Learning to play the guitar helped Craig Brown cope with the shock of going blind at the age of 30.
The former engineer and motorbike enthusiast, from Leicester, said he initially struggled to deal with the impact of losing his sight.
“My whole life turned upside down, and I spent ages moping and just sitting around,” said the 34-year-old.
“My dad, who is a massive guitar collector, said ‘Why don’t you give playing a go?'”
Mr Brown said: “My world was quite dark and gloomy, but taking up his suggestion cracked the shell of my depression and helped me cope with going blind.”
Mr Brown said he had visited the opticians when his sight began to fade and was referred to a specialist at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.
“They told me my retinas had started to detach from my eyeballs as a result of type 1 diabetes, which I have had since I was six.
“I had some laser surgeries, but they did not work, and eventually my sight more or less failed.”
A new community
Mr Brown said: “Learning the guitar gave me something to focus on.
“You might think you don’t need your eyes to play guitar, but you have to see where your fingers are on the strings, so it was a challenge.
“I stuck velvet dots on the neck of my guitar so I could work.
“I went online to try to learn a bit from other people and then started posting some videos on social media.
“I didn’t think anyone would be interested, but I was surprised to find they were, and they said some really nice things.
“It’s a strange thing to say, but going blind has helped me find a whole new community and also given me what I describe as a new kind of sight.”
Mr Brown has now set up a social media profile called Blind Guitar Guy, and has 1,000 followers on TikTok.
He said he hoped to expand his following to help him raise money for the Leicester-based Vista charity, which helps people with sight loss.
“Vista helped me so much when I was registered blind, ” Mr Brown said.
“When I lost my licence, they helped me get a disabled bus pass, they helped me adapt my home. They made a real difference at a hard time in my life.
“I want to try to give them something back. I have set up a fundraising page for them.
“I’ve started small, but if I get £100 for them, I’ll get Vista’s logo tattooed on my bicep and put the video of it online for everyone’s entertainment.”
Mr Brown said he now hoped to work with the charity to help other blind and partially-sighted people learn the guitar.
Vista has been contacted for comment.
