“My sight faded quietly,” she says.

“Everything looked cloudy, like a thin curtain slowly being pulled across my world.

“I had to grieve the life I once knew, while learning to rebuild anew – a woman rediscovering my strength.”

It revealed a resilience Lani didn’t know she had. As well as continuing her career in tourism and advocating through social media, she has become competitive in low-vision tennis, basketball and golf, and is now working towards a skydiving licence.

“I’m blind, but I wish I could fly, that is my dream,” she says.

“I live with glaucoma, but I refuse to live small.”

Lani became a member of CERA’s Consumer Program to seek a deeper understanding of research.

Her involvement has made her feel less alone.

“Research represents hope – not just for me, but for others who may face this diagnosis in the future.”

This story was originally published in Creating the future in sight: Annual Review 2025.