BALTIMORE (WJZ)– It’s something most of us take for granted: our eyesight. But imagine losing it and then trying to navigate in this world. The lights go off at a special fundraiser as awareness is turned on.

Mary Bubala has more.

Mindy Caplan, a busy mother of three from Pikesville, is legally blind. When she was just 11 years old, she was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa or RP.

Caplan’s parents, Beverly and Ben Berman, co-founded the Foundation Fighting Blindness 40 years ago in an effort to help their daughter.

The foundation now has 50 chapters nationwide driving research into retinal diseases like Caplan’s.

Now, she’s helping organize a unique fundraiser called Dining in the Dark.

“Once everyone is seated they will completely blacken the room– everything so no light seeps through,” Caplan said. “It gives people a chance to really understand what being blind is.”

The benefit will also honor former Raven Matt Stover and former governor Bob Ehrlich for their efforts to raise awareness.

“The gene therapy that’s going on now, kids are actually being able to see get rid of a cane, play baseball, all because of the new research that’s going on,” Stover said.

“The night is about awareness, about research and about dollars,” Ehrlich said.

Caplan already helped raise $100,000 chairing the Baltimore Vision Walk this month, clearly carrying on her parents’ legacy.

“The foundation has to keep plugging away because the answers are in sight,” she said.

To date, the Foundation Fighting Blindness has raised more than $450 million.

If you would like to help or just learn more, click here.