Since my eye problem came up on another thread because I made some strange mistakes in identifying objects in pictures, I thought I'd start a thread on the subject as a sort of public service announcement.
The condition I have is macular degeneration and it's not something I ever imagined having until I had it. It's the gradual deterioration of the macula, the central section of the retina, which blots out your vision right in the center of the field of vision and usually gets worse until it becomes the main cause of blindness in the elderly. Well, I'm "elderly" and this has been coming on for about five years now. It was only diagnosed about two years ago but I'd had symptoms for a few years before that: it started with sensitivity to glare which left a blob in front of my eyes after long exposure to a particularly bright monitor. The blob was at first a few small points of light that kept moving, sort of dancing around each other. It would be worst right after exposure to glare and gradually fade back to almost normal over an hour or two. I tried to deal with it by toning down the monitor and wearing sunglasses and finally got a new monitor, which was a little better but not much better.
Since I'd thought it was a problem with the monitor at first I didn't think of seeing an eye doctor. Eventually I mentioned it to someone who said it sounded like macular degeneration. So I did finally see an ophthalmologist who verified the diagnosis.
There are two kinds: wet and dry. Wet is the most severe, can involve bleeding of the retina and is treated by monthly shots of a drug straight into the eyeball. I know of two people now who are getting those shots and apparently they do work to keep the disease from getting worse.
I have the dry kind, which is more common, and all they do for it is prescribe a supplement called
AREDS2 (Age-Related Eye Disease Study, second formulation), based on a study done over many years that showed a particular combination of nutrients did slow the deterioration to advanced macular degeneration. This is a specific combination of vitamins C and E, zinc and copper, and lutein and zeaxanthin. It originally included beta carotene but that's been linked to lung cancer in smokers and ex smokers. Since I used to be a heavy smoker I don't take the formula with beta carotene. Smoking is one of the factors considered to predispose to MD.
This formula is available under many brand names, but before I knew anything about this study I came across an ad for a supplement that contained the seven AREDS nutrients plus many other ingredients and decided to try it. I've been taking it ever since, the one without the beta carotene. It's the only supplement I've ever taken that I am sure is helping, and not just my eyes but my general health. I think it's improved my eyes noticeably but there's no cure for MD.
ABE: The dancing blob is larger now but I still pass my driver's test and it's only really a problem after too much time on the computer. It still fades a great deal when rested after exposure but it's still noticeably worse than it was a few years ago. A major sign of MD is that straight lines and parallel straight lines look wavy. If I go off the supplement for any length of time that symptom gets worse, and after I've been taking it regularly again it gets better. I also sometimes have a problem with color: complementary colors appear like their complement. My first experience of this was quite startling: a bright bluegreen plastic bottle looked bright magenta and I couldn't get it to change back to its own color. This symptom too has improved with the supplement, very rarely happens now.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.
Edited by Faith, : No reason given.