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At first his vision just felt a little hazy, but Walter Futcher wasn't too worried about it – until he recently woke up one morning only to realise he couldn't see anything.
"It's not something I'd wish on my worst enemy," Walter says of the turn his life has taken since.
Suddenly he could do almost nothing for himself and as a result he lost his job in the auto trade business.
He's now fully reliant on his wife, Marolet, and their two children, James (15) and Laney (13).
His eyesight began to deteriorate two years ago, says Walter, who lives in Gauteng.
"My right eye started to get systematically dull, but I didn't think anything of it. I could still see. There were days when it would be dull, but when I rubbed it, it was a little bit better."
But then his left eye also began to deteriorate – until the day his vision was completely gone.
A local optometrist diagnosed him with subcapsular cataracts, meaning there are cataracts on top as well as under his lenses.
For Walter to be able to see again, he'll need surgery. The cataracts on top of his lenses must be removed, followed by the lenses themselves so the cataracts underneath can be accessed.
After that he'll need lens transplants in both eyes. This operation costs around R60 000 and because the family doesn't have medical aid, they're unable to afford it.
They've launched a BackaBuddy campaign to try to raise the money. But if that isn't successful, Walter will have to go the public healthcare route which means he may have to wait until 2025 to have the op.
"My left eye currently has only 6% vision and my right eye has no vision at all. I can just see a shadow."
He describes it as feeling like he's looking through an extremely dirty pane of glass.
He can distinguish between light and dark and detect people's silhouettes but no more than that.
Walter says he misses making a contribution in his household and doing normal things. "I miss being able to drive and go jogging. I miss gardening and cleaning the house."
Marolet says it was a huge shock to see someone who was active and passionate about his work unable to do it anymore.
"His emotional wellbeing is deteriorating every day," she says. "It's sad for me to see my husband like this because I know him and I know who he was before this thing came our way."
It's also been hard for their two children.
"James is a South African karate athlete and had to give up his karate because we can't afford it anymore as daddy's eyes need to be sorted out.
"Laney took guitar lessons and participated in extracurricular activities. She's also had to give it up because of our finances."
Life is hard at the moment but the Futcher family say their faith keeps them going.
"Our friends and family are also very supportive of us and we are very grateful for them," Marolet says.
Walter says he's grateful for his wife and wouldn't have been able to do it without her.
"She motivates me a lot. She's a friend. I'm so grateful for her and our kids."
