Past, Future, Present — With Macular Degeneration

As 1 year ends with a new year on the horizon, our thoughts turn to the past and the future, but where the real gift lies is in the PRESENT!

Assessing how the past affects the present, especially when you are challenged with macular degeneration, helps us develop better strategies for the future. Here’s how this process unfolded for me.

Viewing the past with gratitude

Of course, I would rather NOT have macular degeneration, but of all the serious health issues, I would certainly choose age-related macular degeneration (AMD) over some other incurable, progressive conditions. I still have my mind, although some of my closest friends and family might question that!

For me personally, losing my ability to think would be far worse than losing my central vision. Plus, I still have control over my body and I function well for my age. I may not move as quickly, but I’m active and mobile. For this, I am grateful. Everyone seems challenged with something; my challenge is with AMD. I accept that challenge!

I am also grateful that my dry macular degeneration has held stable the past several years. It has been over 12 years since my diagnosis of early stage AMD. Today, I still drive and have progressed only to the intermediate stage. I hear more inspiring stories on MacularDegeneration.net about others whose sight has improved or stabilized with injections. While this isn’t an option yet at my stage, it fills me with hope for the future.

Viewing the future with hope

It’s hard to know where to start; there is so much hope for the future with macular degeneration. For starters, every year, more research and trials happen. Just in the last couple of years, they approved new injections for geographic atrophy (GA), the advanced stage of dry AMD. I am hopeful that more tests will reveal additional treatments for other stages of AMD to keep it from progressing, or possibly even a cure for AMD! My retina specialist is on the lookout for any trials for which I would qualify and will notify me. I would love to be a part of this process.

With artificial intelligence (AI), there is so much we can now do that my mother and cousin — both legally blind with AMD — would have loved. We are so lucky to live at a time when Siri, Alexa, and Seeing AI are all waiting to hear our next request, such as playing our favorite music, turning on lights, setting timers, sending texts, and much, much more. We can even "talk" to our smart TVs through the remote and tell them what channel or show we want to watch.

Living fully in the present with macular degeneration

What I’ve found is when I look back with gratitude and look forward to the future with hope, I am very optimistic in the present. On the flip side, if I look back with anger and regret and look forward with F.E.A.R. (false evidence appearing real), my present moment undoubtedly would be anxious and terrifying.

I choose gratitude and hope over regret, anger, and fear... each day... every day!