Someone on YouTube asked me about vision vision.
And about how much I understand of it and how it works.
Is it something I can wrap my head around
or is it just a perception to me or what?
I'm not sure I understand the question so we'll
see if you can understand my answer. [chuckles]
[music plays]
Vision is an incredible thing. Like I have no idea how it works.
The things that you guys are able to do blows my mind.
And the things you're not able to do too. Like, you can't see in the dark.
You know, and your eyes have to adjust to it and stuff.
That's -- wow. You know, in the dark I get around perfectly fine.
You know what I mean? One of the things that
blows my mind is depth perception.
Like you know how far away things are. For example,
you're driving a car. You're driving like 45 mph. And then there's
a red light. And you just slow down, slow down gently.
and boop -- and you're right into position and you're right
next to another car or whatever it is. And you're right at the light.
I don't know if I quite understand how that all works.
[music plays]
Like there's a crowded room. A room full of people.
And across the room you see one of your friends
and you know that you can just walk right through that crowd and find them.
And just keep your eye on them and you get right to them.
It's really cool to me.
Like, for me, I don't know unless they come up or they shout
across the room and they're like "hey, come here!" You know, and then I try
and navigate my way through the people with my cane and stuff.
And that's how it works for me. But it's really cool that you guys
can see that. I mean, this one ain't going
to be very funny, I don't think, but... [director laughs]
I feel bad. There's not going to be a lot of laughs in this one, but...
[music plays]
Being able to catch a ball is neat.
[chuckles] Someone has to tell me,
"okay, there's a ball coming to you -- hands out." And, you know, try and catch it.
But you guys just see it -- I mean,
you always see these clips of people on ESPN and stuff
who have an ice cream in one hand and they catch a foul ball in the other.
It's incredible. I don't how you guys do that.
I mean, like at a baseball... Listen,
I know the odds are a zillion to one, but I'm always afraid
if I'm at a baseball game and a friend of mine
runs or goes off to get something or run to the bathroom whatever.
I'm sitting by myself I'm always scared to death that I'm going to get hit with a foul ball
No matter where we are in the stadium.
It really is scary to me though. [chuckles]
[music plays]
Another one of the things that I just don't understand
is how you could draw a three-dimensional thing
on a piece of paper -- on a flat piece of paper.
Like, I tried to draw. And I don't know if it came out
right or now, but you guys can draw a car on a flat piece of paper.
You could paint a car on an easel.
And anybody who would see it -- "oh, there's a car. I see that."
I don't get how you do that. To me it's just a flat thing.
Like sculpting makes a lot more sense to me.
Right, because it's three-dimensional and you could make something like
a car and you could put the wheels on the bottom and everything.
You know, it's all very logical, but...
on a flat piece of paper. I don't know how you could see a car.
I don't get it.
It's really strange. You have quite a gift.
You really do.
[music plays]
See, I'm trying to think when I sort of figured out that people could see
and I couldn't. I mean, because my sisters all could see.
And my parents obviously, and all my relatives and stuff.
You know, I think that's just the way it was.
And I don't think I really got what vision until
like maybe high school or junior high.
You know what I mean? Because I was too busy
just trying to figure out to fit into my own skin
and trying to be comfortable with myself. There's so much of vision that
I don't understand. There's tons of it that I don't get.
[music continues]
What I think seeing is, is that
well, my thought of it
is a little distorted. I always figured that you,
that sighted people see everything. I'm surprised when you don't see something.
So, what I think seeing is. You guys
just open your eyes in the morning
and you see everything in your room and you know
everything is where you left it last night. When you walk outside
or you could just look out a window and see what
kind of a day it is. If it's a sunny day... you can't see whether or not it's warm
but you can see whether if it's sunny or cloudy or raining
or snowing or whatever.
See, these are all the things that you do. I don't know --
right, these are things that sighted people do. I don't know if I understand what seeing actually is.
[chuckles] It so weird, but...
It's really tough to get my head around.
The things is this I think. I think the best
way explain this or to sort of exemplify
is this way -- as foreign as it is
for you guys to imagine what my world is like
not being able to see being blind my whole life,
that's how foreign it is for me to imagine what you guys do
and how vision works and what it's like to see.
I think that's the best way to explain it. It's a complete
180 degrees apart.
And it's pretty wild.
But I think that way sums it up best.
I don't know. Ask another question.
[laughs]
Viewer could you ask -- could you ask an easier question to answer please?
[credit music plays]
The Tommy Edison Experience isn't just on YouTube anymore.
Now you can search for me on Amazon and Hulu.
All the details are at TommyEdison.com/WatchNow.
The internet's headquarters for blind s*&#. [laughs]
Use your cane though or else you'll step in it. [laughs]