Living with Macular Degeneration

Living with macular degeneration, and living well, is absolutely possible. In the beginning, though, it can seem hopeless.

I fully understand these feelings as I was diagnosed with Angioid streaks, a rare genetic form of macular degeneration, over 25 years ago.

My vision loss was caused from tiny breaks in Bruch’s membrane, which is the retina’s lower layer, an elastic tissue containing membrane that helps to nourish the photoreceptor layer.

Once Bruch’s membrane begins to calcify and crack, it results in symptoms similar to macular.

So, yes, I’m quite familiar with what you’re going through in terms of adjusting to and living with macular degeneration.

Adjusting to Living With Macular Degeneration: Depression

One of the first things you may experience is depression.

depressed woman in wheelchair suffering from macular degeneration

There's nothing wrong with you if you become depressed after your low vision diagnosis.

What you should know is that depression is its own disease, meaning you shouldn't take it lightly. If you find that you're experiencing any of the symptoms I've given you below, I encourage you to seek help because untreated depression is the leading cause of elder suicide.

Here is what you may be experiencing:

Lower energy levels
Anxiety or sadness that goes far beyond "normal"
Sudden weight gain or loss
Less interest in activities or hobbies you used to love engaging in
Constant irritability
Difficulty with concentration
Difficulty making basic decisions
Difficulty recalling basic information
Chronic stomach pains or headaches

If you're seeing many of the above symptoms, I encourage you to get help because once you do, there are many positive ideas I can bring you in terms of living with low vision in an empowering way.

Adjust Your Home

There are steps to take that will make your home easier to operate and live in:

Contrast - Accidents, such as breaking a glass, happen when it's difficult to see dark colors against other dark colors (the same goes for lighter shades, too).

Set up your kitchen, for example, where you have dark colored plates, bowls and glasses if your counter tops are light, or vice versa. The same goes for your hand towels and dishcloths.

You can apply the same principle in each room of your home.

Better Lighting - Under cabinet lighting, overhead lights, extra hallway/stair lighting, task lighting, etc can all be used to help your vision inside.

Bathroom - Use brightly colored, non-skid mats, grab bars, contrasting colors for towels, toilet seat, and bath rubber mat, and contrasting tub tape.

Paint your doors with contrasting colors, or even remove them and replace with bright curtains.

Friends and Family

Living with macular degeneration can be tough for your family and friends. They, too, can experience feelings of loss, anger, or helplessness.

This can then cause them to act differently with you. Encourage them to learn how to accept your condition along with you and that simply acting like their "normal" selves is the best thing they can do for you.

Easing Daily Tasks

Develop a system for where to always place your coat, keys, pots & pans, shoes, glasses, medications, etc.

Use large print on your medication bottles.

Investigate the wonderful technological devices that available to all of us with low vision. For example:

Talking cooking gadgets
Large print books
Large type computer keyboards
Talking bibles
Lamps with magnifiers
Smoke detectors
Amplified phones
Talking watches
Computer screen magnifiers
Voice recognition software
Talking clocks
Screen reading software

My goal is to help you see that living with macular degeneration doesn't need to mean a decline in your standard of living or independence. Instead, you can learn how to thrive in your new life.

If you'd like to learn about all of today's remarkable technology that’s making our low vision lives easier, I encourage you to fill out the form below and I'll send you details.