Doctor, How Bad Is It Going To Get?

Hey Doctor so-and-so, “Am I going to go blind?" "Do I qualify for any clinical trials?" "What does my future hold?”

These are all questions I’ve recently asked my retinal specialist (RS). Let me share his response with you.

Retinal specialist Q&A

• Am I going to go blind? My RS said, “No! Although you may lose some of your central vision, your peripheral vision will remain intact.”
• What about participating in some clinical trials? RS told me, “There are many promising clinical trials currently underway, but I don’t yet meet the parameters to join one.”
• Doc, what does my future hold? Doctor so-and-so responded: “You’ll be fine, it’s my job to keep your non-GA (geographic atrophy) eye stable and we’ve done that for 9 years now, so I am watching you closely and will continue to do so.”

Whew! That’s a relief doctor! Let’s explore a few more questions that may be beneficial to ask your eye doc.

Top questions to ask your eye doctor

• What is my risk of losing reading vision in the next 5 years?
• Would cataract surgery help me see better?
• If I get new glasses, would this help me see better?
• Should I see a low-vision specialist?
• Am I eligible for any clinical trials?
• Should I be taking AREDS/AREDS2 vitamins?
• Regarding wet AMD (age-related macular degeneration), is it possible to get injections less often?
• Should I be driving?
• What can my siblings and children do to reduce their risk of developing AMD?
• What new symptoms should prompt a call to you?

Personal questions

Did you notice the above 10 questions don’t have answers following them?

That's because everyone is different and may get differing answers depending on what stage of AMD we are in. The doctor will decide based on your specific data and use his experience and judgment to answer you.

What my eye doctor told me

I will share the answers I got from the first 5 questions from my eye doc as they pertain to me.

• What’s my risk of losing my reading vision in the next 5 years? Answer: “Negligible, my wet AMD eye has stayed stable for 9 years and is still in the 20/30 range.”
• Would cataract surgery help me see better?  Answer: “Although I exhibit mild cataracts, it is too soon to consider it at this time.”
• If I get new glasses will it help me see better? Answer: “That’s a loaded question! I don’t encourage you to chase your vision with new lenses every 6 months but you should have your optometrist check you yearly for this.”
• Should I see a low vision specialist?  Answer: “You shared with me that you already have and that you gained knowledge of what services are available to the visually impaired, you are ok for now.”
• Am I eligible for clinical trials? Answer: “You currently don’t meet the parameters for one, I am on top of this and will advise you as soon as I see one that holds promise for you.”

Everyone's different

So you get the idea, right? Every one of us is unique and may get differing answers. But this may offer you a platform to come up with your own questions.

You can alter and change the questions any way you like. I’ve found that it is important for me to write down a list of things I want to cover with the doctor before each visit. I’m wishing you well on our shared eye health journey.

Editor's Note: As of August 2023, 2 drugs known as complement inhibitors — Syfovre® and Izervay™ — have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat geographic atrophy (GA).