Not Me

It has been three years since I was diagnosed with myopic macular degeneration. Those years have included many appointments for treatment, with injections as needed.

I had heard of macular degeneration, but quite honestly, had no clue what it even meant. Hearing the word myopic with this diagnosis just added to my confusion. It was the beginning of learning about my condition.

Definition

According to the Macular Society, myopic macular degeneration is a type of macular degeneration that occurs in people with severe myopia. Myopia is known as short-sightedness, typically these people have larger or longer-shaped eyeballs. This makes the distance between the front of the eye and the retina at the back of the eye much longer.¹

Having this high myopia (nearsightedness) and elongated eyes cause the walls of the eyeball to become very stretched. This makes the walls thin. In this thinning and stretching is when cracks can appear, causing bleeding in the center of the macula. This forms abnormal blood vessels, causing irreversible loss of central vision. With the injections of drugs, such as Lucentis® or Eylea® into the eye, the bleed is (hopefully) controlled.¹

Coming to terms with myopic MD

Over these past three years, I have come to terms with this diagnosis. I have had my share of injections. I am currently almost a year without any need for the above-mentioned shots. It is ever on my mind as I look through this afflicted eye. There is no true cure, no turning back the hands of time.

What to do

Still, I am always looking for something that could “fix” this situation. I read everything I can about macular degeneration, Googling every direction that I can. I read about supplements that are recommended. I read about nutritional advice, recipes, and lifestyle changes; any combination that could potentially fix, or at least slow this degeneration down.

A show stopper

After these three years of living with the diagnosis, the reality has come to hit me full in the face, so to speak: Myopic degeneration is in a class all its own.

No supplements, diets, or lifestyle changes will affect the damage it causes. No amount of lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc, copper, vitamin E, or vitamin C will pause this degeneration. No lifestyle changes or additional outside intervention will affect this process. The degeneration is in direct relation to the physical shape and characteristics of my highly nearsighted eyes.

And so...

This information was reaffirmed by my retinal specialist and also by listening to a recent podcast by Dr. Rudrani Banik. The reality is that myopic macular degeneration is here to stay. Learning to live with it and remaining upbeat and optimistic is all I have.

I will continue to move forward, live healthily, and stay positive, no matter what lies ahead. The bottom line is this: I am who I am, not because of my poor vision but because I can see beyond the negative directions of my eyes.