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THE MACULAR
DEGENERATION COMMUNITY

 

Jean Lord

Born
09/26/1935

Home
Worcester, MA

Diagnosis
Dry (Atrophic) Age-related Macular Degeneration. Wet (Neovascular) Age-related Macular Degeneration.

Eyes Affected
Both

Age at Diagnosis
71-75

Visual Acuity
20/50.

Treatment
I had the three major drugs shot, with bad reactions to all -- thus chose to wait and see rather than treat preventively, and managed 14 months before recently needing again in Feb 2021. I forgot to ask which drug. I also really like the supplement Macula 30 by Quantum.

Prognosis or Current State of Vision
My vision changes a lot, even during the day. I just don't have glasses for close work. And since I no longer drive since my car died, distance classes aren't needed either. Occasionally I can read pretty small font, if I really concentrate, while otherwise I need a 16 font. I also have multiple sclerosis, so unsure how much of vision problems are due to that more than the macular disease My somewhat better eye is the one that went wet. The dry macular eye does have vision loss a little in the center, even though it doesn't seem so. The center seems to fill in with the nearby colors. Therefore I have to look to the side a little to be able to identify. But a curiosity to me is that I do see much better with both eyes than with either one alone, despite the problems with each eye

Family History
Mother had macular disease, and it went wet. That was before the shots were available.

Impact on My Life
So far I am able to get along pretty well, with the help of increasing found to my computer, and using a 4 inch 3X magnifying glass which sits on a pole next to my computer chair, along with smaller magnifying glasses spread around my apartment. I do sometimes have trouble seeing things if the colors me kind of disappear into the surroundings. I didn't bother to update my glasses, so don't wear them. I see satisfactorily, that is I can get along with what I can see, with periodic uses of magnifying glasses

Employment
Decades ago, in clerical accounting and in college admissions.

More About Me
Due to significant sensitivity to pharmaceutical drugs, I became interested in holistic medicine, and have been involved both in homeopathy and in supplements, along with holistic treatments like chiropractic and acupuncture and osteopathy, although I've not received them since the pandemic began, as of February 2021. I was managing without the extra care, so didn't want to take a chance on getting ill, especially since I needed to take taxis, and there was usually a very long wait in public for them to arrive. I like to watch the information programs on PBS, and the old TV shows from the 1950s, dramas, Westerns, comedies, mysteries and all that.



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