"I've been making health films for years, but this is the first time the health issue is my own," says Joseph Lovett in the opening scene of "Going Blind," a documentary about seven individuals struggling with vision loss.

Mr. Lovett, the Peabody Award winner who wrote, directed, and produced the film, suffers from glaucoma, an eye condition that damages the optic nerve and leads to blindness if untreated. After years of dealing with vision loss, he made the film to explore how people deal with losing their sight.

At a recent screening and panel discussion held by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, director of UPMC Eye Center Joel Schuman praised the film, saying, "Joe Lovett's film does a service to both patients and their physicians."

Mr. Lovett's cast of characters includes Jessica Jones, a New York City art teacher who lost her vision to diabetic retinopathy at age 32; Emmet Teran, an 11-year-old who inherited albinism and low vision from his father; Steve Baskis, a Texas native and Army veteran who suffered nerve damage to his eyes when a roadside bomb hit his vehicle north of Baghdad; Pat Williams, a legally blind woman who works to strike a balance between asserting her independence and accepting help from family; Peter D'Elia, an 85-year-old architect suffering from macular degeneration; and Ray Kornman, a man blinded by retinitis pigmentosa.

Interwoven with their stories are snapshots of Mr. Lovett's battle with glaucoma: surgeries, therapy and support from friends.

He began to realize he had a vision problem when he struggled to find his partner in the airport and failed to notice potholes while biking.