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THE MACULAR
DEGENERATION COMMUNITY

Carol


 

Name
Carol J. Davis

Born
10/30/44 in Bell, California

Home
Portland, Oregon

Diagnosis
I was originally diagnosed as having macular degeneration and sent to a specialist, who neither confirmed nor denied this diagnosis, but I received an excellent explanation of MD. In a 2-year period, I went to six different doctors and only the last, a retina specialist said, "You do not have MD and I don't know why anyone told you that you did." So I worried for a couple years about nothing.

Moral of this story: Be sure that you have a very good retina specialist diagnose your eye condition.

Eyes Affected
Both.

Eye Color
Blue

Age at Diagnosis
55

Visual Acuity
?

Treatment
None so far.

Prognosis or Current State of Vision
Bright light, in general, bothers me. Eyes do not handle contrast very well (e.g., night driving with bright headlights). Blurry vision at times. One eye has a grey area in the upper left quadrant of the Amsler grid. However, a lot of vision remains in that eye, and the left eye is not affected in the same way.

Family History
Father developed glaucoma in early 60's; mother in her 80's. Neither were diagnosed with MD. Two sisters--might have MD. I am the most near-sighted of the bunch. My son is also near-sighted.

Impact on My Life
I avoid driving at night, and I read large print books. Other than that, I am fully functional at work and home.

Positive Effects
So far, no real positive effects. However, I accept the situation and am in more of a neutral position (not depressed) at the moment.

Adaptations
Large print books, replace fluorescent lights at work with differnt type of light). Because I am not working in a public area, I wear a visor at work. I am taking eye formula vitamins, increasing leafy greens in diet.

Working
Yes. At a social service agency. Other staff are very supportive. I have worked with computers for about 18 years.

More About Me
BFA in Theater Arts. I started acting before grade school in church performances. Continued to act in local theater after college. Finally, stopped acting at age 51--too demanding physically. Now I draw angel cartoons, arrange flowers, and write haiku to keep my artistic skills honed.

I raised one son who is now married with a lovely wife and three children (2 girls, 1 boy). They live in a big yellow bus which they've converted into a cozy little home. He works as a manager with the Salvation Army.



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