(Bloomberg Politics) -- Luis Lang, a 49-year-old smoker anddiabetic from South Carolina, is going to go blind unless hefigures out how to pay for expensive eye treatment.

Lang is a self-employed, uninsured handyman who stoppedworking due to his poor vision. He’s also a Republicanwho decided not to purchase Obamacare and prided himself on beingable to pay his own medical bills, but also assumed therewould be some kind of government help in the event of anemergency, the Charlotte Observer reportedTuesday. He missed the enrollment period and wouldn’t havequalified for subsidies because, since he’s not working, he makestoo little money. But he still makes too much money for Medicaid,which South Carolina did not expand.

“As each day goes by my vision get worst,” Lang, who apologizedfor grammatical mistakes due to his deteriorating vision, wrote onhis GoFund Me page. “And if I do go blind it will take [surgery] toget my vision bac[k] if they can.”