Army veteran who had to give up everything completes Gower challenge

FOR Phil Lewis, vision loss took away everything he had worked for his entire life. Although he knew the day was coming, with a hereditary condition affecting his grandparents, mother and siblings, the moment it happened was not any easier.

- ROBERT DALLING

In 2020, coinciding with the coronavirus pandemic, the 61-year-old’s condition retinitis pigmentosa, which makes cells in the retina break down slowly over time, causing vision loss, forced him to stop work.

He has entirely lost his side vision and all he can see is directly in front of him, but it is very limited, only in dark and light shades, just allowing him to manoeuvre himself around.

He said: "I was first diagnosed with my sight loss when I served in the Royal Engineers at about 21-22 years old. It was night vision that was the issue. I was devastated when I had to come out of the army, It was my career path, and I was only in it for four years, but I did my apprenticeship as carpenter and joiner, in the army, and luckily I came out and carried on with my trade.

"At that point, I thought my eyesight was fine, but it wasn’t good enough to be in the military.

"It was fine to work, and I carried on with my trade during my working life for the next 35 years, self-employed with my company Tradesmen Carpentry Services, but it very gradually got worse over the years. It didn’t really affect me at all until 2020. I had to stop then, because it was getting dangerous with scaffolding and roofs and things, it was a bit hairy.

"I didn’t have a choice, and it was devastating as I loved my job and my work and everything I had worked for, I had to just give up and stop overnight. I had no intention of stopping. I'd still be working today if I could.