Summer Daze

By Debbie Havens

2 min read

"Geez, it’s hot."

This sentence seems to be the opening statement no matter where I go these days.

"Sure is hot out there."

"Have you seen the temperature today?"

"You will not believe what the temperature feels like today."

Yes, no doubt about it, it sure is hot.

When the summer heat appears

Actually, I think this happens every summer. It is a surprise at times; my memory blocks out the previous year’s weather and goes into complete shock when the mercury rises to such extremes — again. Year after year, the summer heat makes its appearance and catches me off guard.

My method of coping is relatively simple. I avoid being out in the elements as much as possible. Our home is wonderfully air-conditioned, and I thoroughly enjoy the pleasant coolness that surrounds me. The SUV I drive also is outfitted with this lovely air conditioning, making the driving I need to do enjoyable as well, and making me so grateful for modern technology.

The positive side of summer with AMD

On a more positive note, I have to say I do love summer, as it affords us so many hours of daylight. Lately, the sun has been setting about 8:30 in the evening, giving a full day of brightness. This brightness gives me such a happy feeling, giving a clear backdrop to my art-creating world. With macular degeneration, there are times when the swarmy smear of my vision really struggles.

It is when the bright sun comes through my windows that I can see so much more clearly.

Creating the latest art project truly comes together when the natural light of day shines in my workroom. With this daylight, I am able to capture the lines and colors needed. Summer light is a bonus. Working with natural light streaming through the window enables me to almost forget my macular degeneration struggles. So, summer has some good attributes, I would say.

Enjoying summer sunshine

Summer sunshine is funny at times — shining so brightly, toasting our world to almost unbearable degrees, covering home gardens with its warmth, promoting crops of tomatoes and zucchinis all around. The heat created by its rays entices frisky puppies to roll around in the hot mowed grass. The sun’s rays catch the summertime tree leaves, giving just a little more time to see the green in their foliage.

As the day begins to wind down, there is often a haze off in the distance. You can almost feel its waning warmth reflecting off of the horizon. This haze softens the edges of the skyline, a sure sign of the winding down of summer.

The comfort of air conditioning

I will hold onto the brightness of that sun for as long as it is around, appreciating the window of brightness it gives me as I work diligently in my workroom. Yes, these 'summer daze' are coming to an end soon. I will enjoy it comfortably from my air-conditioned space, happy to be able to see what I can see on these bright summer days.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The MacularDegeneration.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

Join the conversation

Please read our rules before commenting.

Linda Hoopes Moderator
Beautifully written, Debbie, I can relate to the wonderment of daylight savings time, especially critical to those with macular degeneration. There is so much more time to do things and see people when our vision is less compromised by darkness. I love meeting gal pals for dinner instead of having to schedule lunch dates during the daytime. I’m curious what changes for others during the summer daylight hours - Does your routine look different? Linda Hoopes, Team Member
Brown Eyed Girl Moderator
<inline-mention username="Debbie Havens" user-id="3110438"/> I'm envious of your warm days as we slide into winter down here in Australia. I'm definitely a "summer person." I like daylight saving too. Right now I'm bunkered down at 5.30 pm when it's dark outside. I need much more artificial light in the house to see what I'm doing. I hope you enjoy your summer, because I definitely enjoyed reading your story. Wendy, Advocate.
Lorie3 Member
I so can relate to the sunny summer days here in wisconsin. We typically have 9 months of "not summer". It's gray, dark, cloudy and cold. So it's such a good feeling to have the brightness you talked about. My art projects consist of making cards using rubber stamps, inks, pretty papers, markers and a collection of colored pencils. I donate most cards and keep the family well stocked, too. 
1. Sharon Moore Moderator
 <inline-mention username="Lorie3" user-id="4560854"/> That sounds like such a lovely hobby. I lived in Minnesota for four years so I totally get the “nine months of not summer”. I love bright sunshiny days and my vision seems much better. Thanks for sharing, Sharon Moore patient leader
sho50 Member
Summer heat most negatively impacts my dry eyes problem and, especially, psoriasis flare-ups. But it's more the brightness of sunlight that causes me problems with my vitelliform variant AMD. Having both heat and excessive brightness at the same time is miserable. That's why I've become "addicted" to cool, damp, overcast, marine climes, especially in summer. A/C, good sunglasses, and a humidifier are the best treatments. 
1. sho50 Member
 <inline-mention username="Brown Eyed Girl" user-id="3141081"/> Yes. I treat dry eye disease with Restasis (cyclosporin emulsion drops), TID, and artificial tears as needed. They definitely help, but do not totally fix the problem. My physician has suggested trying autologous blood serum eye drops as a next step, but it is prohibitively expensive because it isn't covered by by insurance, so haven't pulled the trigger on that possibility yet. We also use a humidifier with our A/C, to keep our house humidity at or above 50%. When driving, I wear goggle-type wrap-around, blue-blocking sunglasses over my prescription eyeglasses when the A/C is on (which is most of the time, year-round). Otherwise, the dry A/C wind rapidly becomes quite disabling. 
2. Brown Eyed Girl Moderator
 <inline-mention username="sho50" user-id="8402117"/> you seem to be doing all you can to help your dry eyes. After my injection I didn't put eye drops in my eyes for three days because I was so worried about infection. I struggled, but it was OK. I did have a few tears a couple of times, and I wondered if tears were sterile 😀 Wendy, Patient Leader.
sho50 Member
<inline-mention username="Brown Eyed Girl" user-id="3141081"/> Fear not; your own tears are sterile enough, unless you already had an underlying tear gland infection (very unlikely). 
1. Brown Eyed Girl Moderator
 <inline-mention username="sho50" user-id="8402117"/> thanks, that's good to know. I've only had two injections, but I had a little cry after both of them, not before, strangely. I think it was just from relief that it was over (for now) and that it didn't hurt. Wendy, Patient Leader.
sho50 Member
<inline-mention username="Brown Eyed Girl" user-id="3141081"/> The injections themselves are almost always painless (except very rarely if a nerve is directly hit) because your eyeball is anesthetized. Its the 3 to 18-24 hours afterward that are uncomfortable due to irritation from any tiny amount of residual Betadine and the "sand-in-the-eye" scratchiness at the injection site. That amount of discomfort unpredictably varies greatly. Most important is getting the eye thoroughly rinsed out after the injection... And then rinsed out some more. The more the better! 
1. sho50 Member
 <inline-mention username="Brown Eyed Girl" user-id="3141081"/> Eeks! Definitely NOT my experience. Any residual Betadine IN MY EYE is very irritating. 
2. Brown Eyed Girl Moderator
 <inline-mention username="sho50" user-id="8402117"/> I hear you! I was quite astounded at this situation after what I have learned in this community about rinsing! Wendy, Patient Leader.