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AND - Age Related Macular Degeneration

(25 Posts)
lizzypopbottle Fri 16-May-25 13:24:39

My optician spotted this in my left eye couple of weeks ago. It was an annual eye test and I had had no symptoms, as I thought, until then. He made an urgent referral (NHS) and I was seen at a specialist clinic yesterday. They gave me immediate treatment for wet AMD and the treatments will be repeated at four weekly intervals initially. They also gave me a lot of literature about the condition. I realised that I have had one particular symptom for some time, without realising it could indicate a problem. I've attached a photo of the symptoms here. Mine has been the last one on the list:

lizzypopbottle Fri 16-May-25 13:44:01

Should be AMD in title! Don't you just hate auto correct?!

Aveline Fri 16-May-25 13:49:01

Sorry to hear you have this lizzy. I hope the treatment works well. Lucky you went to the opticians when you did.

lizzypopbottle Fri 16-May-25 14:25:01

Hi Aveline, yes, I'm lucky they caught it reasonably early. Thinking of Judy Dench...

Usedtobeblonde Fri 16-May-25 15:12:22

I have wet AMD in my left eye and have now started dry in my right eye.
I had injections for 18 months every 4 weeks but do not have any treatment at all now.
I had a sight test last Saturday and the right eye hadn’t altered in a year so it’s wait and see.
I do hope your treatment is early enough to work for you.

lizzypopbottle Fri 16-May-25 15:20:27

That's good news, if you don't need treatment now Usedtobeblonde. I'm hopeful that will be the outcome for me eventually.

lizzypopbottle Fri 16-May-25 15:22:28

Unfortunately, my right eye is also affected but hasn't reached the treatment threshold yet. They will monitor it though.

SillyNanny321 Fri 16-May-25 15:27:37

Have had dry amd in both eyes for about 20 years. Was told by Consultant to get Macushield then Macushield Gold & to stay on it so I think I have him to thank for my sight not failing as fast as some peoples sight does! I have had wet amd in both wyes but at different times thankfully & have had injections then regular checkups for a couple of years after. Both times were successful & hopefully my eyes will not get too much worse! Hoping that you have the same results with your eyes!

lizzypopbottle Fri 16-May-25 15:42:22

Thank you SillyNanny321 I'm glad you and the others up thread have had good results from the treatment. The main reason I posted about this was to encourage everyone to see an optician regularly, especially if they have any of the symptoms listed in the photo. It didn't occur to me that I had any symptoms at all. My optician was brilliant. He referred me as urgent.

Charleygirl5 Fri 16-May-25 15:53:03

I finished a five-year trial for dry AMD in December. I have it in both eyes, but my left eye is at the stage of having geographic Atrophy, which means I could be registered blind in one eye. That eye was treated, and the drug Styfovre worked. That eye has not become any worse. NICE will not fund the drug because of the cost.

I was offered the monthly injection for life but the cons, for me outweighed the pros so in my case, time will tell.

kittylester Fri 16-May-25 15:53:37

I started a thread about this while ago when I was first diagnosed. I have wet in one eye and dry in the other.

I am, for now, being monitored as my WMD has remained unchanged for the last 3 appointments.

My friend has almost lost her sight because of it - despite having the injections.

Gin Fri 16-May-25 16:22:29

I have the wet variety in both eyes. In my left eye the macula is so scared that no more treatment is offered. In my right eye I have had injections regularly for the last five years, now every seven weeks. Thank goodness we have such an excellent service meaning I can still read a book.

V3ra Fri 16-May-25 18:03:03

We go to Boots opticians, every two years for me and every year for my husband as his dad had glaucoma.
His mum has had macular degeneration for many years.

Our sight tests are free, being over 60, and for the last few years they've also offered an extra 3D sectional scan which shows the condition of the macula.
There's a charge for that of £25.

kittylester Fri 16-May-25 18:18:46

That is how mine was found. I pay for a scan every time it is offered.

V3ra Fri 16-May-25 18:35:35

kittylester we do too, and so far so good 🤞🏻
My vision's not good and I've had glasses since I was three, but as the optician said at least your eyeballs are healthy for now!

lizzypopbottle thank you for the list of symptoms.

To anyone undergoing treatment I wish you well x

kittylester Fri 23-May-25 08:39:14

I have resurrected this thread to ask if anyone takes the supplements marketed for this condition.

I asked the first consultant I saw his opinion and he said that, while there are no recommendations to do so, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that it might be beneficial.

Having asked the advice of my optician, I now take Macushield. I buy a 3 month supply for about £35-40 on Amazon.

Obviously, there is no way of knowing whether it's the tablets or not but my readings haven't changed since I started them.

Norah Fri 23-May-25 13:47:09

I take tablets for AMD on consultants advice.

Norah Fri 23-May-25 13:48:14

kittylester

I have resurrected this thread to ask if anyone takes the supplements marketed for this condition.

I asked the first consultant I saw his opinion and he said that, while there are no recommendations to do so, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that it might be beneficial.

Having asked the advice of my optician, I now take Macushield. I buy a 3 month supply for about £35-40 on Amazon.

Obviously, there is no way of knowing whether it's the tablets or not but my readings haven't changed since I started them.

Apologies. Quote here.

Answer: yes.

Yorkshirepudding4ever Sat 24-May-25 14:05:45

My husband has had dry AMD for about 25 years. We would recommend joining the macular society. They send out info on a regular basis regarding current research taking place, tips on diet & lifestyle, gadgets to help with coping with different problems that might arise etc. They also have an annual conference with speakers on a range of topics - they are held at various venues around the country, ( or online for those unable to travel). There is also an exhibition of gadgets that could be useful and can be tried out or be demonstrated with no obligation to buy. Though my husband is 82, he embraces technology and this, especially his iPad, has greatly helped to improve his quality of life, compared with his brother, who has the same condition but won't try anything that we think might help him!

lizzypopbottle Sat 24-May-25 14:24:46

Yes, belatedly, I'm taking MacuShield gold since my diagnosis. A real case of shutting the stable door...

Gin Sat 24-May-25 14:40:06

I believe the main ingredient of the preventative treatments is Lutein. I take Lutigold Extra and also eat lots of dark green vegetables which contain lutein. I have taken this for years but no consultant has ever said it was proven to help and I have seen many over the years.

Retired65 Sat 24-May-25 17:52:39

I was wrongly diagnosed with glaucoma, in 2011 and prescribed drops. It has now been decided that I have AMD in one eye. It was caught early and I elected to start treatment straight away. The gap between injections is gradually being widen, my next one being the end of September. I too, take Macushield.

RillaofIngleside Sun 25-May-25 08:14:53

Thank you for the list of symptoms, I wish everyone well who is having problems and hope the treatment helps.

Bukkie Sun 25-May-25 10:04:09

This won't reverse it but I have found it brilliant - lutein. Any supplements containing it such as Macugold, macushield etc.... My retinal bleed has never returned, the clarity of vision is unbelievable ( I still have very strong glasses) Even my husband who is only slightly short sighted takes one tablet a day as a precaution and cannot believe the difference they have made to his vision. I don't know why opticians don't promote them more.

megan777 Wed 28-May-25 00:07:10

It’s good your optician caught it early and you’re already getting treatment. Wet AMD can be scary, but starting the injections quickly can really help slow it down.