Dry Macular Degeneration has ruined my life
Diagnosed about 20 years ago. Very mild case. 2 yrs ago I started losing my detail vision and couldn't drive at night.
I have been to 3 Retina Specialists as my vision has gotten worse. 2 out of the 3 say its due to MD. Other one says no.
All 3 say nothing can be done. MD is still dry. My sister whose went from dry to wet a couple of years ago and has been taking the shots, has seen her vision improve due to the new shots. So all though she has to have shots in her eyes, which is very unpleasant, she is seeing improvement. Plus she has not lost her detail eyesight nor night vision. So I do somewhat envy her.
I am single. No kids. This has been very hard on me. Plus I have really bad migraines and neurophy, plus IBS. So I was already dealing with alot.
I just cannot believe this is happening to me. Im only 72.
it's amazing how things seem to happen after 70. After 20 years of almost no change in your sight, this must have come as a shock. Did any of your doctors suggest any lifestyle changes to help slow down the progression, such as AREDS2 supplements and a Mediterranean-style diet? Wendy, Patient Leader. Yes, I've been taking Areds for many years. Never really took 2 cuz of zinc level but doing that now to see if there's a difference.
Because of my short gut syndrome and migraines, I'm limited to what I can eat. It's very hard to avoid so many foods and still feed my platate and nutrition desires. I met a man yesterday who has dry MD and is going to take the new shot. Do you know anything about this shot?I feel for you with gut issues and trying to get the proper nutrition as well as enjoy your food. It's difficult enough to get all the vitamins and minerals we need without having these extra difficulties. On the issue of the new shot for dry AMD, there are just a few in our community who have had this. It is for the advanced stage of the disease called Geographic Atrophy. It is called Syfovre and is given monthly at first, I believe. Of the people in our group who are having it, it is too early for them to report whether it is helping them. It isn't designed to restore vision, but to slow the loss of vision. Some people have reported that their doctor is reluctant to use it. Evidently even in the same practice, there are some specialists who will administer it and others who won't. I'm not a medical person, so I don't know why there is some reluctance around, as every drug has possible side-effects. My doctor told me that the incidence of dry AMD turning to wet AMD increased amongst those in the trials. She said that wouldn't turn her off, though, but if it happened, I would then need injections for both the dry form and the wet form. Best wishes, Wendy, Patient Leader.
Yes it has , but no improvement, I was hoping for more,his eyesight will not improve I'm told, just controlled
Best wishesplease give your husband our best regards from the community and we wish you both well. Wendy, Patient Leader.
I do not believe AREDS or AREDS2 does anything. In fact it seems since taking these the deterioration has increased.
I called B&L a some years ago to ask about this magical formulation, and taking typical multi-vitamins also. The advice was to go ahead and continues taking multi-vitamins. Well, it does not take a large intellect to see that such a therapy completely upsets the magical B&L formula. The main effect of AREDS and AREDS2 (rather expense products) is to enrich B&L.
to take or not take areds2 is a personal decision each person must make. I chose to take areds2 when diagnosed 10 years ago. My doctor says that nothing can completely stop progression. This article details the safety and efficacy of areds2. https://www.mdfoundation.com.au/news/areds2-study-supplements/. Regards, Sharon Moore patient leader
