Army veteran who went blind overnight has forged a new life thanks to guide dog Violet

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FEW people expected a blind man to become one of the breakout stars of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.

But as another week passes on the BBC Saturday night show, comedian Chris McCausland keeps putting his best foot forward with partner Dianne Buswell.

It’s not just viewers and judges who have been impressed with his irrepressible, can-do attitude either.

Michael Laidlaw is not a Strictly fan, but he knows how important it is to put one foot in front of the other and keep going when your world turns dark.

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Michael, 54, from Carnoustie, a former British Army soldier who ran his own garage, lost his sight overnight in 2020. Having felt unwell heading to bed, he woke up with his life changed forever.

He said: “I just thought it was a bit of food poisoning. I went to bed and my vision was fine. And then when I woke up, I could only half see out of one of my eyes. I thought I must have been lying a bit funny or had something in my eye. I just assumed it would come back. But that didn't happen. And then by the next day, I lost sight in both eyes.”

Michael’s wife, Lisa, phoned an NHS helpline and he was sent to a local optician where it was initially thought he had suffered a burst blood vessel. He was sent to the eye clinic at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee where he was seen specialists who had never seen a case like his.

He said: “The opticians got me to the eye clinic and they did some tests but just couldn't work out what was going on. The consultant looking after me told me I was called Tayside case number one, because between them and Perth, they didn’t know what it was.

"They gave me a couple of blood transfusions over the period of that week and my sight did come back very slightly after day one. There was a big window in the ward when I first went in that was just a big white blank, like looking at the paper on a fish supper. My wife told me there were treetops outside and the next day I could just see them.”

That early optimism, however, was as good as it got, and Michael’s sight never recovered any further. Michael, a father of two grown-up children, is severely sight impaired.

He said: “In my left eye, I’ve got about 5 per cent vision right at the very edge of the periphery. In the other eye, in the very centre of my eye a little bit more, about 10 per cent.

“Overall, I would describe it is if you can imagine having a couple of tea bags on your eyes wearing a set of sunglasses. That's the kind of light level I get.”

Unlike Chris, who lost his sight at the age of 22 to a hereditary condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, Michael has never had a definitive diagnosis.

He said: “They never really got to the bottom of it. Well, they fundamentally did because it was a lack of blood oxygen to my brain, my haemoglobin was really low, but I never got a diagnosis.

“Initially I'm thinking it’s got to come back. The consultant thought it might come back, because brain plasticity is amazing and it could potentially repair itself. But the longer it goes on, the scarier it gets and then you realise everything has changed.”

Dealing with such a devastating turn of events was difficult for Michael and all those around him.

He said: “People talk about life-changing events and I know what that is now. I was scared. I didn't want to speak to anybody. I was a pain to my wife because I was in such a low mood. My mum and dad live just along the road, but I didn’t want to see them. I didn’t speak to my brother and sister. Army pals I used to speak to all the time, I didn't want to speak to them. I didn’t go out of the house. I was just feeling sorry for myself.”

As well as dealing with the physical difficulties and emotional trauma of losing his sight, Michael had also lost his business.

Unable to keep his garage going, he initially got help from the Department for Work and Pensions, but his case has now been transferred to Social Security Scotland, the executive agency of the Scottish Government which delivers social security payments to the people of Scotland.

Michael is one of more than 300,000 people now receiving Adult Disability Payment, which replaces Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance, and provides extra money to help people with a disability or long-term health condition that affects their everyday life.

He said: “It’s a big thing, it really is because we’ve still got a mortgage to pay like everybody else. It was such a worrying time, especially on top of everything else. We tried to keep the garage going but it wasn’t going to work long term. PIP, and now Adult Disability Payment have been a massive help. You can’t really underestimate it.

“It’s obvious that if you were on the edge financially and something like this happens, it would put you in a whole world of trouble if you couldn’t get help. I’m very grateful for the help I’ve been given.”

Grappling with sight loss took longer to deal with. He was offered help from North East Sensory Service who wanted to give him long cane training and help him get used to using public transport, but he put it off for months.

When he did accept their help, he was asked if he would be interested in using a guide dog, ultimately ending up with his black Labrador, Violet.

He said: “When the lady from the sensory service spoke to me about applying for a guide dog I said no, because I can still see a little bit and I thought guide dogs were for totally blind people. But actually, you have to be able to see a little bit to get the most out of a guide dog. When I started that process, that's when I came around and started speaking of everybody again, engaging, going out. And then I got Violet, my Labrador, and got my sense of humour back.”

If it was the beginning of a new phase in his life it was the start of a new career for Michael.

With his confidence returning Michael also found a career change when he joined Dovetail Enterprises in Dundee.

One of the oldest furniture manufacturers in Scotland, it is also a registered charity and was formed in 1993 from Royal Dundee Blindcraft and Lord Roberts Workshop.

Michael is the Bedding Department supervisor, Violet, has become Dovetail’s mascot.

He said: “A lot of things changed when I got Violet, she’s been a bit of a lucky charm. It really took a good eight months to get back to myself, I was a general huff with life. But once I got my head round it, I thought there’s not much more that can actually be worse.

“It’s not easy but you’ve just got to keep going and be as positive as you can be in your circumstances.”

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