A KILBIRNIE woman who suffers from a serious visual impairment is staging a photographic exhibition to illustrate how she sees the day through her own eyes.

Linda Howard, 42, has no central vision as she has a rare form of macular degenerative disease known as Punctate Inner Choroidopathy or PIC.

But as the school holidays begin and the summer sun is set to shine, she decided it was an ideal opportunity to remind people of all ages about the importance of looking after your eyes at her exhibition set to run at Kilbirnie Library until August 1.

Senior library assistant Fiona Burke said: “I am delighted to have the display as it highlights awareness of the condition and allows people to experience it not only through the photographs, but also by giving them the opportunity to try on a pair of modified glasses that also form part of the exhibition.

“I work with someone who has the condition and it helps you understand the challenges they face on a daily basis.” Linda, who has been living with Macular Disease (MD) since she was 24 said: “I’ve spent the last few years encouraging people to look after their eyes and to report any changes in their vision, however slight, hopefully these photographs will demonstrate how distorted your world can become if you lose that central vision.

“With MD, your eyesight becomes increasingly blurred causing difficulty reading, colours to appear less vibrant and you lose the ability to recognise people’s faces.

“One simple solution, such as wearing sunglasses or a hat on a sunny day could potentially prevent damage to your macula and save your sight in later years.

“I’ve spent a lot of time trying to explain to people what I can see and found that by manipulating images to give an accurate depiction of a world affected by MD, it gives an instant impression.

"I’m hoping this display at Kilbirnie Library, will prove a picture really is worth a 1000 words.” Linda has also developed pairs of specially designed glasses for visitors to the exhibition to try on for the full effect too.