CommentAuthordagma3 CommentTime10 minutes ago edit delete Mawzy, Thank you for sharing about your macular degeneration. I have been diagnosed with that for several years. They check me every 6 months, but so far it hasn't affected my vision very much and I am just on the Occuvite vitamins. I am curious - how does it progress - how quickly. Did you attend any sight training programs. I hope this ok to ask. I don't know anyone except people who are well into the disease - so I don't know what to expect. I still drive, but not in the rain and not at night, can't quilt anymore- can't see the little stitches I should be making. I have magnifying glasses all over the house. You certainly have a lot on your plate.
Sounds like your plate is pretty full right now, also. It's perfectly all right to ask me about Mac. Deg. I was diagnosed with it about 15 years ago. Took the Ocuvite vitamins. Little or no progression until about 3 yrs ago. I was sent to a retinal specialist and had all the ex-rays, etc. Same diagnosis. He said: You will never wake up and everything be black. It's gradual--very subtle. I cannot see fine print now, see to do cross stiching. I make the quilt squares and my daughter makes the most beautiful quilts. I loved doing it. It's very hard to read certain material. If there isn't enough contrast in the print, I can't read it. If it's too large, everything gets mushy. I have a very hard time with faces. Faces are very blurry. It's a real pain in the---you know where.
I quit driving last February. My beautiful little red car is sitting in the garage with 3/4 tank of gas and all dusty. I need to sell it. Haven't tried yet. Maybe tomorrow (ha ha).
Thanks what makes DH's AD so difficult. I've been trying to research public transportation etc. because he is going to lose his license to drive very shortly. Then the plate will really fill up.
Blessings to you. Hope your MD progresses very slowly. In the meantime, be careful with curbs. I found without a good contrast in color, you can trip easily.
This is a subject very dear to my heart. About 10 years ago my oldest son was golfing with some men, one father and son set he was very friendly with. The father died. The son then asked my son to be his eyes. Yes, he had MD. For a long time my son was not aware of it when the father was the eyes for the son. They have golfed together in tournaments every since. They were the USA winners a few years back. Last year they were invited to Japan to play in the Blind World Open. Monday they will leave for Ireland. They have been invited to play in the Blind British Open and then a few days later they will play again in the Blind World Open. They started a Mid-West Blind Open and this year they have given 7,500.00 in scholarships to the visually impared and blind youth from this area. Monday they presented 1,000.000 to the Fight Against Blindness group which is nationwide. They are just regular guys. One a counselor and one a master mechanic. They have to use their own money to fly here and there but they are excellent examples of what people with MD can accomplish. Hope your sight stays with you for a long time. Sally
Mawzy & Sally Thanks for your comments. They are helpful. I play tennis and don't have a problem other than I am not a very good player. Guess I am going to have to start looking at golf clubs.
Mawzy - I can't imagine how difficult it is not to be able to drive being an AD caregiver. I also have a hard time seeing the contrast in print and am now looking at large print items. I used to think that was for old people :-). I see a MD specialist as well as my opthalmaoogist and I am grateful they keep such close watch on me. They tell me that most people have MD and don't know it because it never progresses. I drive as little as possible - trying to set an example for my AD spouse as driving is going to become an issue one day. I don't drive in the rain or at night. Can't see - it is all blurry and double then. Thanks again for the info and encouragement.
My grandmother had MD and I've been very sensitive to comments about it, etc, but my optometrist hasn't seen anything so far. Haven't noticed too much change in my eyes since the big change around 41. I've heard of Lucentis and that it's for the WET kind - I assume y'all don't have that, right? So is there nothing for the DRY kind?
Yes, mine is the dry kind. But, it can turn wet at any time. The wet kind is when little blood vessels break and leak under the retina. FYI, the macula is about the size of a pencil eraser right in the very back of the retina. It controls the central vision--not the perifial. So, even if I can't do hand sewing, read small print, drive and have a hard time recognizing faces because faces happen to be in the middle of the vision field, I can see fairly well what's going on around. I'm going to be getting some therapy so I can be taught to use the perifial to better advantage. I'm anxious to find out how that goes. I'll keep you informed.
It is so good to be able to talk to someone who is interested and also knows what I'm talking about. Thanks so much for the opportunity!
My grandmother was "legally blind" and loved to listen to "talking books" which we hauled back and forth to the P.O. - great big heavy 78s in giant albums. She had loved to knit, as had my mother, but couldn't any more bec. she couldn't see to do it.
And I, at age about 10, learned to knit with my eyes closed - not real patterns, but ribbing and stockinette, and to count stitches, so that when I got MD I'd be able to still do SOMETHING.
ON a slightly different tack, but about seeing out of the side of the eye: my brother-in-law had a girlfriend who could only see out the side of her eye. We went with them to see HAIR. And then I notice that she's sitting looking toward me (in reality toward the stage of course) all through the big climax frontal-nudity scene!! It was very disconcerting.
Mawzy, the play you want to see is "Take Me Out." Takes place in a baseball locker room. In one scene, the entire cast is showering ... facing the audience. (It's actually a very, very good play. It just takes a wee bit of getting used to. Which I think the women in the audience did a lot quicker than the men.)