Man loves to paint despite severe vision loss

Man loves to paint despite severe vision loss

Bobby Conley suffers from Stargardt, a form of macular degeneration.

The eye disease causes severe, permanent vision loss, but that doesn’t keep Conley from painting.

WE ALL KNOW 2020 WAS A DIFFICULTYEARBUT FOR ONE SWFL MAN, 2020WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF BATTLE.BUT HE STILL FOUND A WAY TO KEEPSMILINGTHANKS FOR STICKING WITHUS, I’M PATRICK NOLAN.AND I’M JANE MONREAL.

FOX 4PHOTOJOURNALIST KARAN DEARDORFFINTRODUCES US TO A MAN WHO --WITH A CANVASS AND A BRUSH --PAINTS A PICTURE MANY OF US MAYNOT SEE.56-102107-1(TAKE PKG)NATS LIGHT CLICKING ON"HE’S KIND OF A SPECIAL PERSON.BOBBY TRIES TO DECOMPRESS BYPAINTING."I ALWAYS FELT LIKE I COULDANYTHING I PUT MY MIND TO."NATS BRUSH INTO CAN"HE HAS A HANDICAP""I HAVE A DISEASE CALLEDSTARGARDT""THAT HAS MADE HIM UNABLE TODRIVE FOR 15 YEARS NOW""IT’S HEREDITARY""BUT HE IS STILL MANAGES TO DOTHINGS AROUND THE HOUSE THATAREAMAZING""IT USUALLY STARTS AT A VERYYOUNG AGE""MY FRIENDS MARVEL AT HIM""FOR ME IT’S JUST, AH, ANUISANCE""THEY SAY, I DON’T BELIEVE HE’SREALLY BLIND.

I CAN’T BELIVEIT""I TRY TO WORK AROUND IT.

IREALLY DIDN’T HAVE ANYSTRUCTURAL IDEA OF WHAT I WANTEDTO PAINT, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.I JUST DECIDED I WANTED TOPAINT.

I WANTED TO PAINTPICTURES THAT I LIKE AND IWANTED TO PAINT PICTURES ITHOUGHT OTHER PEOPLE WOULDLIKE."NATS-BRUSH ON CANVAS"IT’S INTERESTING AND HIS ART ISAMAZING.

PEOPLE LOOK AT IT ANDTHIS IS WHERE HE HAS PUT ALL HISENERGY."NATS-BRUSH ON CANVASS"BOBBY SOUNDS LIKE A FIGHTER.HE IS, HE IS AFIGHTERUH,THAT’S, THAT’S A DEFINITEDESCRIPTION OF HIM, ABSOLUTELY.""ONE OF OUR TESTS ISWHAT DOESIT LOOK LIKE THROUGH THE KITCHENWINDOW?

LAUGHS""I THINK HE’S GREATTHE NAME OF THE CONDITIONAFFECTING BOBBY IS STARGARDT(STAR-GARD), WHICH IS A FORM OF MACULARDEGENERATION..

IT’S AN EYEDISEASE THAT CAUSES SEVERE,PERMANENT VISION LOSS IN PEOPLEOVER AGE 60.

DOCTORS SAY THEDISEASE IS A RESULT OF WHEN THESMALL CENTRAL PORTION O