Low Vision Blog

My husband’s father has wet age related macular degeneration (AMD) as did several of my father-in-law’s siblings. As most of you know macular degeneration runs in families. While we can’t change the genes we’ve inherited we can influence the expression of these genes through nutrition and lifestyle. One area that seems to influence the development […]

When I was growing up I occasionally saw people using a long white cane.  I am not sure how I came to know that the person was blind but somehow I did.  I also thought that anyone who used one on these canes was totally blind.  I now use a long white cane and I […]

The two most common forms of age related macular degeneration (AMD) are dry (non-exudative) and wet (exudative) AMD. People who have wet AMD, which causes more severe loss of central vision, had the dry form first. This is why researchers are looking at ways to treat dry AMD to prevent it from progressing to wet […]

While there is no medical treatment or cure to reverse advanced macular degeneration, there are several different companies that are developing retinal implants that help to restore some of the vision that is lost due to the degeneration or death of photoreceptor cells. The technology for these implants vary and each implant is designed to […]

In the last couple of years there has been several new medications that have become available for those who have the wet form of macular degeneration. Drugs such as Macugen, Lucentis, Avastin and now Eylea all belong to a class of drugs called anti-VEGF drugs or anti-angiogenesis drugs. The use of anti-VEGF therapy has become […]

Have you been diagnosed with macular degeneration, Stargardt’s Disease, diabetic retinopathy, a macular hole or another type of retinal condition? Did you know that there are medical doctors, ophthalmologists, who specialize in the treatment of retinal diseases and conditions? What is the difference between an optometrist, an ophthalmologist and a retina doctor? An optometrist has […]

I am a 63 year old criminal defense lawyer who has low vision due to diabetic retinopathy.  I have no vision in my left eye and on a good day the vision in my right eye is 20/400. Approximately seven years ago I awoke and I could not see out of my left eye.  Incredibly, […]

Cataracts: What They Are and How to Treat Them   Cataracts affect more than fifty percent of Americans over the age of 65. Age related blindness is commonly attributed to the clouding of the lens.  The way your eyes function is through a lens which acts as a “camera” and then captures an image in […]

Advanced aged related macular degeneration (AMD) is the last stage of macular degeneration. What does that mean? It means that there is no longer any treatment that can correct or cure one’s vision loss. Vision loss at this stage is a severe loss of straight ahead vision in both eyes. A black or gray spot, […]

A recent reader sent me a question asking, “Can you provide some information on e book readers – such as Kindle readers, magnification, contrast and which works best for those with age related macular degeneration? Also what are the costs of book downloads? “ E book readers have made reading possible for those with age […]