BOYNTON BEACH, FL -- You're in your 30s, you sing and play guitar, and you perform regularly at area bars and nightclubs.
The sky's the limit.
Then, you get some bad news from your doctor.
That's what happened to Jason Colannino, a local musician who's fighting the odds so his life doesn't hit a sour note.
Colannino has a game plan for his musical future...a vision.
His career is strumming along nicely.
But it's his eyesight that has him concerned.
Jason has R.P., Retinitis Pigmentosa. It's a degenerative eye disease that is slowly robbing him of his vision.
So, while this talented performer can light up a room with his music, a portion of his life is filled with darkness.
"I don't see your face right now," he said during an interview. "I see your tie; I see your shirt; I see pretty much everything that surrounds you. If I look directly at you, I see this dark blur. If I look to the side, I can see a little bit better."
Doctors diagnosed Jason's condition four years ago when Jason started having trouble seeing.
"He took some pictures of my eyes and they said 'something's up; these pictures shouldn't look like this,' " said Jason.
Dr. Kelly Ball, an optometrist who has diagnosed several R.P. cases similar to Jason's, says the disease affects the retinal tissue in the back of the eye.
"The retinal tissue lines the back of the eye and it takes visual images from what we see to the brain," she said.
"And so, when the retinal tissue doesn't work correctly, then, obviously, the vision is affected."
When Jason performs at area clubs, his audience isn't aware he sees them dark and out of focus.
That can lead to some embarrassing moments.
"One thing I feel terrible about is that after I finish performing, someone will come up to me: 'You were great; I loved it; it was great.' I wouldn't see the guy's hand."
Jason has had to make some adjustments in his day-to-day life, like making the words bigger on his computer screen, the letters larger on his keyboard, and using a magnifying glass to help him read.
Driving is out.
He says he's adapted nicely but is hopeful scientists eventually find a cure.
"There is a lot of research going on right now and that's where i put a lot of my faith and hope in."
For more information on R.P., click here.
That's the link to the Foundation Fighting Blindness.
Jason Colannino's website, click here.
