Each eye at a different stage
My dry macular degeneration is severe in my left eye and at an earlier stage in my right eye. The severity of my left eye really distorts my vision when I read and also when I try to type on my computer or phone. In other words, I can see much better if I cover my left eye. My right eye has some distortion but I can still see. I use a patch on my left eye sometimes at home, but when I’m out, I don’t want to use it. I’m wondering if anyone else has this issue, having your eyes at different stages, and how you deal with it.
since my diagnosis 10 years ago my eyes have been at different stages. Fortunately my better eye did a good job compensating until the past year when I advanced to geographic atrophy. Others in the community have mentioned patching one eye. The attached article states it isn’t harmful to patch one eye for short periods of time. It recommends discussing it with your doctor. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/ask-ophthalmologist-q/will-patching-my-eye-with-amd-harm-my-eyes. Let us know what your doctor recommends. Warm regards, Sharon Moore patient leader Thank you for your response. Just so I understand, is severe AMD and geographic atrophy the same thing? My fear, understandably, is that my “good” eye will become severe. I keep saying to myself that if my good eye stays the same and continues to compensate, I’ll be fine, but what if it starts to decline? How are you doing? Are you now considered visually impaired? Was it a gradual change or sudden?
I hope it’s ok to ask personal questions.
Thank you, Sandrait’s perfectly okay to ask personal questions. AMD is considered advanced if you have wet AMD. If you have dry AMD that advances to geographic atrophy it is severe. The majority of people with AMD never advance to the advanced stages. My progression has been slow over 10 years since diagnosis. Even though I have geographic atrophy I am not legally blind. I am still legal to drive in Oklahoma but I limit my driving to daylight hours and familiar areas. There are many risk factors that play a role in macular degeneration. I have a strong family history and I am a former smoker. Some people with AMD have no risk factors and still get it. There is a lot we still don’t know but medical advances the last 20 years have helped many keep their vision. I am getting injections of Izervay for geographic atrophy. I hope it slow my progression. I encourage you to explore our website using the menu upper left of your screen. You can use the search bar to look up any topic of interest to you. Warm regards, Sharon Moore patient leader
