>> A WEEKLY BOOK CLUB MEETING IS BRINGING ONE CAPE CORAL MAN’S LIFE INTO FOCUS. GULF COAST NEWS REPORTER BRITT LEONI INTRODUCES US TO HIM IN TONIGHT’S STORY TO SHARE. >> WE GOT A NEW PERSON HERE AT THE GALLERY AT CAPE CORAL. THAT WEAK SIGNAL. AND THEY ASKED ME I WOULD BE HER YEAR. >> KEN HINKLEY MAY LIVE A QUIET LIFE. EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT THE WHITE CANE STANDS FOR. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO TALKING ALL THINGS VISION, THAT’S A WORLDWIDE SYMBOL. HE’S ANYTHING BUT SHY. IF YOU GOT COMA, HAVE TUNNEL VISION. YOU HAVE NO PERIPHERALLY. LIKE MANY OLDER ADULTS CAN HAS MACULAR DEGENERATION, CAUSING PARTIAL BLINDNESS. HIS SIGHT ISN’T THE ONLY THING HE’S LOST. >> YOU KNOW, BEEN WITH ARE STILL ON THAT. EVEN THOUGH I COULD THIS YEAR. IT’S STILL SORT OF THE WAY I ALWAYS HAD, YOU KNOW. >> 6 YEARS AGO, KEN’S WIFE OF 63 YEARS PASSED AWAY STUFF. >> ALONE AND LONELY. >> STILL CAN FINDS COMFORT IN TALKING ABOUT HIS VISION ISSUES WITH THOSE WHO UNDERSTAND. AND WHILE MOST DAYS MAY GET TOUGH AND LONELY, YOU GOT MORE STORY TO TELL. WEDNESDAY EVENING 6.30, LOW DIFFERENT ARE I WEAR MY NEW WHITE SWEATER AND SKIRT AT HIS WEEKLY BOOK CLUB. KEN AND HIS FRIENDS IN THE BUILDING GATHER FOR MORE THAN STORYTELLING. I FOLLOW MISSES. BRING DOWN THE STREET TO A WOMAN’S CLOTHES SHOP. >> GIVES ME CALL IT HUMAN LIFE. THINK OF THAT. LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT. MAKE YOUR LIFE SO MUCH BETTER. >> SO AT CANNES AGE, DESPITE HIS LACK OF VISION AND THE GRIEF HE CARRIES, HE STILL CLEAR EYED ON HIS MANY BLESSINGS. >> AND WE STILL >> AND 95. >> I WOULD NEVER BELIEVE THAT IN CAPE CORA
95-year-old blind man still clear-eyed on his many blessings
Updated: 6:30 PM EST Nov 5, 2025
At the Gallery at Cape Coral, Ken Hinkley may live a quiet life, but when it comes to talking all things vision, he’s anything but shy.”If you’ve got glaucoma, you have tunnel vision and you’ve got no peripheral vision,” Hinkley said. “My wife had that.”Like many older adults, Hinkley has macular degeneration, causing partial blindness.His sight isn’t the only thing he’s lost.”I had been with her so long that even though I couldn’t see her, I still saw her the way I always had, you know,” Hinkley said.Six years ago, Hinkley’s wife of 63 years passed away.”It gets tough. Alone and lonely,” Hinkley said.Still, Hinkley said he finds comfort in talking about his vision issues with those who understand, and while most days may get tough, Wednesday evenings at 6:30 are different.At his weekly book club, Hinkley and his friends in the building gather for more than storytelling.”It gives me quality of life. Do you ever think of that? It’s the little things like that that make your life so much better,” Hinkley said.So, at Hinkley’s age, despite his lack of vision and the grief he carries, he’s still clear-eyed on his many blessings.”Probably for still being here,” he said. “I’m 95. I would never have believed that.” DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
CAPE CORAL, Fla. —
At the Gallery at Cape Coral, Ken Hinkley may live a quiet life, but when it comes to talking all things vision, he’s anything but shy.
“If you’ve got glaucoma, you have tunnel vision and you’ve got no peripheral vision,” Hinkley said. “My wife had that.”
Like many older adults, Hinkley has macular degeneration, causing partial blindness.
His sight isn’t the only thing he’s lost.
“I had been with her so long that even though I couldn’t see her, I still saw her the way I always had, you know,” Hinkley said.
Six years ago, Hinkley’s wife of 63 years passed away.
“It gets tough. Alone and lonely,” Hinkley said.
Still, Hinkley said he finds comfort in talking about his vision issues with those who understand, and while most days may get tough, Wednesday evenings at 6:30 are different.
At his weekly book club, Hinkley and his friends in the building gather for more than storytelling.
“It gives me quality of life. Do you ever think of that? It’s the little things like that that make your life so much better,” Hinkley said.
So, at Hinkley’s age, despite his lack of vision and the grief he carries, he’s still clear-eyed on his many blessings.
“Probably for still being here,” he said. “I’m 95. I would never have believed that.”
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.