Prevent Yourself From Going Blind

Is there hope for age-related macular degeneration (AMD)?

Author selfie after first Wet AMD eye injection

My ophthalmologist’s cheery mask slipped as she examined my eyes through one of her mysterious imaging machines.

Her smiley chatter dwindled and her brow puckered. “I need to do some additional scans. Rest your chin here, please.”

An unpleasant shock jolted me when she said I might have age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in my right eye. Abnormal blood vessels were leaking in that eyeball.

“Yes,” I told her, I’d noticed an odd “wave” that seemingly traveled through text as I read a book or typed words into a document on my laptop. But I’d assumed I only needed new glasses.

I was wrong. It was something much more serious.

My subsequent visit to a retina surgeon confirmed the diagnosis. Without treatment, I found out I could go blind.

What does the future hold for me and the other 1 in 10 Americans aged 50 and older with early AMD?

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections

I soon learned that wet AMD can cause fast vision loss, but it also responds well to treatment.