually Impaired, The Blind Life LLC: www.theblindlife.net
Sensei Jack Stewart – Artist, Tai Chi, Kyudo and Kendo https://www.barnettradepost.com/finearts/contemplativearts.htm
Lori Fletcher – Naturalist, Herbalist
Joan LeBaron – World Traveler
Experts include:
Dr. Dorothy L. Hitchmoth – “America’s Eye Doctor”, nationally recognized, award-winning professor, lecturer and patient advocate https://www.drdorothy.org/
Dr. Allen Taylor – Professor of Nutrition, Development, Molecular & Chemical Biology, and Ophthalmology, USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University https://gsbs.tufts.edu/people/faculty/allen-taylor-phd
Beth Daisy – Occupational Therapist, Future In Sight, MS OTR/L, ATP https://futureinsight.org/
Chip Goehring III – Founder and President of The American Macular Degeneration Foundation
Matthew Levine – Director of Grants, Partnerships, Advocacy for The American Macular Degeneration Foundation
13 responses to “New Documentary on Living with Macular Degeneration”
Thank you for this great offering!
I will definitely watch this ! Thank you for this presentation!
I watched the trailer and it left me devastatingly depressed. If you are targeting hope in the face of going blind, I believe that the trailer should indicate that. Everyone is well aware of what will happen if you lose your sight, no need to drive it home.
Bill:
I also watched the trailer and I remembered my father who was diagnosed with MD when he was in his early 60’s. He already suffered from depression so I don’t think that his Macular diagnosis changed him. My mother’s best friend also had macular degeneration and was going blind. She was bitter about it. When I worked for a company serving people with various disabilities a woman who worked for another company my age also had/has macular. I spent a lot of time with her at a few conferences and never heard her complain about the hand she was dealt. Instead, she learned to work around her obstacles.
Rosanne,
Thank you for sharing this! It really highlights how much individual circumstances and personalities can come into play.
Bill, we hope that once you watch the full film, you’ll feel differently.
Is it available for my daughter to watch in another state?
Eleanore, it’s available no matter where someone is. The link is universal and as long as you have a computer, or even a smart phone or tablet, you can watch it. 🙂
Looking forward to watching this
Sure its depressing to lose your sight or any part of it. But if there are positives out there, i for one , want to hear about them. Or how to deal with the negatives. Never give up. donna
That’s a great attitude! It can be hard to hold onto that, particularly when there may be other challenges present. We try to do our part to help people feel hopeful and empowered as best we can.
THANK YOU
I really needed this for my mental health.
Next time make text bigger. Sad that a film about AMD had small text for the credits.
I watched this documentary and found it inspirational. I was wondering if it was available using audio descriptions. Thanks!