Summary
- Amy Slaton from 1000-lb Sisters has a rare eye condition, toxoplasmosis, causing legal blindness.
- Toxoplasmosis scarred Amy's eyes due to her mother's cat being infected while pregnant with Amy.
- Amy is sensitive about her disability and struggles with mental health issues related to her condition.
Amy Slaton from 1000-Lb Sisters season 6 (and afterwards).
Before they were introduced to the world in 1000-lb Sisters, Amy and her sister Tammy Slaton were popular online. Amy started working as an entertainer on YouTube back in January 2011. Over the years, Amy garnered millions of views by sharing vlogs of her and her sister's everyday lives. Amy's YouTube videos gained so much traction that they ultimately led her and her sister to get their own reality series. Although 1000-lb Sisters mainly focuses on Amy and Tammy's journeys before and after bariatric surgery, Amy's been vocal about the other medical conditions she's overcome or learned to live with.
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Amy Has A Diagnosed Eye Condition
It's Extremely Severe
In 2015, Amy shared a video that is titled, "Amy's toxoplasmosis." In the YouTube clip, Amy detailed the lifelong problems she's had with her eyes, which have caused her to become legally blind. In the video, as shown below, Amy explained that she can hardly see out of her left eye and can only partially see with her right eye.
Amy shared that her eyes have always been this way. She stated that she was bullied in school due to the way that her eyes looked. Amy explained that she became vision impaired because of her mother's cat.
What Is Toxoplasmosis?
It May Lead To Blindness
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ocular toxoplasmosis is an "infection in the eye caused by the parasite, Toxoplasma gondii." Amy stated, "One of the cats that my mom had had [toxoplasmosis]... and she would clean up after the cats, or whatever, and she was pregnant with me."
"By the time I’m 35, I’ll be completely blind because my scars are growing."
Amy remarked that no one knew cats could transmit the parasite to humans and infect a pregnant mother's unborn child. She said she has a pair of safety glasses that help to combat eyestrain. Nonetheless, her vision issues are serious. Toxoplasmosis scarred Amy's eyes when she was a baby,
Amy explained, "By the time I’m 35, I’ll be completely blind because my scars are growing." As Amy's scars continue to get larger, she loses more and more of what's left of her already impaired eyesight. It's unclear if she's received additional treatment for her eye problems.
Amy Slaton Is Very Sensitive About Her Disability
People Shouldn't Talk About How Her Eyes Look
Amy's a strong person, but the prospect of going blind is terrifying. So, it's understandable that she's very sensitive about her vision. For example, in season 6, when someone made a wisecrack about her eyes, she got extremely upset. She feels she'll never be:
beautiful
because of the way that her eyes look. This isn't true. Everyone is beautiful in their own way.
It's easy to sympathize with her and the way that having such a serious disability makes her feel. The truth is that people don't pay enough attention to what's going on with Amy's eyes. It's a very big deal but tends to get glossed over. In 2024, after the season, she isn't saying anything new about her vision - however, she has opened up about mental health issues that may be caused, at least partially, by the rigors of living with a disability.
Amy's legally blind. She reportedly receives disability payments, which she deserves. However, how much she receives is unclear. She is living with three forms of mental illness - depression, bipolar disorder and acute anxiety disorder. In season 6, she was always crying. At that point, her mental illness was still undiagnosed. People were cutting her down for being weak but they had no idea what she was dealing with.
The shade, which even came from loved ones, made everything worse.
People who live with disabilities are prone to depression. It's very common and nothing to be ashamed of. It's wonderful that Amy reached out for the help she needed. She may be taking medication - Amy hasn't gotten into details about that but she has said that she's under a doctor's care and focusing on her mental health.
The prospect of going blind is going to dramatically alter the way that a person thinks and feels. It's a lot to live with. So, while most people talk about Amy's weight and link her mental health problems with that (and her troubled marriage, which is now over), the truth is that her vision problems may be the biggest problems she has. They may have driven her to overeat and all the rest. So, fans should that Amy's living with a condition that is extremely hard to accept and very likely to lead to blindness.
Amy's perseverance has been a hallmark of her journey on 1000-lb Sisters, and her unending battle with toxoplasmosis only cements that Amy is an unbeatable force. From getting bullied in childhood due to her eyes' appearance to anticipating complete blindness, Amy's eye condition hasn't been an easy challenge to face while trying to lose weight. Even though her eye condition worsens, Amy is a beloved 1000-lb Sisters star who's committed to making progress in her life.
Sources: Amy Slaton/YouTube, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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