Does Macular Degeneration Have to Be So Scary?

Spooky season has arrived! October has always been my favorite month of the year. The cooler weather! The sound of rustling leaves! The smell of bonfires! The Halloween decorations! The treats! Pumpkin spice everything!

I’m here for it all, unapologetically.

An important reminder

Although I do enjoy the joys of the other seasons with my 2 sons, there’s just so much about fall that excites me! Funny enough, when I look around at all the monsters, ghouls, and ghosts donned in stores and homes, I’m reminded of something important about life with a degenerative eye disease.

Macular degeneration is scary

I often chuckle to myself sarcastically that these spooky Halloween decorations are not actually the frightful things in my life.

You know what can be truly scary? All the things that rear their ugly heads and accompany a devastating diagnosis of macular degeneration. Things like possible central vision blindness, permanent vision loss, eye injections, loss of independence… The list goes on and on.

We don’t have to be afraid

Though there are still times when I worry about my future because of my MMD (myopic macular degeneration) diagnosis, over time, I’ve learned that I don’t need to be scared of it constantly. All that abundant fear did to me in the past was keep me in a heightened state of anxiety. It stole my joy and didn’t allow me to be my best self or live my best life.

We only get one life

There isn’t any changing this diagnosis or curing this disease. That’s a really hard truth about this disease. To me, that means finding acceptance is an important aspect of my macular degeneration.

It’s most likely an important part of yours as well. We only get one life, and we all deserve it to be an amazing one! Even with this scary bump in the road.

Acceptance

Something my diagnosis has done for me is taught me how to turn even the sourest lemons into something at least resembling lemonade:

Am I happy that my eyes are failing? Absolutely not. Do I wish things were different? Sure. Am I thrilled about changing my diet, exercising on the regular, and taking vitamins daily? Eh…

Obsessing doesn't help

Obsessing over those things doesn’t do much good for my life. Some days, my lemonade is sweeter than others, while some days it’s sourer. But, I always have lemonade.

I attribute that to these things called acceptance and perspective. Accepting the reality of my situation and taking actions that can help me along the way has been a wonderful blessing to me.

What a diagnosis can gift us

Acceptance takes the fear out of the equation and gives me the headspace I need to keep moving forward. It permits me to continue finding joy in my life. It reminds me that this is completely out of my control.

I can take care of myself by eating all the right foods and visiting my doctors when I need to. However, there’s more to my diagnosis that is out of my hands, and I want to be happy and at peace!

Perspective

Besides that, being diagnosed with macular degeneration can, in many ways, be a gift if we simply shift our perspective. Since my diagnosis, I’ve become more grateful. I’m able to pause and appreciate life’s beauty and not just rush through it all.

I’m healthier, more patient, and more understanding with others. And I’m determined to do something good with this thing that could very easily have taken me down.

Go at your own speed

I’ve had myopic macular degeneration for over 15 years now. This means that I’ve had a lot of time to process my emotions and work through the hard parts of a life-changing diagnosis.

If you’re not quite ready to feel grateful yet, or if your perspective isn’t ready to shift… That’s more than okay! Go at your own pace. But don’t let your macular degeneration steal your joy.

Andrea Junge