John Goosen is an Executive Committee Member of MAG. John recently addressed a meeting regarding Macular Degeneration. A disease he has, as does our Secretary’s Father.
From the brochures he obtained from the Macular Degeneration Foundation, and distributed at the Meeting, the following information is provided:
The macula is the central part of the retina, the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. It is responsible for your ability to read, recognise faces, drive and see colours clearly. You are reading this information using your macula.
MD causes progressive macula damage resulting in loss of central vision. This loss of vision may be severe. Fortunately the side vision is not significantly affected.
MD is a progressive disease. Treatment options are dependant on the stage and type of the disease. Current treatments aim to persevere as much vision as possible and halt or slow its progression. There is presently no cure for MD.
MD is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environment factors. People over the age of 50 are at risk. If you smoke or have a family history of MD, your risk of developing the disease much greater.
The early detection of any form of MD is crucial because any vision lost cannot be regained. Symptoms should not be dismissed as part of just ‘getting older’. As with most health matter, the earlier you seek treatment, the more likely you are to have a better outcome compared to those who wait.
MD can be detected in its very early stages before any visual symptoms occur. Detecting changes early allows you to take steps to slow down the progression of MD.